中國的盲盒經(jīng)濟(jì)

文/羅基·池（音譯） 譯/賀叢芝

到2030 年，中國的個(gè)人消費(fèi)規(guī)模將達(dá)到驚人的12.7 萬億美元。在這樣一個(gè)競爭激烈、不斷壯大的市場中，各品牌需要脫穎而出。

2盲盒就是最近流行的一種新風(fēng)潮，消費(fèi)者購買某個(gè)品牌的盒子時(shí)，并不知道里面裝的是什么產(chǎn)品。雖然盲盒這一概念本身并不新鮮（初見于20 世紀(jì)80 年代日本的扭蛋文化），但它成功激起了中國年輕消費(fèi)群體的興趣，逐漸風(fēng)靡。

3在微博上，有關(guān)盲盒的閱讀量已達(dá)到2.7 億，相關(guān)討論超過28.9萬條。百度指數(shù)顯示，盲盒相關(guān)數(shù)據(jù)的數(shù)量級與大受歡迎的密室逃脫游戲、KTV 酒吧和網(wǎng)吧相同。

4那么，對于品牌而言，盲盒值得一試嗎？今天，我們就來簡單介紹一下這個(gè)令人興奮的中國新興市場。

浪凡入局

5盲盒產(chǎn)品具有極強(qiáng)的社交屬性。消費(fèi)者購買到稀有款，會在社交平臺上互相比較、討論，分享他們的興奮。

6正因如此，知名奢侈品牌浪凡利用這一社交熱點(diǎn)，推出了七夕節(jié)活動(dòng)：消費(fèi)者支付500 元，在微信小程序上抽盲盒，然后通過浪凡的自動(dòng)售貨機(jī)兌換絲巾、運(yùn)動(dòng)鞋，甚至手提包等獎(jiǎng)品。

7這個(gè)活動(dòng)非常成功地引起了中國年輕消費(fèi)者的注意，在一個(gè)月內(nèi)吸引了五萬多人參與游戲，日均瀏覽量是浪凡微信公眾號文章的五倍多。

小盒子，大生意

8到2024 年，盲盒市場規(guī)模預(yù)計(jì)將猛增至300 億元。

9盲盒是概率銷售的一個(gè)案例，消費(fèi)者即使在付款之后，也不知道里面有什么。從棒球卡、盒裝泡泡糖到20 世紀(jì)90年代的寶可夢卡熱潮，隨機(jī)抽獎(jiǎng)營銷在世界范圍內(nèi)歷史悠久。隨著中國消費(fèi)者日漸沉迷于那種令人上癮的懸念感，盲盒這一概念在當(dāng)今社會已經(jīng)發(fā)生革命性變化。

10小小的盲盒吸引了大批白領(lǐng)階層的高學(xué)歷年輕消費(fèi)者，這是一筆大生意。在盲盒銷量中，女性（通常來自一線城市）消費(fèi)占比超過62%?？傮w而言，18—34 歲的消費(fèi)者占比高達(dá)74%。

11在中國，盲盒市場的領(lǐng)軍者是泡泡瑪特。它的玩具擺件以12 個(gè)為一套售賣（其中最為出名的是“莫莉”系列玩偶）。每一套都可能含有稀有隱藏款，但是大約每144 個(gè)盲盒里才會出現(xiàn)一個(gè)。

盲盒的吸引力在哪？

12各種各樣的行業(yè)和品牌都在出售盲盒，這引起了Z 世代的注意。星巴克、麥當(dāng)勞、品客、亞馬遜和宜家等數(shù)十個(gè)品牌都加入了盲盒風(fēng)潮，就連中國旅游業(yè)也緊跟潮流。航空公司開始銷售目的地隨機(jī)的國內(nèi)盲盒航班。

13對于中國的Z 世代和千禧一代（在相對富裕的時(shí)代長大）而言，游戲般的驚喜感和興奮感激發(fā)了他們作為買家的好奇心。強(qiáng)大的亞文化已經(jīng)興起，改裝玩具和產(chǎn)品形成了另一個(gè)巨大的市場。

14聯(lián)想等各大3C 品牌也開始關(guān)注游戲化的購物體驗(yàn)。聯(lián)想和泡泡瑪特聯(lián)合推出了一個(gè)采用雙盲玩法的“大盲盒”。打開盲盒，首先呈現(xiàn)的是聯(lián)想小新Pro 14、聯(lián)想小新×YUKI 聯(lián)名擺件，以及其他隨機(jī)選擇的產(chǎn)品。開出稀有開“新”卡的幸運(yùn)消費(fèi)者還可以額外兌換高價(jià)值的聯(lián)想產(chǎn)品，以及有收藏價(jià)值的玩偶。

15中國的Z 世代熱衷于彰顯自我表達(dá)、富有樂趣的消費(fèi)體驗(yàn)，他們愿意為能滿足情緒需求的愛好買單，而盲盒完美地契合了他們的需求。

各品牌如何乘上盲盒熱潮的東風(fēng)？

16盲盒概念的吸引力很大程度上來自等待包裹送達(dá)和拆包裹的體驗(yàn)，包含了收集、驚喜和社交成分。

17下面簡單介紹幾個(gè)可供各品牌促進(jìn)消費(fèi)、改善中國市場營銷策略的方法。

線上線下融合

18盲盒促銷為線上線下多渠道銷售的融合提供了機(jī)會。

19以泡泡瑪特為例，除了旗艦店，該品牌還擁有自營店、快閃店和自動(dòng)售貨機(jī)，都提供盲盒體驗(yàn)。除此之外，還有中國大型社交媒體上的營銷活動(dòng)和傳統(tǒng)的線上銷售。

20通過多種渠道，產(chǎn)品可以在更長的時(shí)間內(nèi)展示給更多的人，由此增加曝光率，促進(jìn)購買。

贏得當(dāng)今Z 世代消費(fèi)者的青睞

21打開盲盒的瞬間，腎上腺素飆升，帶來無窮樂趣，讓人沉迷其中，這使得盲盒深受中國消費(fèi)者的歡迎。

22各品牌抓住這一點(diǎn)，不斷提升產(chǎn)品的獨(dú)特性。比如，河南博物院推出“考古盲盒”，消費(fèi)者需要使用洛陽鏟挖出盲盒里的寶物。

23中國的Z 世代和千禧一代非常注重情感價(jià)值。所以，針對中國市場的任何營銷策略都應(yīng)該把建立持久的互動(dòng)、打造真誠的品牌聯(lián)結(jié)作為核心要義。 □

By 2030, China’s private consumption is set to reach a staggering$12.7tn. In such a competitive and growing market brands need to stand out from the crowd.

2One recent trend is the blind box,where customers purchase a package from a brand containing unknown products.While the concept itself is nothing new(first appearing with Japanese gashapon culture in the 1980s), it’s a craze that’s grabbed the imagination of young Chinese consumers.

3On Weibo, the number of readings of blind box has reached 270m, with over 289,000 related discussions. According to the Baidu index, blind boxes now have the same order of magnitude as massively popular escape room games, KTV bars and internet cafes.

4So, are blind boxes a bet worth taking for brands? Today we provide a glimpse into this exciting new China market.

Lanvin’s on board

5Blind box products are incredibly social—with consumers comparing and discussing their excitement at rare finds over Chinese social media.

6That’s why renowned luxury brand Lanvin took advantage of this social buzz with its campaign for Chinese Valentine’s day. This involved a blind box lottery on its WeChat Mini Program,where for 500 yuan consumers entered a draw to redeem prizes at Lanvin vending machines containing silk scarves,sneakers and even handbags.

7The campaign was immensely successful at gaining the attention of young Chinese consumers, attracting over 50,000 game-players within a month and garnering over fvie times the daily average views of Lanvin’s WeChat articles.

Small boxes, big business

8The blind box market is predicted to soar to 30bn yuan by 2024.

9They are an example of probabilistic selling—where even after making payment, consumers have no idea what’s inside. Random-draw marketing has a long history worldwide, from baseball cards and bubble-gum packets to the Pokémon card craze of the 1990s. This concept has been revolutionized for the modern day,with Chinese consumers hooked on the addictive feeling of suspense.

10These small boxes are big business to the highly-educated, white-collar,youthful buyers they attract. Women(often from first-tier cities) account for over 62% of blind box sales. Overall, a staggering 74% of consumers fall between the ages of 18–34.

11The China market leader in this sector is Pop Mart. Its toy figurines are sold in sets of twelve (the most famous of which is the “Molly” doll). Each set has the potential to include one rare hidden figurine that only appears in around one out of every 144 boxes.

What’s the appeal of blind boxes?

12The sheer variety of industries and brands offering blind boxes has caught gen Z’s attention. Dozens of brands including Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pringles, Amazon and Ikea have jumped on the blind box bandwagon1jump on the bandwagon 趕時(shí)髦，追隨潮流。. Even the Chinese travel industry has got on board,with airlines selling blind box domestic flights to randomly-chosen destinations.

13For Chinese gen Z and millennial generations (raised in periods of relative affluence), the game-like elements of surprise and excitement have stimulated buyer curiosity. Strong subcultures have emerged, with a large additional market for modified toys and products.

14Major 3C brands such as Lenovo are also taking notice of gamified shopping experiences. A “big blind box” was

launched jointly between Lenovo and Pop Mart, offering a double-blind form of gameplay. The first open revealed a Lenovo Xiaoxin Pro 14 and Lenovo Xiaoxin×YUKI figurine, as well as other randomly selected products. A rare open new card allowed lucky customers to redeem additional high-value Lenovo products and collectable dolls.

15With a strong preference for purchases allowing self-expression and a sense of fun, Chinese gen Z are willing to pay for hobbies that drive emotional satisfaction—and blind boxes are one extremely satisfying way to do this.

How can brands build on the blind box craze?

16Much of the appeal of the blind box concept lies in the delivery and unwrapping experience—with collection, surprise and social engagement all playing a part.

17Here’s a glimpse into just some of the ways brands can drive purchases and improve their China marketing strategy.

Online and offline intergration

18Blind box promotions provide opportunities to combine online and offline omnichannel sales.

19Take Bubble Mart as an example—as well as their falgship store, the brand owns self-operated stores, pop-up stores and unmanned vending machines, all offering blind box experiences. This is in addition to major Chinese social media campaigns and traditional online sales.

20With multiple channels, products are visible to more people more of the time—increasing exposure and promoting purchases.

Winning the hearts of today’s gen Z consumer

21The adrenaline rush involved in unwrapping a blind box contributes to the sense of fun and addiction that makes them so popular with Chinese consumers.

22Brands have taken advantage of this by increasing the uniqueness of their products—for instance, an “archaeological blind box” from the Henan Museum where consumers had to use a Luoyang shovel to dig out the contents of the blind box.

23With Chinese gen Z and millennials valuing emotional value highly, creating prolonged interactions and genuine brand connections should be central to any Chinese marketing strategy. ■