The Influence of Blind Box Marketing on Purchase Intention and Brand Loyalty among Chinese Students in Thailand: A Case Study of POP MART

Abstract

This study examines the influence of blind box marketing on purchase intention and brand loyalty among Chinese students in Thailand, using POP MART as a case study. Guided by the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework and the marketing mix (4P) concept, blind box marketing is treated as the independent variable, while purchase intention and brand loyalty are regarded as the dependent variables.

A quantitative research approach was employed through a structured online questionnaire distributed to Chinese students in Thailand who had purchasing experience with, or interest in, POP MART blind box products. The final sample consisted of 396 valid respondents. Data were collected using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed through descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and simple linear regression.

The findings show that POP MART’s blind box marketing has a significant and positive influence on both purchase intention and brand loyalty. The regression results indicate that blind box marketing explains 72.9% of the variance in purchase intention and 73.0% of the variance in brand loyalty. Therefore, both research hypotheses were supported.

The findings also suggest that uncertainty and randomness, collectability and limited editions, product and packaging design, as well as interactive and experiential marketing can stimulate purchase intention and strengthen brand loyalty. This study contributes to the literature on blind box marketing in a cross-cultural context and provides practical implications for art toy brands targeting young overseas consumers.