Unlocking the appeal: An empirical study of apparel blind box adoption among Gen Z consumers

Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model, this paper investigates the impact of external marketing stimuli on the internal evaluations and behavioral reactions towards apparel blind boxes among Gen Z consumers based on their research findings, especially the moderating role of consumer knowledge. Leveraging survey data from 403 U.S. respondents, we analyze the influence of core stimuli – authenticity, personalization, informativeness, and promotional efforts, on perception of perceived risks (functional/financial) and perceived values (utilitarian/hedonic), influencing purchase intention and WOM. The findings suggest that authenticity and personalization are effective strategies to lower perceptions of functional risk and to raise values on both hedonic and utilitarian levels. Informativeness and promotional efforts enhance perceived values and do not attenuate perceived risks. Among the constructs based on the organism, all but functional risk have positive effects on purchase intention and WOM. Importantly, consumers’ knowledge is also an important moderator between stimulus-perceived value interactions which can affect consumer responses. These findings provide additional theoretical insights into digital retail experiences via the SOR lens and thus provide strategic guidance for marketers seeking to engage Gen Z consumers in the blind box retail format.