From surprise to conscious brand engagement: How hedonism, sustained curiosity, and relationship proneness in blind‑box marketing complement the brand

Grounded in Information Gap Theory and Organismic Integration Theory, this study examines how blind‑box marketing strengthens consumers’ post-purchase intentions by activating sustained curiosity and relationship proneness as central psychological mechanisms and offers managerial implications for improving customer retention and repeat interactions with the brand. Data were collected through an online survey of 344 Chinese consumers and analyzed using PLS-SEM to test how perceived purchase benefits shape post-purchase behavioral intentions. The findings show that adventure, gratification, and best-deal benefits positively influence sustained curiosity, which in turn increases post-purchase behavioral intentions for the same brand. Sustained curiosity positively mediates the effects of adventure, best-deal benefits, and gratification benefits on post-purchase intentions. At the same time, relationship proneness amplifies the relationship between sustained curiosity and post-purchase intentions. The study conceptualizes blind‑box marketing as a hedonic strategy that stimulates curiosity-driven consumption and brand engagement, and it extends current understanding by demonstrating how relationship proneness conditions the persistence of post-purchase responses, with implications for sustaining interaction and unlocking incremental revenue potential.