CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT, BLIND-BOX GAMIFICATION, AND SCARCITY CUES AS STIMULI OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR: A STUDY OF POP MART'S ECOSYSTEM IN INDONESIA
DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.22137057Published:
2026-08-10Downloads
Abstract
Pop Mart's blind-box retail model has driven rapid growth across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, by engineering scarcity, gamification, and celebrity endorsement into every transaction. While these tactics generate immediate commercial success, their long-term implications for consumer well-being, brand trust, and market sustainability remain underexplored. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework, this study examines the psychological mechanisms through which celebrity endorsement, blind-box gamification, and scarcity cues affect impulse buying and repeat-purchase intentions among Indonesian consumers, mediated by parasocial attachment, perceived enjoyment, and emotional arousal. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed, collecting data from 229 Indonesian consumers aged 18–40 via online questionnaire. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with 5,000 bootstrap resamples was used to test thirteen direct and six mediation hypotheses. Results reveal that each stimulus activates a distinct psychological pathway: gamification drives hedonic enjoyment and sustainable repeat purchase; scarcity cues generate pressure-based emotional arousal that triggers compulsive buying; and celebrity endorsement, counter-intuitively, suppresses both enjoyment and long-term repurchase through expectation-disconfirmation in the probabilistic reveal format. The study extends the S–O–R model to physical collectable retail and provides actionable governance recommendations for ethical scarcity architectures in ASEAN markets.
Keywords:
blind-box gamification consumer behaviour fear of missing out parasocial attachment scarcity cuesReferences
Al Mutanafisa, T., & Retnaningsih, R. (2021). The effect of sales promotion and knowledge on impulsive buying of online platform consumers. Journal of Consumer Sciences, 6(1), 77–91. https://doi.org/10.29244/jcs.6.1.77-91
Aw, E. C. X., & Labrecque, L. I. (2020). Celebrity endorsement in social media contexts: Understanding the role of parasocial interactions and the need to belong. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 37(7), 895–908. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-10-2019-3474
Brock, T. C. (1968). Implications of commodity theory for value change. In A. G. Greenwald, T. C. Brock, & T. M. Ostrom (Eds.), Psychological foundations of attitudes (pp. 243–275). Academic Press.
Business Research Insights. (2025). Toy collectables market size, share & industry analysis report. https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/market-reports/toy-collectibles-market-118486
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behaviour. Plenum Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining “gamification”. Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference, 9–15. https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040
Donovan, R. J., & Rossiter, J. R. (1982). Store atmosphere: An environmental psychology approach. Journal of Retailing, 58(1), 34–57.
Eroglu, S. A., Machleit, K. A., & Davis, L. M. (2001). Atmospheric qualities of online retailing. Journal of Business Research, 54(2), 177–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(99)00087-9
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.-G., & Buchner, A. (1996). G*Power: A general power analysis program. Behaviour Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 28(1), 1–11.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Gao, P., & Zhao, Z. (2023). Analysis of the impact of gamification on impulse buying behaviour under the S-O-R framework. Journal of Business and Economic Policy, 10(2), 125–136. https://francis-press.com/uploads/papers/h2aspD60Uhj5VDMmTA8dOGfNeb5K5yYENJDzaRmG.pdf
Gong, W., Ye, W., & Yu, S. (2024). Facilitating endorsement efficacy: The interplay of parasocial interaction, product placement, and influencer type. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 19(4), 3214–3228. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer19040156
Google, & Bain & Company. (2023). e-Conomy SEA 2023: Through the geopolitical lens. https://economysea.withgoogle.com/report/2023-overview/
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modelling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
Hermanda, A., Sumarwan, U., & Tinaprillia, N. (2019). The effect of social media influencers on brand image, self-concept, and purchase intention. Journal of Consumer Sciences, 4(2), 76–89. https://doi.org/10.29244/jcs.4.2.76-89
Holbrook, M. B., & Hirschman, E. C. (1982). The experiential aspects of consumption: Consumer fantasies, feelings, and fun. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(2), 132–140. https://doi.org/10.1086/208906
Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction: Observations on intimacy at a distance. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229.
Hovland, C. I., & Weiss, W. (1951). The influence of source credibility on communication effectiveness. Public Opinion Quarterly, 15(4), 635–650. https://doi.org/10.1086/266350
Kadir, Z. H., Mohd, S. N., & Othman, A. S. B. (2024). Preliminary study of perceived enjoyment, impulse buying tendency, gamification, and online purchase intention on e-commerce using Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(3), 1162–1172.
Kim, M. (2024, July 25). Overseas K-pop sales surpass 1 trillion won for the first time in 2023. Korea JoongAng Daily. https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-07-25/entertainment/kpop/Overseas-Kpop-sales-surpass-1-trillion-won-for-first-time-in-2023/2098603
Lynn, M. (1991). Scarcity effects on value: A quantitative review of commodity theory literature. Psychology & Marketing, 8(1), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.4220080105
Martiza, S., & Hadi, E. D. (2025). Why do K-pop fans buy impulsively? A study on perceived scarcity, FOMO, and self-control. Journal of Consumer Sciences, 10(2), 299–316. https://doi.org/10.29244/jcs.10.2.299-316
McCracken, G. (1989). Who is the celebrity endorser? Cultural foundations of the endorsement process. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(3), 310–321. https://doi.org/10.1086/209217
McGuire, W. J. (1985). Attitude and attitude change. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 233–346). Random House.
Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An approach to environmental psychology. MIT Press.
Meliawati, T., Gerald, S. C., & Aruman, A. E. (2023). The effect of social media marketing TikTok and product quality towards purchase intention. Journal of Consumer Sciences, 8(1), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.29244/jcs.8.1.77-92
Mordor Intelligence. (2025). Indonesia e-commerce market size & share analysis – Growth trends & forecasts (2024–2030). https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/indonesia-ecommerce-market
Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17(4), 460–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378001700405
Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence consumer loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 63(4_suppl1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429990634s10
Pop Mart International Group Limited. (2025a). Interim results announcement for the six months ended 30 June 2025. https://prod-out-res.popmart.com/cms/INTERIM_RESULTS_ANNOUNCEMENT_FOR_THE_SIX_MONTHS_ENDED_30_JUNE_2025_c6a7290528.pdf
Pop Mart International Group Limited. (2025b). Annual report 2024. https://prod-out-res.popmart.com/cms/ANNUAL_REPORT_2024_976e7e443e.pdf
Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., & Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioural correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behaviour, 29(4), 1841–1848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014
Rofiah, C., & Arrahima, I. (2025). FOMO phenomenon: Cyber-phenomenological exploration in the Labubu limited edition product collector community. Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Studies, 8(1), 383–404. https://ijefm.co.in/v8i1/Doc/36.pdf
Rook, D. W. (1987). The buying impulse. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(2), 189–199. https://doi.org/10.1086/209105
Suratmanto, E., Budiningsih, A., & Sumarwan, A. (2025). The influence of gamification on user engagement and repurchase intention in Indonesia's e-commerce: The role of trust. Journal of Indonesian Operations Research, 4(1), 74–86. https://doi.org/10.31341/jios.49.1.4
Yoon, S., & Lee, J. (2024, July 26). K-Pop's overseas revenue surpasses 1 trillion won for the first time. The Chosun Ilbo. https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2024/07/26/LNQR3QFYMJFVRM2ZJFEJGTDV7Q/
Zhang, Y., Li, X., & Chen, Y. (2022). The impact of scarcity cues and FOMO on impulse buying under the S-O-R framework. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 68, Article 103108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103108
Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197–206.
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Diana Sugandhy, Ira Fachira, S.Si., M.T., Ph.D.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
