Recently, Bubble Mart has launched a new "Friends" co-branded series.
After the official announcement of this series of blind boxes called "Reunion of Old Friends", netizens have directly called out "The familiar Friends are back!" "Bring a wave of "memory killing" to the "post-80s" and "post-90s".
Bubble Mart "Friends" co-branded series.
As a sitcom that premiered in 1994, "Friends" carries the youthful memories of generations.
To this end, many blind boxes are cute "for the first time to buy bubble mart for "Friends"" and blind box enthusiasts are even more "end box" to buy. However, many people do not buy the joint name, saying that "the character image restoration is not in place", "poor quality control", "not good-looking", "the goods are not right" and so on.
In fact, this is not the first time that Bubble Mart has co-branded a classic IP. As early as two years ago, Bubble Mart successively launched a number of Harry Potter co-branded series, from the initial popularity to the later "aesthetic fatigue", some netizens believe that the blind box business is aimed at the original fans who already have strong purchasing power, to jointly consume the feelings of "post-80s" and "post-90s".
Everything can be blinded by a box
On the new day of the "Bubble Mart X Friends" blind box, the reporter visited many bubble Mart flagship stores such as Guangzhou Tianhuan Plaza and Taikoo Hui and saw that the "Friends" series is currently in sufficient supply, and there is no scene of "a box is difficult to find" in last year's constellation series.
Bubble Mart Guangzhou Tianhuan Plaza store.
"The Friends Blind Box is almost featureless, everyone's facial features are exactly the same, and different characters can only be distinguished by dress, which is very perfunctory." Ms. Deng, who has been "in the pit" blind box for 4 years, expressed disappointment, but she still bought two "Friends" joint funds.
Part of Ms. Nguyen's collection, the first blind box she purchased, is the Bubble Mart Dimo series.
The reporter noted that even if the reputation of the joint model is not good, the market heat of the blind box is still not affected. These mass-produced blind boxes are occupying the lives of young people.
In March this year, the blind box giant Bubble Mart released its 2021 annual financial report, Bubble Mart achieved revenue of 4.49 billion yuan last year, an increase of 78.7% year-on-year; adjusted net profit of 1.002 billion yuan, an increase of 69.6% year-on-year. In addition, the number of registered members reached 19.58 million, and the member repurchase rate was 56.5%.
Bubble Mart revenue.
Looking at the entire domestic blind box market, the size of China's blind box market was 8.38 billion yuan in 2017, 11.95 billion yuan in 2018, and exceeded 20 billion yuan in 2019 until it reached its peak in 2021.
It can be said that 2021 is the year when the blind box "breaks the circle", and unlocking the blind box economy is like mastering the "traffic password". 52TOYS, TOP TOY, Mingchuang Premium, Cool Tide Play and other brands of blind boxes are also entering the blind box market at a rapid rate. From the tide play handmade to makeup, stationery, clothing, archaeology, has now entered the era of "everything can be blind box".
Bubble Mart KFC co-branded series.
Original IP is the core competitiveness
"Actually, my favorite is the Dimo space travel series." Compared with a variety of co-branded models, blind box enthusiast Ms. Nguyen is more enthusiastic about buying bubble mart's native IP.
In fact, compared with emerging blind box brands such as TOP TOY, which is "co-branded", Bubble Mart itself does not lack originality, and it sells well. In the first half of last year alone, a total of 6 IP outlets under Bubble Mart exceeded 100 million yuan in revenue, including the original IP "MOLLY", "DIMOO" and "SKULLPANDA".
Bubble Mart "Harry Potter" co-branded series.
These IPs themselves have a corresponding story. For example, the Dimo space travel series, the official story and setting is: "It is a small elf from the depths of the universe, as the master of the fantasy world, in reality he is timid and lonely, but brave and active in his dreams, and in countless interstellar expeditions with his partners, they can always overcome the danger and return safely, but this trip to the earth has a small accident ..." It is these healing stories and images that have harvested many "fans".
Bubble Mart Dimoo Space Travel Series.
Chen Shaofeng, director of the Academic Committee of the Academy of Culture and Industry of Peking University and doctoral supervisor, said that the blind box itself is only a simple marketing means, and more people may enter the blind box market in the future, but the most important thing is still the quality of the product. "One of the reasons why the co-branded model can be successful is its original fan base, and some of the original IPs of Bubble Mart are also because they have their own core competitiveness, which can stand out among many original products."
Consumers need to rationally "plant grass"
The blind box market is very hot, and consumption problems are also coming.
This year's CCTV 3·15 party exposed the bubble Mart 800 yuan doll blind box cost only 30 yuan, and KFC joint blind box induced excessive consumption of food, some consumers spent 10494 yuan to buy 106 blind boxes for the extraction of hidden money, and even hired people to buy and eat on behalf of others.
Similarly, the joint series of consumer sentiments continue to emerge, blowing up wave after wave of consumption frenzy, but there will still be problems such as "uneven quality of goods, rough workmanship and flaws", and consumers do not buy it and return it for refund.
A collection of blind box enthusiasts, which is dominated by IP such as Bubble Mart's original Dimo and Labubu.
A few days ago, some consumers said that after the blind box was selected, they applied for after-sales exchange due to defects, but they were rejected by customer service on the grounds that they were "inconsistent with the genuine product". Consumers with similar experiences are emerging. In response, Bubble Mart responded that "the product is a hot-selling series, the shipment volume is very large, different batches of products from multiple factories, there may be slight differences." ”
On the one hand, blind boxes are not only selling hot, consumers are enthusiastic; on the other hand, hot goods have led to excessive consumption, and the product quality problems exposed have also made many "fans" "retreat".
Liu Junhai, vice president of the China Consumers Association, once said that there is still a legal regulatory gap in the blind box market in the mainland, and blind boxes should not become a "blind spot", and consideration should be given to regulating it through legislation as soon as possible. Some experts said that the blind box fits the psychological effect of people's "completion", that is, when people get one or two of a certain series of blind boxes, they will be more inclined to collect it, thus attracting consumers to buy more products. At the same time, consumers should recognize the risks of blind boxes, consume rationally, and retain relevant evidence when purchasing so as to facilitate the protection of rights when encountering problems.
Looking at the entire blind box market, while being loved and concerned, how long the emotional consumption of "post-80s" and "post-90s" can last we have no way of knowing, and what consumers can understand is to rationally "plant grass". However, for industrial development, abiding by market laws and regulations and taking root in originality is the fundamental strategy to maintain the long-term vitality of products.
[Reporter] Huang Kunyuan Sun Yujia
【Intern】He Rui
【Author】 Huang Kunyuan; Sun Yujia
【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client