Labubu, a little elf with fangs, has become a dark horse in the global trendy toy market with its unique design and blind box gameplay. However, as the heat subsided, people began to wonder: has the wind in Labubu really passed? This article will deeply analyze the underlying logic behind Labubu’s explosion from multiple dimensions such as product design, commercial monetization, and customer journey, discuss its transformation from form innovation to cultural empowerment, and how to stimulate consumers’ emotional value and participation through the blind box mechanism.
As the title says, after the limelight has passed, let’s talk about Labubu rationally and objectively.
All consumption behaviors are solving two things:
One is satisfaction, the other is presence。
Satisfaction means that people’s material needs and basic spiritual needs have been met.
Presence is to tell others who you are? Are you rich, tasteful, or artistic?
Whether it’s satisfaction or a sense of existence, who is just needed and who is not?
For example, when we wake up, we become super rich and live in a big manor. It just so happens that you are alone at home today, please imagine the following two scenes with me:
Scenario 1: You are driving out and suddenly remember that you forgot to turn off the faucet. The water bill spent on the faucet for a day is about 40 yuan. Do you feel anxious because of this?
Scenario 2: During the time you left home, the oversized fountain at the entrance of the manor was also open, and the water + electricity bill for a day was 400 yuan. Do you feel anxious because of this?
I have asked many people this question, and most of them answered that in the first scenario, the faucet is not turned off and I am very anxious; The second scene is not anxious.
This is very interesting, it’s all water, it’s spraying, why are we anxious about the faucet that is open, not the fountain that is open? ”
This is the sharing of Wang Ning, the founder of Bubble Mart, in a speech.
You taste, you taste.
This is the emotional value of the product。
In the current consumer context, the value of products, especially ToC products, has shifted from physical functions to emotional resonance and cultural identity.
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This time, we will take the popular Labubu as an example to dismantle the underlying logic of such blind box products sweeping the global market.
1. Product design value: from form innovation to cultural empowerment
1. Breaking the circle of product design: reconstructing aesthetic standards with “imperfection”
This strange-looking plush doll with its iconic fangs is building a “flaw appeal” with a design that subverts convention – when society generally pursues standardized perfection, Labubu’s imperfection becomes an outlet for personalized expression.
Just like Nezha, who has dark circles under his eyes of “my life is up to me”, this kind of aesthetic contrast is to be diametrically opposed to the traditional cute style at the beginning of the design, and the current labels of “rebellion”, “independence”, “breaking conventions”, “challenges” and “not being defined” are portrayed on the product.
Also like the cultural significance carried by Nezha’s character, in Long Jiasheng’s picture book “Mysterious Buka”, Labubu is not a docile pet, but a forest elf derived from nature.
This kind of unconventional character setting,Build a cultural context for virtual IP。 When consumers buy Labubu, they actually get a cultural container that carries a story, and can gain emotional support in the “goods”.
2. Innovation in interaction design: use blind box mechanism to stimulate a sense of participation
At the level of product operation, only good products are not the key to becoming a “hit”, but also pay attention to the form of operation.
The form of blind box cleverly makes use of people’s curiosity and desire to explore, and is also an upgrade of experiential design:Opening the blind box stimulates adrenaline、Dismantle to a satisfactory style to secrete dopamine、1/144 of the hidden probability of winning the lottery, and when you get more surprises than expected, it is stimulating more and more emotional consumption and more and more participating audiences.
2. Commercial monetization of product value: dismantling the customer journey map
The above is how Labubu “exploded” in the operation of the product.
But if the product is good, it is not easy to make it complete value realization.
Next, let’s talk about Labubu’s business transformation link.
When it comes to business monetization, we have to think about how to gradually attract customers from attention and interest to order purchase and addiction throughout the entire experience.
We can break it down according to the customer journey map into four core stages: cognitive reach→ interest activation→ decision-making→ and experience immersion.
1. Cognitive reach stage: use visual impact to tear open the attention gap
At this timeCustomer behavior: When I was browsing social platforms, I happened to encounter Labubu’s unboxing video, I was attracted by the fanged doll in the store window when I passed by the mall, and the ugly and cute doll photo posted by my friend
At this timeUser needs: The demand for non-standardized aesthetics and the desire to show the needs of social personalization
At this timeEmotional experience: Curious (Why do so many people buy this ugly thing?) ), the freshness brought by aesthetic contrasts
Key touchpoints：
- See Labubu posted by others offline or online
- Cultural carrier: carrying the flexible but righteous character of the forest
clientDemand insights: The desire of the public (especially young people) for non-standardized aesthetics and the desire to identify themselves through niche culture
clientmentality: Mainly “expectation”, the expectation value gradually increases.
2. Interest activation stage: Create a desire funnel with a scarce blind box mechanism
At this timeCustomer behavior: Search for Labubu series styles and prices on the official website, check the probability of hidden models, join the community to ask “where to draw and how to draw”, and go to offline stores to visit various blind boxes
At this timeEmotional experience: Expectation (looking forward to drawing hidden models and styles you want), collectible desire (wanting to draw 12 regular models)
Key touchpoints：
- Social scene: Various online players posted their own blind boxes, as well as the sharing of their feelings when they won the hidden model
- Star effect: International stars, girl group members, and idols all have Labubu
clientDemand insights: Young consumers are addicted to such uncertain games and enjoy the stimulation brought by gambling/apprenticeship
clientmentality: Mainly “expectation”, the expectation value gradually increases.
3. Decision-making and purchase stage: promote conversion
At this timeCustomer behavior: Repeatedly shake the blind box in the store and pay a premium for the hidden money to buy second-hand
At this timeEmotional experience: Nervousness (moment of unboxing), ecstasy (drawing the target model) or loss (repeating the model), self-persuasion (next time will definitely be European)
Key touchpoints：
- Price strategy: The unit price of 99 yuan lowers the threshold for decision-making, but the scarce hidden model stimulates the gambling/apprenticeship of “small to big”
- Offline experience: The store sets up sample displays, allowing users to intuitively see the reality of various blind boxes, allowing users to guess the style of the box through touch and enhance their sense of participation
clientDemand insights: In consumer behavior, most groups are willing to pay for emotional value and “trends”
4. Experience the immersion stage: Deepen the emotional connection
- At this timeCustomer behavior: Take photos for Labubu, buy display boxes for display, and collect
- At this timeEmotional experience: Belonging (becoming a member of the Labubu fan community), satisfaction (integrating into a certain circle)
- Key touchpoints：
Physical Scene: Custom acrylic display boxes allow Labubu to become a home decoration item, transforming it into a sense of ritual for life
Social interaction: Community members share tutorials to stimulate users to participate in IP co-creation and secondary creation
Brand loyalty: When the IP series launches a new product, it continues to stimulate the desire to collect and buy
- clientDemand insights: Young people’s demand for “cultural consumption” and “emotional consumption”
(Second Innovation Products)
As Wang Ning said in his speech earlier,”What is useless is art”。
The essence of Labubu’s explosion is the success of the “functional value” of the product in another sense – the current products are no longer just the traditional use of functional needs to satisfy, but now more and more focus on the stimulation and satisfaction of customer emotional value.
Through the combing of all aspects of the customer journey, whether it is the initial aesthetic impact, or the gambling/apprenticeship at the time of purchase, or the final brand loyalty, Labubu through this kind of blind box products,Let users move from “buying products” to “investing in emotional value”。
This pattern proves that:In the era of experience economy, the user’s experience is the key to ultimately determining whether a product has purchase value。
Although Labubu has recently begun to “dive”, has this wave really passed? What do you think?
