Wrapped, Random, Addictive: Why Surprise Boxes Are the New Shopping Trend

Hey marketers, welcome back.

Last week, I went to a mall with zero plans to buy anything, and I walked into Crosswords like I always do. Just browsing, just killing time, nothing serious.

And then I saw a Valentine’s Day table that genuinely made me pause.

Blind Date with a Book.

Every book was wrapped. No cover. No title. No author name. Just a small label with a few hints like “slow burn romance” or “mystery with a twist” or “comfort read.” You pick one, pay for it, take it home, and only then you find out what you’ve actually chosen.

It felt simple. Almost playful.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realised this isn’t just a cute Crosswords thing.

This is a trend.

And it’s everywhere right now.

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When Mystery Becomes the Marketing

Most brands spend years trying to reduce uncertainty. They want you to see the product clearly, compare it easily, trust it, and feel confident before you buy.

Surprise formats do the opposite.

They hide the information on purpose, and somehow that makes the experience more exciting. Because when you don’t fully know what you’re getting, you’re not just buying an item. You’re buying a moment. The curiosity, the anticipation, the reveal.

That emotional build-up is what makes it work.

It turns shopping into something that feels less like a transaction and more like entertainment.

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Crosswords Isn’t Alone, It’s Just the Most Wholesome Version

Once you notice Blind Date with a Book, you start connecting it to the bigger wave of “surprise buying” that brands are leaning into.

Labubu is built on this exact behaviour. You don’t pick the figure you want. You pick the box and hope you get lucky.

LEGO minifigurines do the same thing. The thrill isn’t just owning it, it’s opening it and finding out which one you got.

But surprise culture isn’t just toys and collectibles anymore. It’s spreading into categories you wouldn’t expect.

Some of the most interesting examples right now:

• Beauty “mystery bundles” where you get random products inside a curated box

• Cafes doing “mystery drink” menus where you choose a vibe, not a flavour

• Streetwear mystery drops where the hype is built around what you might get

• Trading card packs that still make adults behave like kids again

• Blind bags in stationery and accessories that make tiny products feel addictive

Different industries, same trigger.

The unknown is doing the selling.

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Why “Just One” Turns Into “One More”

This is where surprise formats get powerful.

Because they don’t just create a purchase.

They create a loop.

You buy once out of curiosity. Then you open it, and you either feel lucky or slightly disappointed. And that emotion pushes the next decision.

The pattern usually looks like this:

• Curiosity gets you to try it once

• Hope makes you try again

• Completion makes you keep going

It stops being about the product itself.

It becomes about getting the right one, the rare one, the matching one, the one that feels like a “win.”

And that’s why these formats don’t need aggressive marketing.

The behaviour does the job.

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Why Brands Love Surprise Formats

From a brand point of view, this trend is honestly genius because it creates value without needing to add much.

Surprise boxes naturally drive:

• repeat purchases, because people keep trying

• collecting behaviour, because consumers want sets

• free content, because unboxing is instantly shareable

People don’t just buy and move on anymore.

They record it.
They post it.
They compare outcomes.
They trade duplicates.
They build collections like small trophies.

The product becomes a story people want to share.

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Final Thought

Crosswords wrapping books for Valentine’s Day might look like a small seasonal idea, but it captures something bigger happening in consumer culture.

We’re living in a world where everything is over-explained. Every product has reviews, ratings, comparisons, and ten “best of” lists before you even touch it.

So when a brand says, “trust me, just pick one and unwrap it later,” it feels refreshing.

Not knowing becomes the fun.

And that’s why surprise boxes are becoming such a trend. They make buying feel like a moment again, not just a decision.

In a world full of predictable choices, mystery is starting to feel like a luxury.

-MK