Unwrapping the mystery

: exploring the effects of revealing surprise purchases

Abstract

Mystery deals are gaining more popularity as a marketing strategy. When selling a mystery deal, companies deliberately limit the amount of information regarding their products or services intending to arouse consumer curiosity, capture their interest, and generate the desire to find out more about the offer through making a purchase. This study aims to investigate not only how curiosity, expectations, and evaluation of the product and other feelings of customers impact the buying process of a mystery product before the reveal of the mystery, but also in particular how these factors and feelings of the customers develop and influence each other through the buying process. Consequently, the influence of resolving the mystery on consumers' perceptions was also included and a significant part of this investigation. This study reveals that curiosity positively influences initial expectations and functional values before and after the reveal. The research also highlights a decline in product expectations and activity satisfaction post-reveal, urging caution for organizations using mystery deals as a marketing strategy. Importantly, positive activity satisfaction post-reveal enhances customer satisfaction and positively impacts brand perception, underscoring the long-term benefits of mystery box purchases.

Date of Award	16 Oct 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cristina Soares Pacheco Mendonça (Supervisor)