As Aldi and Target Push Blind Box Culture in New Retail Categories, Will This Trend Grow?

Blind boxes have been a significant attraction for consumers in the collectibles space for some time now, with professional wrestling slap bracelets and mini-figures sharing shelf space with sports cards, anime-inspired plushies, slimes, and more.

Now, as Modern Retail’s Mitchell Parton explained, it appears as if the persistent popularity of blind boxes is inspiring large retailers and grocers — including Target and Aldi — to buy in. What’s more, they’re expanding the concept beyond its established roots.

“In June, Target launched the second limited-time drop of its collaboration with Pokémon [the first coming in April], featuring apparel and toys, including puzzles, graphic tees, kickballs and jackets,” Parton wrote.

“Furthermore, Aldi introduced ‘blind boxes’ last month where shoppers could sign up to receive a limited supply of free boxes themed around snacks, fiber and protein, as well as a mystery box with products from throughout the store,” he added.

First up, Parton discussed the latest Target team-up involving the wildly popular Pokémon brand. Further anticipation was built by Target by offering a strict launch day of June 6, alongside a notice that product was expected to sell very quickly — with the entire drop event strictly limiting collab fans to one unit per SKU, per guest, both at brick-and-mortar locations as well as online.

The Pokémon x Target drop included a felt-finish Pikachu pennant, a variety of 151-piece puzzles featuring Pokémon from the original Kanto region, graphic tees, Poké Ball kickballs for the athletic types, blankets, sweatshirts, and the much-sought-after Johto and Hoenn Starter Jackets.

On the Aldi side, the blind box concept was evolved a bit further outside of existing boundaries.

“The popularity of collectibles has reinforced the idea that people love the anticipation and joy of a reveal. While our Blind Box is focused on groceries rather than collectibles, the underlying behavior is similar: shoppers enjoy the excitement of not knowing exactly what’s inside while feeling confident that they’ll receive products they’ll love,” said Aldi director of communications Bridget Kozlowski in remarks offered to Modern Retail.

A sense of urgency was also instituted for the Aldi drop, with quantities limited to a four-day time frame before the grocer followed up with 5,000 “encore boxes” due to very high shopper demand.

ALDI’s Blind Box campaign drove a ~20% lift to baseline U.S. online traffic pic.twitter.com/5ChtWCoM6a

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Analysts Weigh in on Blind Box Expansions Into Broader Retail

Two analysts were cited by Parton, with Walter Holbrook — founder of Yoda Retail — and Anne Mezzenga, founder and CEO of Retail Field Report, both tackling the subject.

Holbrook went so far as to suggest that the blind box model could represent something of an “evolution of the off-price retail model” given its heavy connection to the tried-and-true treasure hunt model that’s currently working for many retailers (including Aldi).

“Unless you can create exciting, entertaining, emotional experiences, you’re going to struggle in brick-and-mortar retail,” Holbrook said, adding that blind boxes and limited drop windows push excitement levels up for shoppers — and that Aldi was already in the excitement market.

“This blind box, to me, is more like an evolution to where Aldi continues to grow. I’ve had numerous consumers tell me they love going to Aldi because they want to go see what’s in Aldi Finds,” he concluded.

Kozlowski, tackling Aldi’s new foray into blind box culture, said that it was an opportunity to spice up the often-mundane trip through the grocery store.

“Consumers are increasingly enjoying the thrill of uncovering something unexpected, whether it’s through collectibles, limited-edition drops or curated assortments,” Kozlowski said.

“We wanted to bring that sense of excitement to grocery shopping, which can often become routine. The ALDI Blind Box was designed to remind shoppers that exploring and discovering new grocery products beyond their usual grocery lists is fun,” she added, also noting that in responding to fan demand, blind box products and the attached marketing efforts needed to be highly curated (and targeting the right customers).