3. Relevant Studies
3.1. Perceived Value
A value is a reflection of the best capital cost optimization associated with purchase or production, resulting in a high-value (use-value) and attractive (premium-value) product or service for the customer
[15]. Perceived value is the value of a product or service as perceived by consumers and may be viewed as a trade-off between perceived benefits and perceived expenses
[16]. Consumers return to businesses or companies with a high perceived value
[17]. Among Zeithaml’s value attributes, perceived value is increasingly skewed toward “low price”, “any product I want”, “quality for the price I pay”, and “what I pay for”
[18]. In other words, consumers are more inclined to evaluate a surplus food blind box based on its value rather than its price. This is one of the joys of blind boxing. Consumers may perceive high perceived value when they believe the products in the blind box are in line with or exceed their expectations or expectations set by the price. Additionally, numerous scholars have confirmed that value is a prerequisite for the intention to purchase
[19][20][19,20].
3.2. Perceived Risk
In contrast to perceived value, perceived risk refers to the potential impact of a purchase on the consumer
[21]. Consumers may consider the risks of surplus food blind boxes, such as whether the surplus food is still fresh or edible, whether it will not match the price, whether the combination of ingredients is as expected, etc. Especially in this time of COVID-19 pandemic, there could also be concerns about contamination through contagious routes, food preparation, packaging, or contact with delivery personnel
[22]. This expected risk may affect consumers’ perceptions of value. As a result, the decision of the consumer is based on the balance between the perceived benefit and the perceived risk of the product or service. Therefore, if consumers perceive higher risks, the perceived value or purchase intention of surplus food blind boxes is likely to be lower
[23].
3.3. Subjective Norm
It is common for people to follow social norms not only because they fear social pressure, but also because they provide information about what behaviors are considered appropriate or beneficial
[24]. In TPB, subjective norms generally refer to a belief that a significant person or group of people will approve and support a particular course of action
[25]. In this regard, subjective norms refer both to the perceived social pressure on one’s actions and to the individual’s motivation to conform to others’ views. In the context of food, subjective norms are primarily employed to infer the influence of others on consumers’ own purchasing decisions, or food waste behavior
[26][27][26,27]. For surplus food blind boxes, the interaction between consumers, especially the frequent communication between young people, is important. For example, the big V sharing on Moments, Weibo, Tiktok, and Bilibili might provide a preliminary assessment of the value or risk of surplus food blind boxes, and it may also encourage purchase and use.
3.4. Perceived Food Quality
Food quality is the most important factor affecting customer satisfaction and a willingness to return to a full-service restaurant, including delivery, takeout, or surplus food blind boxes, etc.
[28]. It represents the restaurant’s core characteristic, with a very tangible character. Food quality metrics include freshness, health, deliciousness, and appearance
[29]. Consumers’ perceptions and evaluations of physical quality of surplus food blind boxes are influenced by the different quality indicators. For instance, the quality of blind box packaging, the ease of opening, the freshness of the contents, the health benefits, or the experience of the entire process. Therefore, perceived food quality might be an important antecedent factor influencing consumers’ purchase intentions for surplus food blind boxes.
3.5. Brand Image
The brand image is defined by the perception of the brand as reflected by the memories associated with the brand
[30], to be recognized in the minds of consumers through the affinity, strength, and uniqueness of brand associations
[31]. Thus, the more consumers trust and loyalty they have to a brand, the higher their perception of its image is. In particular, big brands that have been for a long time have a solid reputation among consumers. He and Song implemented a surplus bag (blind box equivalent) experiment in China, where they used public welfare promotion methods to enhance consumers’ willingness to purchase
[32]. It should be noted that many big brands, such as IKEA
[33] and Starbucks
[34], have also entered the “to good to go” app market, where they are selling surplus blind boxes. Surplus Food Blind Boxes of known brands are deemed less risky by consumers than it of unknown brands, and consumers’ perceptions and trust are also likely to be higher.
3.6. Perceived Playfulness
An individual’s perceived playfulness is defined as “the degree to which he or she finds an interaction enjoyable and intriguing and that he or she is interested in it”
[35] and is generally used in human–computer interaction
[36], blended learning scenarios
[37], social networking sites
[38], and less prevalent in the field of food. Nevertheless, in
our
esearchers' opinion, a series of possible scenarios or actions, such as knowing, ordering, anticipating, unpacking, tasting, or evaluating, may make consumers feel excited and may facilitate a flow experience from surplus food blind boxes. In flow theory, a positive subjective experience is one of the primary reasons for performing an activity
[35]. Therefore, if the experience perception of the surplus food blind boxes is high, the consumer’s various evaluations may be improved accordingly, which will affect their subsequent behavior.
3.7. Perceived Variety
The surplus food blind boxes may be prepared from a variety of raw materials, and different outlets use different cooking methods and are influenced by a variety of other factors. Therefore,
reswe
archers must understand how consumers perceive this aspect. This may be due to perceived variety. In general, category awareness is determined by the actual content of the selection aggregate and the characteristics of the classification scheme (e.g., the complexity of option attributes)
[39]. In comparison to other studies,
our
esearchers' definition of perceptual diversity may be more concrete and user-friendly. Therefore, perceptual diversity is defined as the perception of diversity in ingredients, practices, nutrition, etc. of the supplement food blind boxes perceived by consumers.
3.8. Convenience
Convenience is one of the most common reasons why consumers choose to make their purchases online
[40]. The time and effort consumers invest in online shopping will affect their perception of convenience
[41]. Due to the accelerated pace of the Internet, consumers are becoming less patient and spending less time choosing products and services than they did in the past.
Generally speaking, a variety of factors contribute to the convenience of a consumer in purchasing a product. Berry et al. deconstruct convenience as follows: Access convenience, Decision convenience, Transaction convenience, Benefit convenience and Postbenefit convenience
[41]. In other words, it describes each aspect of the consumer’s entire consumption experience. It has also been confirmed numerous times
[42][43][42,43].
3.9. Purchase Intention
An individual’s purchase intention is the tendency for that individual to take a particular action, and it is a strong predictor of that individual’s behavior
[44]. Positive emotions can in general influence consumers’ positive perceptions or attitudes about the product or store, resulting in increased purchase intentions
[45]. In contrast, the higher the perceived risk, the lower the purchase intention
[46]. In this regard, the intent to purchase is the most important step for a product. Additionally, purchase intention is crucial in the food industry. Eberle et al. investigated purchasing intentions concerning organic foods
[47]. The study by Liu et al. investigated whether food photographs in online reviews influence consumers’ purchase intentions
[48].
4. Practical Implications
According to
our
esearchers' model (
Figure 15), the following recommendations should be taken into consideration:
-
Increasing the reputation of surplus food blind boxes (SN). For instance, promoting the amount of carbon dioxide that is reduced per serving and offering reduced prices can attract more customers with a variety of different attributes while making them possible repeat customers.
-
Making blind boxes more interesting (PP), for example, by developing different styles of blind boxes (while preserving the mysterious characteristics of the blind box). The box may look similar, however, there are likely to be additional surprises within. It is also possible to add a QR code to the blind box, so the consumers can scan it and view the condition of the surplus food materials or the cooking process, which is not only entertaining, but also makes them feel more at ease. Maintain a consistent experience (CON) along the entire purchase path, focusing particularly on communication details and smoothness that stimulate consumers’ feelings, such as improving menu logic, simplifying purchase steps, etc.
-
Pay attention to the combination of ingredients (PVAR). Although there are relatively few combinations of surplus food, rwesearchers can develop a number of combinations of surplus food that will best suit the tastes of consumers.
Figure 15.
Perceived model of consumer surplus food blind boxes.