We mentioned earlier this year that Pop Mart has been expanding their market into SEA, and within just half a year, their physical store worldwide has grown 50 more. What’s the success formula behind it? Let’s dive into it.
“We never set the identity or create a storyline for our characters, therefore, the collectors can create even more personalities and stories to them.“ - Ning Wang, the founder of Pop Mart
When selecting IPs to sign, Pop Mart follows three key criteria:
they must appeal to the general aesthetic,
have distinctive recognizability, and
offer flexibility for expansion.
The company understands that the younger generation has a shorter attention span, so it frequently releases eye-catching and diverse figurines that evoke emotional connections with consumers. These figurines, without complex storylines, hold a stronger competitive edge in the market.
Pop Mart, founded in Beijing in 2010, initially struggled as a simple Japanese-style lifestyle store. However, six years after its founding, a social media post turned its fortunes around, making it one of the most popular designer toy brands. In 2016, founder Wang Ning observed that their top-selling item was a blind box series from Japan called "Sonny Angel." To boost sales, he posted on social media, asking customers what other characters they’d like to collect besides Sonny Angel. Many replied that their top choice was "Molly," a character from Hong Kong.
Inspired, Wang personally visited Hong Kong to meet with Molly’s creator, Kenny Wong, and proposed acquiring the IP rights for Pop Mart to produce, mold, and sell Molly as a collectible toy. In July of that year, they launched the Molly blind box "Zodiac Series," and the 200 pre-sale items sold out in just four seconds. This marked the beginning of Pop Mart’s collecting frenzy. Following the success with Molly, Pop Mart continued partnering with designers worldwide, releasing an array of unique, collectible toy series.
A fashion toy integrates the concepts of art, design, painting, sculpture, animation, and other elements. Its core group is between 15-40 years old young women. As a leading enterprise in China’s fashion toy industry, POP MART’s main target consumer group is also young women. The specific age is between 18-29 years old, and the average age is 27. White-collar workers and students are its core consumer groups; 90% of consumers have a monthly income of US$1,120-2,800 yuan, which shows a certain purchasing power of its consumer group and have a higher education level who are more likely to accept multicultural and new things.
Based on the purchasing power of its consumer groups, Pop Mart’s pricing strategy is integral to its success. The brand offers a balance between accessibility and exclusivity, with blind boxes priced affordably — generally between $8 and $15 — making them accessible to a wide audience. However, the limited-edition and rare figures, which can fetch higher prices in secondary markets, introduce an element of exclusivity that elevates the perceived value of each box.
Pop Mart’s product strategy revolves around the “blind box” concept, which has proven exceptionally effective. Each blind box contains a mystery figure from a series, creating a sense of thrill and anticipation. This setup allows Pop Mart to sell multiple products to consumers as they seek specific figures or aim to complete their collections.
The brand also innovates through designer collaborations, introducing new characters that cater to various tastes and themes. Pop Mart has expanded its product lines by licensing popular IPs, including characters from major franchises. This diversity in offerings caters to both general toy collectors and niche fandoms, broadening its market reach.
A core part of Pop Mart’s success is its consistent, visually distinct identity. From its iconic black-and-yellow logo to its minimalist yet vibrant packaging, Pop Mart has established a recognizable aesthetic. This strong visual brand is mirrored in its store layouts and social media presence, creating a seamless experience whether in-store or online.
Pop Mart runs online store only on their brand . com. Currently, it covers 41 countries and all with perfect-executed brand consistency, including the order of their hero banners, website layouts, product photos, all 0 issues found.
Also, when they tackled with language variations, they only bothered with the call to action button:
Additionally, excellent created PDPs:
Pop Mart’s approach provides valuable lessons for other brands looking to enter the collectible or lifestyle markets:
Create Excitement Through Mystery: The “blind box” model has allowed Pop Mart to engage customers in a unique way, encouraging repeat purchases and collection-building.
Combine Accessibility with Exclusivity: Pop Mart’s pricing strategy shows that affordable entry points coupled with exclusive, limited-edition items can drive both mass-market appeal and collector loyalty.
Focus on Visual Consistency and Brand Recognition: A strong and cohesive visual identity across all touchpoints — from packaging to digital media — can enhance brand recognition and customer loyalty.
Leverage Experiential Marketing: Physical stores and events give customers a deeper connection to the brand, turning transactions into experiences.
Founded in 2010 by Wang Ning, a veteran in the toy industry, the company initially produced vinyl toys that were popular among collectors. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that Pop Mart began to gain mainstream attention with the launch of its first blind box toy series, Molly.
Blind box toys are collectibles that come in a sealed box, with the content unknown to the buyer until they open it. This element of surprise and anticipation has made blind box toys incredibly popular, and Pop Mart’s Molly series was no exception. The success of the Molly series allowed Pop Mart to expand its product line and venture into new markets.
Molly:
Designed by Hong Kong artist Kenny Wong, Molly is one of Pop Mart’s flagship characters. Known for her blonde hair, green eyes, and beret, Molly appears in various series such as the futuristic “Astronaut,” fairytale-themed “Birth Princess,” and the floral “ROYAL MOLLY” in collaboration with photographer Mika Ninagawa. In September, Pop Mart even released the "MEGA SPACE MOLLY 400% Pearl Milk Tea" figure, combining bubble tea elements with a space suit — a must-have collectible!
CRYBABY:
Created by Thai artist Molly Yllom, CRYBABY is known for its signature tear drop, embodying a message that "it's okay to cry," giving it an innocent, slightly melancholic vibe. Recently, the character gained popularity through a collaboration with "The Powerpuff Girls" cartoon, where characters like Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup (and even Mojo Jojo) sport large tear drops in a playful and cute design. Beyond the standard figures, CRYBABY-inspired accessories, such as plush keychains, mirrors, and phone cases, are highly sought-after.
The Monsters:
Another popular series by Pop Mart, The Monsters, was created by Hong Kong designer Kasing Lung. Each monster has its own unique look and personality, with "Labubu" being the fan favorite. Known for its large eyes, sharp teeth, and long ears, Labubu is a fluffy creature full of curiosity and quirkiness and even loved by Blackpink’s Lisa!
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