Generation Z's Behavioral Intention toward POP MART: The Mediating Role of Emotional Attachment

ABSTRACT: This study examines the relationships among the four dimensions of the experience economy—entertainment, educational, escapist, and esthetic experience—emotional attachment, and behavioral intention in the context of POP MART consumption. It further investigates the mediating role of emotional attachment in the relationships between the four experience dimensions and behavioral intention. The study focuses on Generation Z respondents born between 1997 and 2008 who had purchased POP MART blind boxes within the previous year. A quantitative research design was adopted using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. Approximately 300 questionnaires were distributed, and 280 valid responses were retained after data screening. The data were analyzed using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 24.0. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed direct relationships, while four separate mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro with 5,000 bootstrap resamples and 95% confidence intervals. The findings show that entertainment, educational, escapist, and esthetic experience are all positively and significantly related to both behavioral intention and emotional attachment. Educational experience shows the strongest direct relationship with behavioral intention (β = 0.277, p < 0.001), while escapist experience shows the strongest relationship with emotional attachment (β = 0.334, p < 0.001). Emotional attachment is also positively and significantly related to behavioral intention (β = 0.302, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis further indicates that emotional attachment partially mediates the relationships between all four experience dimensions and behavioral intention. Overall, the findings suggest that behavioral intention toward POP MART is associated not only with experiential value but also with the emotional bonds consumers develop with preferred POP MART IPs. The study contributes to the integration of the experience economy framework and attachment theory in the context of trendy-toy and character-IP consumption. Keywords: Generation Z; POP MART; Experience economy; Emotional attachment; Behavioral intention; Blind box.