What is mystery shopping? Labubu leads the way as other retailers join in

Fans of brands as varied as Le Creuset, E.L.F. Beauty, Michaels Companies and the Miami Heat can make a gamble – spend some nominal amount of money to get merchandise worth much more. The catch? Shoppers don’t know what they’re getting until they open the box – a phenomenon known as “mystery” or “blind” shopping. “It’s gamified commerce,” said Shreyas Sekar, assistant professor of operations management at the University of Toronto Scarborough, who has closely tracked the rise of blind boxes. The...