This study explores the causes of curiosity-driven impulse buying in blind boxes using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model and adaptation level theory. It examines how store environment and product factors contribute to customer curiosity, incorporating price consciousness into the overall framework. Insights from an online survey of 306 Chinese respondents indicate that environmental factors and specific product characteristics positively influence consumer curiosity, while price consciousness has a negative moderate effect. The findings also show that customer curiosity stimulates impulse buying behavior and mediates the relationship between store atmosphere, surprise, and perceived novelty. This study identifies both objective and subjective factors behind blind box impulse buying and offers relevant suggestions for governments and consumers on managing impulse buying.

With the development of e-commerce, impulse buying behavior has transitioned from offline to online, presenting significant exploration value. This study aims to provide a comprehensive knowledge map and in-depth analysis of research on impulsive purchase behavior, helping readers understand the latest global trends in this field from 1967 to September 30, 2023. The study offers a visual analysis using CiteSpace, encompassing 704 academic articles on impulsive buying behavior published over 55 years. The status is revealed through collaboration networks, co-citation networks, and trend analysis. Researchers explore impulsive buying behavior in various contexts, with “e-commerce” being a primary focus. Notable new keywords include technology, customer satisfaction, perceived value, and virtual reality, among others. These terms contribute to future research directions. Overall, this pioneering research combines visual analysis to provide valuable insights and research recommendations for academics studying impulsive buying behavior.