Part shopping and part gambling, the act of ordering ‘mystery boxes’ online is growing in popularity as people seek out the enjoyment and uplifting experience of receiving and opening gifts. As e-commerce overtakes physical shopping, ‘unknown’ things give shoppers a chance to feed their desire for surprise.

Whether it’s a mystery teabag or new make-up, an element of surprise comes packaged within many subscription boxes. Canvas8 spoke to Aditya Gupta, a PhD candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to understand how surprise impacts the experience of self-gifting.

From stockpiling toilet paper to dropping £100 on a plain t-shirt, hype can get people doing all sorts of seemingly strange things. Canvas8 spoke to Gemma Milne, author of Smoke & Mirrors, to learn more about this psychological phenomenon and the role it can play in a public health crisis.

Fukubukuro bags are a popular tradition in Japan. Stores across the country create lucky-dip goodie bags from leftover stock, which vary in degrees of quality. For many shoppers, they present more than just the opportunity to grab a bargain, but indulge in the child-like joy of getting a surprise.