You purchase an item at your favorite online shop, and after a few days, it finally arrives, and you are excited.
After getting the package, you get a pair of scissors, carefully slice out the tape, and pull out the packaging, and finally, there it is. Unboxing something that you purchase is a little celebration. This is not about the item but the whole thing of the journey.
What Is Unboxing?
Unboxing means just opening the product packaging or the box. In the consumer era, it is very much in trend since millions of unboxings are on YouTube and Instagram. The first impression is the last impression, which totally unboxing can do to the brand.
According to Dotcom Distribution, 40% of consumers are more likely to buy again from a brand with excellent packaging. In addition to that, 61% of online shoppers are more likely to share such products on social media. These figures show how concrete value is created in great unboxing.
Sal Pellingra, the packaging expert, says, “An unboxing experience can elevate a mundane purchase to a social moment. It’s a critical customer touchpoint to drive engagement, advocacy, and downstream revenues.”
It has been glorified, obviously many thanks to social media and influencers. If your customer has the best unboxing, your customer will share with his community, thus making your brand the best overall promotion(growing awareness through word of mouth). If the customers like the content they view, they will be the customers of the brand forever.
The Importance of the Unboxing Experience for a Brand
A unique unboxing experience tells how distinctive your brand is. It’s a chance to show its qualities and attract customer’s attention. If done right, they can build a strong connection with a customer.
Think about brands like Apple or Glossier. They tailor their unboxing experience to produce excitement and anticipation in buyers—and probably their viewers. The right packaging can also leave the best first impression. It isn’t just about keeping products safe, but the interaction process.
Elements of an Effective Unboxing Experience
To create an effective unboxing experience, focus on these key elements:
Packaging Design: Beauty is important in business. You need to work with materials that reflect what you’re selling — luxury, sustainability, minimalism, or anything else. A cheap, ugly box isn’t just unsightly but undermines your brand story.
Elements of Surprise: A little thoughtfulness can really set your brand apart. Handwritten thank you cards, surprise product plugs, or a quirk or two in your packaging can really amp up the experience.
Telling Your Brand’s Story: Use your packaging to reflect your brand’s deepest (marketing) aspirations. Write printed notes. Drop in a QR code that links to you talking about yourself for 60 seconds. Consider making a statement about your product through the way it sits in the box.
Practical Tips
Getting started on your unboxing journey doesn’t have to be intimidating. Here’s how to do it:
Concept to execution: Begin by brainstorming creative ideas that resonate with your brand. Sketch the designs and test them with mockups.
Right materials and suppliers: Pick materials that reflect your brand’s values. Work with suppliers that can provide the highest quality of packaging that is up to your standards.
Mixing unboxing with marketing: Run social media marketing campaigns to showcase your unboxing experience. Encourage your customers to share their unboxing experiences with unique hashtags and turn them into brand ambassadors!
Case Studies
Many companies have already nailed their unboxing strategies and have seen a huge return on investment. Packhelp’s custom box solutions have empowered brands to create unique unboxing experiences and delight customers with a lasting impact.
Birchbox
Birchbox, a beauty product subscription service, has reinvented unboxing. Their packaging is always fun and engaging, with unique designs and themes. Thousands of customers have posted unboxing videos showing how excited they are about truly unboxing their Birchboxes.
Dollar Shave Club
The Dollar Shave Club provides more than just razors — they provide an experience. Their packaging is witty and fun — full of humorous messaging and illustrations. They also offer the “bathroom minutes” newsletter in the box. As a result, it has built up a strong, loyal customer base and successfully set itself up as a unique player in a highly competitive market.
Glossier
Glossier, the beauty and skincare brand with a cult-following, kills the packaging game. It’s elegant and simple, just like everyone else. But that iconic pink bubble wrap pouch that every single order comes in is the thing that everyone talks about. Unboxing is therapy!
Those DTCs are saying one thing: an unboxing experience is an opportunity to elevate the brand and relationship with customers to levels that you never thought possible. It’s a growth hack that every brand should be exploring.
Investing in an unboxing experience that people recognize is a guaranteed windfall. Create an experience that no one can compete with, create customer loyalty, sit back, and count the dollars as customers organically do your marketing for you.
Are you ready to leave a trail of dropped jaws behind you? Design your new custom box today and put your brand on the map. Turn a package on the doorstep into an experience to remember.
