Businesses strive to differentiate themselves from their competitors, especially in the digital age. The digital sphere is highly visual, so brands try to stand out by creating a vivid branding identity or curating a fun personality on social media, among other techniques.
Another trend that has been growing in the last few years is “unboxing.” Thanks to social media influencers and YouTubers, unboxing has gone from being an additional pleasure when shopping to an online fad. And today, it has evolved into an e-commerce marketing tool.
How important is the “unboxing experience” for brands?
The Unboxing Experience
The packaging is a direct-to-consumer brand’s first physical touchpoint with a consumer. It’s especially important for businesses without a retail experience (i.e., those without a physical store) to establish a positive first impression with customers.
A memorable unboxing experience can increase the satisfaction of buyers with your brand, which can raise the likelihood of repurchase. Think of unboxing as your post-sales pitch, convincing customers to buy more products from you.
Other than boosting customer satisfaction, an unboxing experience gives you an opportunity to express your brand personality in a different way. Through your packaging, you can communicate your values, unique selling proposition, and brand story.
One brand that’s popular for its unique, memorable packaging is Glossier, a skincare and beauty company. The items are encased in a simple cardboard box, which is in their signature baby pink color. Written on the face of the box is Glossier’s slogan: “Skin first, makeup second, smile always.”
When the customer opens the box, they’ll see a pink, reusable, bubble wrap-style zip pouch containing the products they ordered. Under the pouch is a sheet of cute sticker labels, which the customer can use anywhere they want. Sometimes, Glossier also includes free product samples to introduce their new releases to the buyer.
Because of their practical and aesthetically pleasing packaging, Glossier is popularly featured in unboxing videos – both by established influencers and regular customers who want to share their experience.
Glossier shows that a great unboxing experience lets you leverage influencer marketing as well, helping you raise brand awareness.
Creating Your Own Social Media Influencers
An exciting unboxing experience gets influencers excited. These vloggers are picky with the sponsored content projects they accept since they want to create videos that are enjoyable to their established audience. If you’re providing a unique unboxing experience, influencers also get the chance to offer great content to their subscribers.
Again, unboxing videos aren’t exclusive to established influencers. Consumers can also film their own unboxing clips and post these on their Instagram accounts. In short, you get to turn your customers into your own influencers. This helps you generate a different kind of engagement from your target market. Instead of the typical likes and shares, your customers become your own content creators.
Ultimately, your unboxing experience becomes part of the products you sell. Your packaging can be the difference between offering a unique product and something that can be bought anywhere. And when you’re selling a one-of-a-kind experience that your market finds satisfying, it will be easier for you to create loyal customers who will willingly promote your brand.
