An unforgettable unboxing experience - from "nice to have" to "must-have"
In our previous article, we described the main drivers of e-commerce packaging and the three main players in the value chains. Today, we will focus on online shoppers and how companies can create a memorable unboxing experience.
First, we will redefine where the term ‘unboxing’ comes from. Then, we will find out how e-commerce packaging plays a crucial role in ‘moments of truth’. Finally, we will speculate on the most important future trends.
We hope you enjoy reading the article. We will show you how our European teams create compelling packaging designs using a selection of impressive examples.
The unforgettable unboxing experience - why and when?
"If companies want to increase their brand awareness, especially on social media, they need to invest just as much in the packaging as they do in the product."
Paul Marsh, Managing Director - The Packaging Experts
A memorable unboxing experience occurs when a consumer is so excited by the packaging and visual impact of a product they have purchased online that they want to share it on social media. The way consumers interact with e-commerce packaging - how they receive, open and interact with it - offers a great opportunity for brands and can even help them achieve viral success.
When did this new trend emerge in the digital world?
How did it develop and how can it be explained?
According to Google Trends, people have been talking about the so-called "unboxing experience" for many years. The term became popular in 2008 with the so-called "unboxing ceremony" of the Nokia E61, when consumers were excited by the e-commerce packaging of the latest Nokia mobile phone.
Since then, the trend has grown steadily, peaking in 2014 before stabilising in 2019 and declining slightly in the last two years. However, in most years there are significant peaks in the month before Christmas.
Our job as packaging experts is therefore to create unforgettable unboxing experiences together with our customers. How do we do that? By identifying the best opportunities to increase brand loyalty through the various 'moments of truth'. As discussed in our previous article, these are as follows:
Unforgettable unboxing experience - how to create an impactful experience for your brand.
"If you were a customer ordering something online, what would make you feel more valued? Your product in a replaceable cardboard box or in attractive, customised packaging?"
Beth Owens - Marketing Strategist
Online shopping creates a completely different shopping experience to shopping in bricks-and-mortar stores. All touchpoints within the customer journey are different, with e-commerce packaging replacing the role of traditional primary packaging, starting with the reception at the front door, which marks the beginning of the "second moment of truth".
In this phase, the e-commerce packaging is the first thing a customer sees. As such, the shipping packaging is responsible for conveying a brand's key messages, including its stance on sustainability.
In the packaging example below, developed by Blue Box Partners' Alliance, the packaging design creates a great first impression.
E-commerce packaging can positively charge the points of contact with the customer and create a sustainable brand experience. Packaging offers the opportunity for brand positioning and storytelling. This provides the opportunity to build the brand in a long-term and sustainable way.
Opening the packaging is part of the brand experience and offers the opportunity to convey coherent and homogeneous messages.
At the same time, brand owners can offer additional services and information about the reuse of their packaging.
Parents can use this shipping packaging to make a baby mobile for their children:
Similar to the campaign: "Less packaging, more smiles" (July 2020), Amazon encourages its customers to turn the boxes into cat houses and robot costumes with a bit of crafting fun.
With the following packaging, online shoppers are inspired to reuse the box to sell clothes on Vinted!
Both examples show that the packaging design can support the brand message. It's not just "a box", but an opportunity to take customers on a journey and ultimately positively influence purchase and repurchase.
According to Forbes it can cost up to five times more to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones.
Let's take a look at other sustainable features.
E-commerce packaging
The packaging arouses curiosity and draws attention to the recycling possibilities after use.Studies show that 62% of online shoppers are more likely to buy from brands that use sustainable packaging.
"Returnability" properties are crucial: they make return shipping easier by using adhesive strips to reseal and resend the packaging.
All of the packaging shown was made from Wellpappe and can be fed into the recycling cycle as a monomaterial solution, thereby increasing recycling rates. recycling rates be increased.
The use of sustainable products and materials enables brands to maintain their image as a sustainable and ethical company. A 140% increase in search results over the last 12 months shows just how much interest there is in sustainability (source: Google Trends).
At the beginning, we talked about the origin of the unboxing trend for electronic items. Let's close the circle with another example from this sector.
Consumers now own more electronic devices than ever before. The average UK household owns 9.16 devices.
At the same time, society is increasingly concerned about the impact of so many electronic devices on the environment.
We therefore see a high demand for refurbished, used appliances that are purchased online.
To avoid the product packaging being sent in additional shipping packaging, we can offer a solution with a fixing system for products. This minimises stress during transport and saves material and volume.
To summarise, it can be said that packaging design is an effective tool for positively influencing the entire customer journey. This means that packaging not only carries a message or information, but also helps to increase customer loyalty.
Packaging plays an important role in the entire purchasing process, in which not only the product is evaluated, but the packaging also contributes to the ultimate "moment of truth" through a great unboxing experience.
Inspired by surprising additional offers or additions in the e-commerce packaging, the consumer will happily share the experience with others, creating viral content that increases the eWOM (e-Word Of Mouth) and becomes the "Zero Moment Of Truth" (ZMOT) for other consumers searching for the same or a similar product online.
What does the future of e-commerce packaging look like?
As technologies such as AR (augmented reality) and IoT (Internet of Things) become part of our everyday lives, the importance of unforgettable unboxing experiences is growing. In future, companies will therefore have to increasingly consider and develop product and packaging design as a whole in order to achieve their brand objectives.
Processes and consulting
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