In 2021, video content will remain the world’s most influential form of digital marketing. Online video is consumed more than any other type of online content with a 2021 Wyzowl survey finding that the average time spent watching online video is now a whopping 2.5 hours per day. As a tool for converting and retaining customers, video marketing is highly effective yet there’s another layer to this that businesses should consider: the marketing value of user-generated content to share the message of a brand. This type of content is both a way for marketers to build credibility for their brand and a profound opportunity to bridge the gap between customers online and the physical product businesses they’re trying to sell. Even if you’re an everyday person with no ties to marketing you’ve likely heard of one video type in particular that over 90,000 people search YouTube for every single month: the Unboxing Video.
Creating a tangible connection between the business and the customer
So what is the link between unboxing videos and great marketing especially when the customer experience is built around a purchase that’s already been made? For eCommerce companies, such as Net-A-Porter, focusing on the packaging and unboxing journey has been key to building a strong and immersive sense of the company. In the case of Net-A-Porter, the packaging reinforces the qualities of a cult online company with an emphasis on stylish designer luxury that Jessica Pressler reporting for The Cut highlights. She says, “Elaborate packaging is integral to the Net-a-Porter brand.”
Unboxing videos up the ante on this world of instantly recognizable packaging because it’s user-generated content most of the time and the ‘reveal’ has an emotive draw. While many YouTubers make bank on their unboxing videos (such as the highest-paid channel Ryan’s World that focuses on unboxing and product reviews), Think with Google was clear in 2015 when they first flagged that the trend is a broad content niche. Their statement holds true six years on and should be kept in mind that, in this context, “From the super simple to the intricately detailed and overly dramatic, unboxing videos run the gamut of styles.” In a time where massive YouTubers through to micro-influencers are using unboxing videos as a way of either soft or hard selling to their audiences, you can’t deny that this is a powerful way for businesses to reach existing and new customers.
Unboxing videos up the ante on this world of instantly recognizable packaging because it’s user-generated content most of the time and the ‘reveal’ has an emotive draw. While many YouTubers make bank on their unboxing videos (such as the highest-paid channel Ryan’s World that focuses on unboxing and product reviews), Think with Google was clear in 2015 when they first flagged that the trend is a broad content niche. Their statement holds true six years on and should be kept in mind that, in this context, “From the super simple to the intricately detailed and overly dramatic, unboxing videos run the gamut of styles.” In a time where massive YouTubers through to micro-influencers are using unboxing videos as a way of either soft or hard selling to their audiences, you can’t deny that this is a powerful way for businesses to reach existing and new customers.
Understanding the appeal of unboxing: the psychology of packaging
When looking at the marketing angle of unboxing, it’s essential to acknowledge that this is a tale almost as old as time and ultimately, human beings love stories -- in fact, it’s in our DNA. One of the earliest branding exercises for selling the packaging story was Tiffany & Co. who managed to sell the idea of a diamond through their own iconic custom robin’s egg blue box. They say themselves, “After the company introduced the Tiffany® Setting, its original engagement ring, in 1886, its blue box packaging became as famous as the ring itself.”
What is different now is just how visual our world is, the extraordinary part that technology plays in this, and how people all over the world now share their experiences online. In the past, we might covet an item while also instinctively understanding that a formative component of the joy of getting something new is opening it for the first time just like when you open a present. Now, with video content, whether it’s YouTub streaming, TikTok, Facebook live, InstaStories, or SnapChats, we’re right there with the person while they open the latest iPhone and we experience the overwhelming social force of a shared experience. If the unboxing is design-driven, detailed or personalised, this then helps with selling the company behind the package in a fascinating synthesis of the physical item and the ephemeral journey that solidifies the perceived sense of the value of the item in the box.
What is different now is just how visual our world is, the extraordinary part that technology plays in this, and how people all over the world now share their experiences online. In the past, we might covet an item while also instinctively understanding that a formative component of the joy of getting something new is opening it for the first time just like when you open a present. Now, with video content, whether it’s YouTub streaming, TikTok, Facebook live, InstaStories, or SnapChats, we’re right there with the person while they open the latest iPhone and we experience the overwhelming social force of a shared experience. If the unboxing is design-driven, detailed or personalised, this then helps with selling the company behind the package in a fascinating synthesis of the physical item and the ephemeral journey that solidifies the perceived sense of the value of the item in the box.
What to consider to overhaul packaging and develop a proper unboxing experience
The packaging itself has a pivotal role to play in the layers of storytelling around a brand so businesses should be thinking of how they can approach this. Many companies, such as North Face and Selfridges, have brought their sustainability policies to the forefront in their packaging while many smaller businesses focus on bringing the quality of their customer service in through customised handwritten thank-yous and exclusive samples. Above all, packaging and its endpoint of unboxing should be seen as crucial components in business processes in order to deliver an unforgettable customer-oriented brand experience even if the purchase is through a digital shopping portal.
For a business that is either switching to eCommerce or expanding into digital from brick and mortar, packaging for orders is another layer of branding and requires thorough review to ensure there is brand alignment. In the infographic resource below, you can learn more about creating a practical unboxing experience on a tactical level with how-to steps for objectively assessing your current offering then redesigning and relaunching to your market. Read on for the full guide and to delve into this topic in even more detail!
For a business that is either switching to eCommerce or expanding into digital from brick and mortar, packaging for orders is another layer of branding and requires thorough review to ensure there is brand alignment. In the infographic resource below, you can learn more about creating a practical unboxing experience on a tactical level with how-to steps for objectively assessing your current offering then redesigning and relaunching to your market. Read on for the full guide and to delve into this topic in even more detail!