Unlike brick-and-mortar stores that have multiple sensory and tangible touchpoints that attract customers and improve their in-store experience, e-commerce brands have to strive and work a lot harder to achieve that same effect. As an online brand, your goal is to make a lasting impression on your customers while also trying to expand your target audience. How can you do that successfully? The key is to create a uniquely memorable unboxing experience with branded custom-printed packaging that catches the eye of your customers and makes them feel excited about your product.
What Is the Unboxing Experience and Why Does It Matter So Much?
It all started with beauty bloggers and vloggers and then slowly blossomed from there. The unboxing experience is the process of opening and unpacking a product box. It might not seem all that exciting on paper, but there’s something special about opening a long-awaited package for a new product.
Often, this is the first interaction customers have with a certain brand and social media influencers have learned how to capitalize on this experience. So it’s important to make the unboxing experience one that’s worth watching. For viewers, it’s equally educational as it is rewarding because it gives them an idea of what to expect if they order one of your products. Plus, it’s an effective advertising tool as people who follow influencers on social media are likely to listen to their product recommendations.
The Rising Popularity of Online Unboxing
Why is unboxing so popular? What makes online viewers want to actually watch someone else unbox or open a package?
The answer is simple. It’s akin to the joy of watching a loved one open a Christmas present that you bought for them. You probably put as much thought and care into the wrapping process as you did when picking out the gift itself. The same principle can be applied to brands creating custom-printed packaging for their products.
Social media influencers are partly responsible for this growing trend. They’ve encouraged companies to boost their customer experience game by getting more creative with their packaging. Purchasing products is about more than just the product itself. Now, it’s about how customers experience their entire interaction with your brand from start to finish.
A positive customer experience makes a world of difference in terms of how brands are perceived. To stand out from the competition and remain relevant, brands have to constantly reinvent themselves. Striving to enhance customer experiences through the unboxing process is just one aspect of that, but it’s an important one. Unboxing experiences are the equivalent of first impressions—making a good one is of the utmost importance.
What Is the Role of Custom-Printed e-Commerce Packaging?
Custom-printed packaging is unique to your brand. It sends a certain type of brand messaging to your customers. For that reason, it’s important to choose every design aspect of your packaging very carefully, from the style of the font right down to the shape of the box itself.
Product packaging serves a dual purpose: one is the more practical purpose of protecting the product inside from getting damaged during the delivery process and the other is to create a strong aesthetic appeal that customers find attractive and intriguing.
The longer the distance your packages are travelling, the sturdier the packaging should be, not just to protect the product (which is extremely important), but to enhance the customer experience of receiving and unboxing the package. No one enjoys receiving a package in the mail that looks like it’s been through a wood chipper. Even though you have no control over what happens to the package once it’s been sent out, a destroyed package isn’t a good representation of your brand and it can give new customers a negative first impression.
Overall, the role of custom-printed e-commerce packaging is to introduce first-time customers to your brand and tell your story in a unique way. Communicate to your customers what your objective is as a brand and how your products and services can improve their lives.
Important Benefits of Offering a Quality Unboxing Experience
One of the best components of a great unboxing experience is the performance aspect. Customers enjoy watching friends, family members, and even strangers on the Internet unboxing an exciting new product. And being the one who actually gets to open the box is even better!
Here are a few benefits of offering a quality unboxing experience for your customers:
Establishes Customer Loyalty
Positive customer unboxing experiences make good first impressions, so try to make it as fun and memorable as possible. Bespoke packaging should represent the style and voice of your brand, whether it’s fun and spunky or elegant and understated. The type and style of packaging design you use depends largely on your main customer demographic and the product itself. The quality and aesthetic of the packaging is a testament to the care you put into designing it and customers will notice that right away.
Higher Perceived Value
When customers feel like they’re getting a great value for their money from your product and the whole experience of interacting with your brand, they’re more likely to continue supporting your company.
Boosts Brand Marketing
Influencers with a lot of followers make videos or livestreams of themselves unboxing your products, giving their followers the opportunity to discover new brands. These unboxing videos inspire followers to purchase the same products, so that they can experience the same feeling of joy of opening and using said products.
Important Elements of Designing a Branded Unboxing Experience
- Use custom packaging materials
- Custom branding opportunities
- Make the product stand out
- Give it a personal touch
Custom-Printed Packaging Solutions in Canada
As a high-quality designer and distributor of Canadian-made custom-printed packaging solutions, Magenta Depot is proud to serve numerous industries around the globe. When you work with us for your custom-printed packaging needs, you get what we call the Magenta Depot Advantage. That means fast and reliable turnaround time for delivery, significant cost savings (no start-up fees), access to a 24/7 ordering platform, low minimums, and a simplified custom design process. If you’re looking for custom-printed packaging design ideas in the GTA, feel free to browse our product category inventory on our website or contact us to place an order.
