If you haven’t already been sucked into the viral unboxing videos that pepper the internet, then you may be wondering what all of the fuss around unboxing is.
To most, unboxing is the process of recording or sharing the experience of opening different consumer goods. To marketers, however, unboxing is a physical touchpoint that can generate significant ROI when properly optimized.
So, what is unboxing as it relates to marketing and how did this online trend turn into an essential touchpoint for Ecommerce brands?
| An Introduction to Unboxing |
What Exactly is Unboxing?
When a consumer begins to remove a product from the package it was shipped in, that is considered the moment of unboxing. Unboxing is also a genre of video content where influencers and YouTube stars alike record the process of unpacking different products alongside their review and insights on the unboxing experience.
While these videos first shot to popularity with phones, technology, and luxury handbags, as a way to let everyday consumers see the high-end purchasing experience, these unboxing videos have taken off and expanded into virtually every market popular.
Today, you will find unboxing videos for everything from food to toys, vitamins, beauty products, clothes, and everything in between. What is more impressive is how many people watch these unboxing videos. Man y unboxing videos get millions of views, and one Google study found that 1 in 5 consumers has watched an unboxing video before.
While some consumers simply watch these videos for fun, a majority are watching in an attempt to research that particular product, making this an often-unexplored marketing avenue for Ecommerce brands looking to stand out in the market. This exploratory consumer behavior is part of why marketers first began to experiment with the notion of unboxing.
Why Has the Unboxing Trend Taken Off?
To understand how unboxing works and how your brand may use unboxing to your advantage, it is important to understand why the unboxing trend has taken off so much.
Unboxing Videos Generate Buzz
Just like a kid on Christmas morning, there is a certain anticipation that comes with waiting to unwrap an item. Unboxing videos hone in on that excitement and the build-up of curiosity that we all remembered as children. They get people excited to try your experience if you have a good one.
Consumers are always looking for that next best “great” thing and unboxing videos can pique their interest with certain products. Many customers want to be able to imagine or feel what it is like to unbox, open and use the products they crave the most.
Unboxing Experiences Build Loyalty
The unboxing experience isn’t just about the excitement for consumers, it’s about the brand behind the product as well. As anticipation builds up for the big unboxing reveal, it allows brands to have their potential customer’s undivided attention.
During unboxing, Ecommerce brands have the opportunity to show off all of their hard work and efforts not only with the product itself but with the packaging, branding, and marketing behind it as well.
Customers undeniably love it when they receive a unique package and that's how unboxing became a viral phenomenon in the first place. It's all about creating something that feels special to the recipient. That's why personalization during unboxing has become such a powerful determinant for the success of your unboxing campaigns.
- Branded box inside and out
- Return labels (and an easy return policy)
- Tasteful use of tissue void fill with a branded sticker
- The correct size box for the products
These are just a few of the goals you should set for your unboxing and if you aren't there yet, you should know your brand is already years behind other Ecommerce leaders. These are all easy solves though and you can readily implement them as part of your brand's experience.
Unboxing Personalization in Marketing
If you really want to delve into the most recent advances in unboxing, you need to start applying the same personalization you use in your digital marketing to your tangible touchpoints, like the moment of unboxing.
For starters, you can now feature their name on the packaging insert you put inside their box at the moment of fulfillment. You can also generate dynamic marketing materials based on what they ordered. If you have a phenomenal digital marketing team, you can even feature activity-based Call to Actions on the material that goes in the box. Some companies, even enable you to track engagements and reorder rates through a platform similar to Meta.
Your fulfillment center has the ability to operate like your Ads account now. Your team uploads 1-to1 campaigns and they get printed out instantly and put inside each unique package prior to shipment. Here's what one of the dynamic marketing inserts can look like in your unboxing experience by today's standards:
Should you pursue unboxing videos?
Now that you have a basic idea of what unboxing is and how to apply it, we can start determining if an influencer strategy should be in play. Here are some of the benefits of partnering with content creators to start getting unboxing videos out there for your Ecommerce company.
Builds Trust With Your Consumers
Building consumer trust is so important for any brand, especially Ecommerce companies in highly competitive markets. If your consumers haven’t already tried out your products themselves, it can be hard to garner that sense of trust over the internet.
Unboxing videos are a great way to bridge that gap. It is the closest that most people will get to try out your product in person and it's an easy way to start fostering that sense of trust before your customers ever click “purchase.”
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Creates Great First Impressions of Your Product
In the world of Ecommerce, first impressions are everything, and nothing showcases the first impression of your product quite like an unboxing video. The entire point of these videos is to highlight the first impression of receiving your product.
Content creators will go over everything from the box they received in the mail, to the packaging, wrapping, ribbons, and everything else that comes with your packaging. This is one of the only ways that you can give potential consumers a first impression of your product, even before they buy it.
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Increases Brand Exposure
If you want to increase brand exposure, then unboxing videos is a great place to start. Affiliate marketing is already one of the biggest revenue drivers out there, and unboxing videos are at the heart of this industry.
Every unboxing video can reach thousands or even millions of viewers each day, depending on the content creator. There are plenty of influencers who regularly top 1 million views, meaning this is an unprecedented opportunity for your products to reach more potential customers than ever before.
Conclusion
Unboxing is an experience for consumers. If you create a great unboxing moment, you will likely generate viral content no matter how you approach your influencer strategy. You may need to budget for an influencer strategy if you're in a highly competitive unboxing market. Either way, unboxing is here to stay and it's time to elevate the experience as a significant touchpoint in your marketing ecosystem.
You've made it this far and you've learned so much. Congratulations!
If you still have questions about unboxing or marketing in general, you can always reach out to us at: solutions@undigital.com
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