Beauty brand Milk Makeup earns an impressive 7.5 out of 10 on UnDigital’s Unboxing Guidelines. The brand includes touches of personalization throughout the unboxing experience and a near-perfect presentation.
With a few minor adjustments, Milk Makeup’s unboxing experience could become one of the best in the industry.
We scored Milk Makeup against UnDigital’s 10-point unweighted system for brands. Our Unboxing Guidelines are based on research conducted across millions of DTC packages. The scoring rubric includes two categories: Personalization and Presentation.
The Personalization category is divided into five subcategories: customer name, product information, relevance, call-to-action, and story. The Presentation category is divided into five subcategories: branding, cleanliness, space utilization, returns, and delight. Milk Makeup could have earned either 0 or 1 point in the five Personalization categories and 0, 0.5, or 1 point in each of the five Presentation categories.
Milk Makeup only falls short in one of the five Personalization categories. Unfortunately, it is perhaps one of the most important from a customer experience standpoint. Milk Makeup did not incorporate my name on any marketing content and only used it on the shipping label and product receipt.
Using the customer’s name on internal marketing assets like a thank you note or product information flyer ensures they interact with the collateral and makes the package feel like it was put together just for them. Failing to do so makes the experience a bit generic and run-of-the-mill. The good news is that Milk Makeup makes the rest of the unboxing journey feel personal.
Milk Makeup’s product information sheet is one of the best. The brand realizes that the product packaging is a bit too small to include relevant product information, as it would be hard for most consumers to read. So, a separate product information page is included inside the package. It contains a comprehensive ingredient list, use instructions, and statistics from a consumer perception study.
Milk Makeup’s approach ensures that consumers can put the product to use right away. This decreases the time to value and removes any friction from the unboxing experience. Providing stats makes consumers believe in the product and encourages them to use it frequently.
The product information insert is specific to my order, which earns Milk Makeup a point in the relevance category. Providing consumers with relevant information makes the order feel more personalized and elevates the overall experience.
You can apply this concept to your own unboxing marketing strategy by including a product-specific insert. You could also provide one or two free samples related to the product the customer ordered.
Milk Makeup delivers a pair of concise but impactful CTAs on the bottom of the branded box. First, the brand prompts you to check out their blog for “exclusive tips + tricks.” Next, it encourages you to tag Milk Makeup on Instagram and TikTok.
Milk Makeup’s textbook use of CTAs is a great way to maximize user engagement, encourage follow-up interactions, and build customer relationships. Always include at least one CTA in your unboxing strategy.
Milk Makeup delivers a few pieces of its story on the branded packaging and insert. While I would like to see a bit more about their story, they provide just enough of it to generate intrigue, which is the goal of storytelling in unboxing marketing.
Always share a little of what makes your brand unique. Convey part of your values, mission, or goals to boost engagement.
Milk Makeup hits a home run with its branding. The exterior and interior of the box are perfectly branded without being overwhelming. As soon as the package arrived, I knew what it was.
Investing in branded packaging makes your unboxing experience holistic and immersive. While you don’t necessarily have to brand the outside of the box, always include some branding on the interior.
Milk Makeup’s box looks like it was printed just for my order. It is clean, free from blemishes, and aesthetically pleasing. Packaging quality matters, so invest in premium boxes and packing materials to optimize the customer journey.
Milk Makeup demonstrates an excellent use of space in their packaging. The box itself is a good size for my order, and the dead space is filled with a one-piece cardboard topper. The topper is thick enough to protect my product. It is even branded, ensuring a holistic unboxing experience.
Milk Makeup checks all the boxes in terms of space utilization. The box and amount of filler are appropriate for the size of the product. The materials are recyclable, and cleanup is easy. While using shredded paper filler is not necessarily taboo, the one-piece cardboard insert makes cleanup a breeze while still offering adequate protection.
Milk Makeup does drop the ball in the returns category. The brand has a good returns policy, but they don’t provide the URL or any other relevant information about how to initiate one.
To earn a point here, Milk Makeup needs to at least provide a URL to their return page. Ideally, they should provide a scannable QR code on the returns page and a pre-printed return label. The goal is to make returns frictionless for customers.
Milk Makeup’s unboxing experience is somewhat delightful, but they don’t do quite enough to earn a full point. Had they included my name in a thank you note or some other personalized marketing asset, I would be over the moon.
Milk Makeup excelled in many areas and can elevate its experience even further by seizing on a few missed opportunities. Want to learn how to capitalize on Milk Makeup’s shortcomings and make your unboxing experience one of the best in the industry? Check out UnDigital’s unboxing guidelines and see how your product stacks up.
