💬 We all get excited when opening new products we've purchased online, and there's no doubt that you remember some experiences when opening products over others.
Now, I might be a bit bias here as I have a marketing lens on, but I find even just the smallest touches and 'attention to detail' as part of the packaging/box, can go a long way to being remembered - and I personally find this when buying a product for the first time from a new brand.
And having worked with numerous eCommerce brands, I've seen how just small additions can help with numerous benefits.
So, what are the primary benefits for optimising product/packaging experiences? Key reasons include:
Just a few customer experience benefits that great packaging/unboxing can achieve (and there are numerous other benefits too).
💬 Explore some of the tactical initiatives below that you can try to help provide great customer unboxing and packaging experiences - some 'quick' wins and tests here worth trying.
Doing personalised packaging can certainly add up and eat into margins, but depending on the stage of your business, and your fulfilment process (like using a 3PL), then it's something certainly worth considering if the economics makes sense. Just think about it - you certainly remember brands when you receive a custom/personalised and beautiful branded box that has your items in it.
However, you don't need to do complex personalisation to make it feel "personalised" - you can simply add a sticker on top, a short note on top, a funny picture, or something along the lines of ideas I mention below in the other checklist points.
When it comes to packaging, many brands are opting for a more sustainable approach - such as sustainable materials that are good for recycling, and other things.
What I tend to find brands do is that they don't really highlight the point about the sustainable packaging - they may mention it on the site through a simple icon, but you want to ensure customers know about the backstory and the 'why' behind choosing the packaging you have.
It can go a long way customers - even if it's not the main reason why they bought something from you, there's a good chance they'll remember (which helps you keep top of mind).
Themed packaging for special occasions through the year (for e.g. Christmas) is a really cool idea for a campaign.
Having an omni-channel approach by highlighting special custom boxes can be a USP against competitors to really highlight the "experience".
It does come down to costing/resourcing, but it can help get cut-through in competitive verticals.
A "true and tested" way to highlight your brand's product unboxing experience is working with influencers who can share their experience/thoughts via video content - like the classic examples you see on TikTok and Instagram.
And you see these vids time and time again for good reason - it's a great ad creative format that's effective for storytelling across funnel stages.
For me personally, this is a tactic I always recommend to clients to double down on, and ensuring there's a good repurposing framework in place to mix/mashup videos for ads/socials content, etc.
People still use QR codes, and it's a great way to entice action. You can drive people to a dedicated landing page for special offers, reviews page link (to ask for a review), and many other things.
If you run one or the other (or hopefully both), then having a CTA to drive LTV is something I'd strongly consider. Ultimately, you want customers to keep coming back, and it's a good way to angle "selling" without pushing too hard on a specific offer (like your usual discounts).
Something a bit left of centre, is considering adding some personality that people can read when they open their packaging/box.
I like this because it helps you become more memorable - people love personality with brands, so it's something worth thinking about.
Another consideration is doing both something "fun" (like a fact) with some other value-add CTA, like doing a free quiz.
If you're going to do a CTA-offer like a discount, then keep highlighting social proof points like reviews, ratings, amount of customers who love your product, etc.
Who doesn't love an unexpected freebie/gift, right? Customers sure do! An awesome initiative to help build up excitement, and also just making your brand become more memorable.
It's one of these tactics that can be hard to measure the exact ROI on, but it's awesome brand-building rapport.
A strategy for certain verticals/industries is doing samples for potential cross-selling, and it can be really effective when you add samples as part of packaging for customers to try.
Really powerful when it's samples of complementary products (that are related to the SKU(s) that were bought), which can lead to a future sell and potential increase in AOV.
A great way to develop UGC is directly from customers who just got their product (as they're in an excited state). Consider adding an incentive if they share content on socials, or submit UGC directly to you.
Personalised notes (handwritten or printed is fine too with a signature) is just really nice touch to any customer profile - whether a new customer, a top segmented customer, or simply a customer who's subscribed to a subscription program.
It's a great way to show appreciation and customers really do love it - again, it helps you stay top of mind and memorable to customers.
Another potential tactic, and again it depends on the product, is having a mini 'how-to' guide to help outline to customers who to best utilise and get the most value out of the product.
