If you’re like most online business owners, you’ve probably invested a lot of time into creating an amazing product, and reaching the customers who will buy them. You’ve probably spent a lot less time, though, on the experience that unfolds after the sale: the unboxing experience. In today’s post, our Richmond V.A. packaging company will walk you through creating an unboxing experience that truly makes an impact, and keeps buyers coming back for more.
The benefits of a great unboxing experience
When planning your customer journey, it’s important to remember that the experience continues right up to the moment the product is in the buyer’s hands—and even afterwards. Creating an amazing unboxing experience can help serve as an extension of everything else you’ve done up to this point, remind buyers why they made their purchase decision, and encourage repeat business. A very unique or special unboxing experience might even be posted on social media profiles, giving you powerful word-of-mouth advertising for very little cost.
Other reasons to hone your unboxing experience include:
- Brand differentiation. Creating a unique unboxing experience can help you stand out in an increasingly-crowded marketplace.
- Branding, period. The unboxing experience is another avenue in which to express your brand persona and values—like earth-friendly, playful, artistic, or adventurous.
- It forges a personal connection between you and your customers. A great unboxing experience can provoke a positive emotional reaction with your customers, encouraging loyalty and repeat sales.
- It increases your perceived product value. Great packaging takes time, creativity, and attention to detail. Items which come in such packaging have an increased value, justifying a higher price point.
Creating a great unboxing experience, step-by-step
So, now that we know why a good unboxing experience is important, how do we execute it? Here’s a brief guide.
Step 1: Consider your branding
As always, start by considering your brand story, values, and archetype. This will guide you in the elements you include in your packaging. For example:
- “Girly” brands targeted for young women might include glittery or colorful void fill materials.
- Masculine brands targeted towards rugged or outdoorsy types might incorporate thick, sturdy materials and rough fibers (jute twine, for instance, instead of cotton string).
- “Silly” brands based on comedy might include humorous stickers, or items that don’t seem to have anything to do with the purchase, like a tiny plastic duck.
- Luxury brands often use “slow-slide” boxes to build anticipation and indicate sensory drama.
Step 2: Personalize it
There are many ways to do make your unboxing experience truly unique and personalized. One of the easiest and most popular ways to do this is by including a handwritten note. Taking the time to write each and every thank you note, for each and every sale, shows your customers that you are not a faceless corporation; you are a small-time seller able to give care and attention to every customer you reach.
You can also personalize the packaging itself. For instance, you can print your logo onto the exterior box; onto the tissue paper inside of the package; or onto the tape that holds the package together. This gives your products a tiny bit of extra “oomph” that informs customers, “this purchase is high-quality, legitimate, and worth the money.”
If you need more help thinking of packaging options, take a look at some other companies with great packaging solutions. Oftentimes, an innovative idea can be executed for a relatively affordable price.
Step 3: Give your customer an extra gift
Above, we mentioned including a sticker in your package to add an element of surprise. While this is the most popular, and affordable, item to include in a package, you can also include:
- Branded magnets: A long-lasting alternative to stickers, magnets often end up on refrigerators, keeping your brand visible daily.
- Themed bookmarks: Ideal for stationary, bookish, or lifestyle brands; these are inexpensive to print and highly functional.
- Product samples: Include “travel-sized” or “tester” versions of other products to cross-sell and introduce customers to new items in your line.
- Plantable seed paper: Use cards made of biodegradable paper embedded with wildflower seeds that customers can plant after reading.
- Buttons and pins: Tiny plastic buttons carrying positive statements can be added to bags, purses, and hats, keeping your brand visible to your customer and to others.
There are many other things you can include within your packaging, like QR codes linking to tutorials; sales materials advertising other products; news updates about the company; and coupon codes. While these are all great options, we encourage you to also include a true gift—something that does not stand to give you, the business, anything in return. All companies advertise, but a sticker, piece of candy, or other tiny surprise will go much further in helping customers remember you fondly.
Step 4: Remember the fundamentals
Few things are as disappointing as opening a long-awaited package and discovering that your item has broken during transport. So, while planning your unboxing experience, don’t lose sight of the main goal—making sure your products arrive in one piece! To do this, use quality, strong-walled cardboard and adequate cushioning materials. Don’t try to save money by reducing packaging quality. The small margin you safe will not be worth the hassle and expense of handling frustrated customers who receive broken products.
Step 5: Minimize the clean-up
In order to help create an unboxing experience that your customers enjoy and want to repeat, try to use materials that don’t make a big, annoying mess. For example, most people hate cleaning tiny bits of Styrofoam off their floor. And, while you might be tempted to throw in some glittery confetti, ask yourself if your customers will really want to fetch a vacuum to clean it up.
Finally, if your products are intended for parents, or pet owners, take their needs into consideration, too. Using recyclable paper products is one great way to minimize mess, protect kids and pets, and boost your sustainability image, all in one go. If your brand is holistic, earth-centered, or health-based, you will definitely want to consider sustainable packaging options.
Get everything you need for your ecommerce business at SSI!
We hope that this article has outlined some easy, low-cost ways to make a big impact on your ecommerce customers this year. If you live in Richmond, VA or the surrounding areas, consider stopping by SSI Packaging. We offer high-end marking and coding machines; packaging materials; and personalized service you won’t be able to get at a big box store. To browse our packaging products, click here.