It’s safe to say that 2020 is a year which will go down in infamy as a year of profound changes. Changes to the way we allocate resources, relate to one another, and changes to the way we do business. Even prior to 2020, consumer behaviour has seen a remarkable shift towards eCommerce. Major shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have further propelled the popularity of eCommerce platforms. Given our current state of affairs, major outlets like Forbes are projecting an even further drive for eCommerce sales in order to circumvent visiting traditional retail outlets. Traditional items bought online have been predominantly clothing, luxury goods, and electronics. As a result of the current social climate, household items, food, and beverage are all becoming frequently purchased via eCommerce.
So given the estimated current trajectory of eCommerce sales, we wanted to explore some best practices when it comes to packaging goods to be unboxed at home.
Adding a personal note can be anything from including a customer’s name, to a simple ‘thank you’. Personalization can amplify feelings of excitement during unboxing. Personalization can also add a level of comfort that allows you to create a relationship with your customer. This is especially powerful during times like these where our ability to connect with one another on a physical level is limited. Adding personalization to your packaging which conveys a message of genuine and sincere gratitude could be a potential powerful tool.
Social media has given consumers a platform by which to share what they are using, eating and wearing with millions of followers. Creating ‘Instagrammable’ packaging which generates buzz on social media can be exponentially good for business, inadvertently creating hoards of informal ‘brand ambassadors’. Social media friendly packaging can ultimately increase brand awareness and product visibility.
Have you ever heard of an ‘unboxing’ video? If you haven’t, it is a YouTube phenomenon whose name sounds exactly as it is; videos of people unwrapping products. These videos have become so popular in fact that CNN Business reported one such recording of an unboxing of a Kinder Surprise garnered an astonishing 35 million views. This type of exposure has proved to be an exceptionally powerful tool. Designing interesting packaging which creates the experience of unboxing has the potential to propel your product to a vast and global marketplace.
Kirsten Crisostomo is a freelance copy and content writer based in Vancouver, BC.
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