When it comes to opening a product you purchase, you might wonder how complicated it can be. You get a package, open it, open the product, use it and that’s it, right?

Today, many people want more—a journey, an experience when they open a package. Studies show we base our purchasing decisions on more than just the product itself and that the full “unboxing” experience matters, too.

Unboxing is about creating, perfecting and inspiring an emotional response between a customer and a brand. And that response can determine whether a company loses or gains a customer for life.

If you have never thought about the unboxing experience before, consider this three-step journey to fully understand what happens.

Step one: introduction. When a customer receives and opens your package, it might be their first interaction with your brand. This experience sets the tone for everything that follows.

Step two: discovery. Next, your customer will touch everything inside the box, including any protective wrapping, read whatever information you provide and interact with the product. This big reveal is your chance to create something memorable—even fun or surprising—when your customer opens the package.

Step three: connection. The final phase of the unboxing journey is connection, where your customer takes in the various brand elements and how the full experience confirms (or dashes) their hopes and shapes what they think of your company.

Unboxing experience ignored
Imagine what that journey would look like if you didn’t take the time to care about unboxing. Your customer receives your product in a plain, cardboard box. They open it and take out the product, which is also in an unbranded box. While they’re happy to receive the order, the emotional connection isn’t strong. Your customer hasn’t learned anything new about your brand and aren’t curious to know more.

Though this is an acceptable way to deliver products, it’s a missed opportunity to excite and inspire customers and strengthen their connection to your brand.

Social media loves unboxing
Today, we share our experiences with products in online reviews and in social media posts. Hundreds of “unboxing” videos go viral on YouTube and almost three million Instagram posts use the #unboxing hashtag.

While good and bad unboxing experiences abound online, what really matters is what happens in your customers’ homes as they interact with your product and its packaging. This one-to-one experience is where “packaging + product = lasting brand impression.”

Better the unboxing experience
Thoughtful, branded packaging can open the door to more business, raise the perceived value of your products and increase your company’s visibility.

Get in touch with Veritiv, and let’s take the unboxing journey together. Our structural and visual designers will create memorable custom packaging, combining form and function and transforming the unboxing experience into one that makes customers want to stay with you for life.