What to Avoid When Creating Unboxing-Worthy Packaging for Your E-Commerce Business

Industrial & Manufacturing Blog

In the age of social media, creating an online buzz about your e-commerce business is everything. Unboxing videos have surged in popularity over the last few years, and they're a win-win for buyer and seller alike. Customers get to show off their purchases and grow their base of followers, and businesses benefit from the free promotion these videos bring. Of course, in order to encourage this effective word-of-mouth marketing, you have to make your product worthy of unboxing. First impressions are made quickly and they're hard to change once formed, so your custom made boxes need to wow from the outset and throughout the unboxing experience. You may already know the basics of what to do -- package your items in attractive boxes -- but do you know what to avoid? Here are 2 "dont's" to keep in mind when you create your unboxing experience. 

Unfair Packaging

Are you reaching out to internet influencers with free products in the hope of encouraging unboxing videos? This is a common strategy for e-commerce companies, but it's important to remember that all customers matter -- not just those promoting you. Many businesses (especially those just starting out) focus on making influencer packaging as good as in can be, while neglecting the packaging for products sent out to 'regular' customers. This is a big mistake. While you'll definitely encourage new customers to seek you out with your influencer packaging, those customers are likely to be very disappointed with the parcels they receive if they aren't similar to what they've already seen. No one likes to feel like someone else has been treated better than them, so a customer who receives a poorly packaged product after seeing another person receive the opposite will be displeased. As people are more likely to share negative reviews than positive ones, you may actually lose prospects from the negative press these customers give you. If you plan on contacting influencers, wait until you can afford high-quality packaging across the board. 

Oversized Packaging

Bigger isn't better when it comes to packaging. Unfortunately, many online retailers forget this when shipping out their products. Packaging boxes that are too large for the contents within create multiple problems. First of all, they do not house the products safely. A small item in a large box can move around substantially while in the postal system, making it more likely to turn up broken at the customer's house. While this can be avoided by using more packaging fill, this is an expensive solution. Using more filler is also environmentally unfriendly, which is another problem oversized packaging causes. With more and more consumers turning to 'green' living, it's important to show that your company is eco-friendly by reducing waste. Lastly, a big box can make customers expect more than they'll receive when the packaging arrives. This creates a sense of disappointment when the package is opened. All these problems create a negative unboxing experience and could actually lose you current and future problems in the process. Of course, packaging that's too small isn't a choice either. If you can't find a box that's the right size for your problems, you should strongly consider having custom-made boxes made to package your items snugly. 

15 December 2016