Trend forecaster WGSN has highlighted the pioneers of unboxing engagement and significance of product packaging to enable brands to connect with their consumers and will become increasingly important, particularly as Gen Z shuns traditional advertising.
Katie Raath, Senior Strategist for Packaging at WGSN, said creating “memorable unboxing moments is a great way” to engage with shoppers.
“An engaging unboxing experience is an important aspect of brand-building, offering brands the chance to harness consumer fandom, viral authenticity and brand design magic to connect with consumers. With the rise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, unboxing is often the first physical interaction that consumers have with them,” she said in a sample report.
Raath said unboxing collaborations are a key way for brands to engage with influencer marketing, with content creators such as Unbox Therapy boasting 19.7 million subscribers on YouTube and unboxing content regularly pulling in more than 10 million views per video.
Brands understand that packaging is an extension of the product experience and with Gen-Z consumers avoiding advertising at all costs, it is set to become an even more important touchpoint, she said.
“Entertainment is no longer enough to impress consumers. Great packaging design needs to be combined with sustainability to captivate consumers,” she added.
Raath said around 60 percent of consumers globally (rising to 75 percent in China) now actively avoid products with excessive packaging in order to limit climate impacts, while 82 percent are prepared to pay more for sustainable packaging.
She said United Kingdom-based nutritional science startup Zoe has partnered with design agency Ragged Edge and sustainable sourcing platform Sourceful to upgrade the packaging for its personalized system.
Raath said the startup uses bold color to make the medical device feel like a lifestyle brand, with the sunny yellow color evoking a feeling of positivity and optimism.
“Be bold with your color choices to create a strong impression. Embrace tweaks to traditional packaging formats in order to make them fully recyclable and break down instructions into small nuggets to make even a complex set-up routine approachable,” she added.
