"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression" - David Swanson (American writer)
This sentence reflects the importance of the first customer experience with the product: the unboxing. The first impression is crucial for the brand, because during this moment, much more is at stake than just unpacking the box.
It is from this first contact that the customer will be able to be confirmed in his choice of purchase, and that he will then be able to venture fully into the brand's universe.
Unboxing is the process of unpacking a product just after its purchase or after receiving the package. The word also includes the whole phase of discovery and handling of the product after the purchase.
Today, the phenomenon has expanded to include videos featuring product unpacking. These videos are mainly used as a marketing argument (demonstration that allows the consumer to immerse himself in the product) and their success is viral, so much so that unboxing videos have accumulated more than 10 billion views on Youtube.
The unboxing experience must be positive and pleasant for the customer, and the following are at stake: the sensory experience (pleasant touch, smell, visual experience) and the ease of opening. And this is all the more true as online shopping does not allow the customer to have a complete knowledge of the product or the brand before receiving the package. Unboxing has become an essential part of the customer experience.
However, unboxing is not only a great pre-purchase experience! An exceptional unboxing experience is a real asset for a brand in the post-purchase world!
Unboxing allows you to create a post-purchase link since it increases the potential for customer loyalty to your brand. Indeed, a successful first impression is to gain the trust of your customers! Building customer loyalty is therefore a matter of taking special care of the first contact.
Moreover, building a solid unboxing experience is to participate in building brand awareness without paying ads. The most obvious examples are luxury clothing brands that offer packaging with color codes or materials that allow the customer to easily identify the production house and be projected into the company's universe.
➡️ GOAL: to satisfy and reassure the customer about their purchase by offering them a unique experience through unmissable unboxing.
✅ Do: The package can be improved on the outside with, again, the retranscription of your brand universe, but also with the use of recycled packaging, showing your environmental effort. And it can also be worked on the inside with, for example, a word of thanks, or to share your company values.
❌ Don't: exaggerate the presence of confetti that is often useless, polluting and impractical because they easily spread everywhere.
But there's no need to overdo it, the packaging that is popular today is simple, clean and original in design, in a word: unique.
✅ Do: enhance your brand's universe with key colors, your logo highlighted, a scented box and a touch-friendly packaging.
Did you know that more than 50% of consumers consider that they do not know their products perfectly?*
The instruction manual is often the forgotten part. Often done at the last minute and only present to cover the risk of possible legal proceedings, the instructions rarely get the attention of companies.
And yet, it is an unsuspected lever to improve the post-purchase customer experience and weave a link between the brand, the customer and the product.
➡️ GOAL: take care of your product's instructions for use by paying particular attention to the product's handholding phase, which must be clearly explained to be a quick step allowing the consumer to master his product, and then work must be done regarding repair aids and maintenance advice. Indeed, 84% of the consumers questioned claim to be sensitive to the maintenance of their products.*
These are three poles that we analyzed as the most consulted in the user manuals, yet still lack ergonomics and modernity.
✅ Do: add pictures or explanatory diagrams, or videos if you choose to make an online manual. This way, you allow your customers to have the opportunity to learn about your product on their own, and you place yourself as the main interlocutor of your consumer, who no longer needs to go looking for advice on online forums or FAQs.
In short, you increase your credibility and establish a relationship of trust with your customer from the moment they open the product, and you accompany them throughout the product's life. 🎉
<aside>❓ Doubts about the legal requirements of the user guide? Have a look at our article: Top 5 legal frameworks to know about the user manual
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Finally, after the unboxing, the customer must be reassured about his purchase, and have an idea of the philosophy of your company: that is to say a relationship and a customer experience placed at the heart of your company’s concerns.
*Survey conducted by us on 200 people
Apple is known for its sleek packaging, with just the logo and product image. The boxes are of a plain color (white or black) and have a recurring shape: rectangular with sharp corners.
But did you know that Apple's unboxing is the result of several years of work?
The engineers built the packaging box in such a way that the sliding speed when opening the box is perfect. And a perfect speed is halfway between opening too fast and opening too slow, that is, a slip that allows the excitement of unpacking to build up enough without falling into impatience or frustration.
➡️ GOAL: to provide the perfect unboxing experience. The Apple brand has grasped the full significance of optimized packaging.
The latter are often very short, or even almost non-existent, because when you unpack, you only get a quick start page showing the power and volume buttons... and the first steps to use your product. This seems very meager and in contradiction with what we hammer home: the user manual is the key to a successful customer experience!
However, don’t be mistaken, Apple has put a lot of emphasis on its manuals... online! That's right, all the manuals for Apple's phones and computers are available for free on the site. In addition to being online, they are very effective and allow a complete grip with the help of short texts and illustrations.
➡️ GOAL: let the customer train independently with a handy interface.
Pimster offers to digitize them in a story format accessible with a QR code on the product 🤸♀️