The unboxing experience remains a major driver in catching your customers’ attention, with sustainability one of the best ways to rack up the likes.

The world of packaging is constantly looking forward, moving ahead with new designs and processes. But there are a few aspects to the business that don’t change so quickly that need to be considered in every consumer-facing design.

One of these aspects is the unboxing experience. Around since the birth of YouTube almost two decades ago, unboxing is the familiar online phenomenon of someone unpacking a product. It’s a simple enough process, but it revolutionised the packaging industry, with companies investing heavily in their packaging design to make the unboxing process more appealing.

While unboxing may have slipped from the media agenda since its heyday of 2015, the videos are no less popular. Young creators such as Ryan Kaji and Vlad and Niki have over 100m subscribers, as well as lucrative deals with a range of companies for their stream of content showing them unboxing and playing with toys.

Now, with the rise in e-commerce and subscription boxes, the unboxing experience is firmly back on the table for companies keen not only to show their design flair but also their sustainability credentials.

It’s What’s On The Inside That Counts

The design flair comes in the form of a range of developing trends. One is printing on the inside of the packaging, which effectively doubles the amount of space a brand has to enhance the unboxing experience, as well as reinforce brand values and messaging.

Developments in digital printing technology have meant that printing intricate designs on both sides of the packaging is now quicker and more cost-effective, with the ability to make last-minute design changes.

Another trend is the addition of packaging materials that add sound to the unboxing experience. A number of brands are experimenting with materials such as glassine, a 100% fiber-based material that resembles waxed paper. When opened, the glassine in the package creates a crinkling, crackling sound that resembles, according to one customer, “rustling through packages on Christmas morning.”

“How do you take a transaction and turn it into a meaningful experience?” Jessica Black, director of sales at JBM Packaging, said to Packaging Dive. “How do you turn it into a relationship? And what can you do to build that type of engagement with your customer that you don’t normally have through a transactional e-commerce type of buying experience?”

Showing Your Sustainability

But good packaging that will rack up the likes doesn’t stop with design. Many customers, as well as influencers, are assessing a package’s sustainability credentials as they excitedly open it up. Products with too much packaging for their size will get a distinct thumbs-down, while people are much more aware of the value of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certification.

This increased awareness of sustainability is seen in the most recent Two Sides Trend Tracker report. When asked about their packaging preferences, 59% of European consumers prefer products ordered online to be delivered in paper packaging, while 55% would be willing to spend more on a product if it were packaged using sustainable materials. Meanwhile, 41% would consider avoiding a retailer if it was not trying to reduce its use of non-recyclable packaging.

In Europe, paper and cardboard is the most recycled packaging material. In 2020, 81.5% of paper and cardboard packaging was recycled, outperforming metallic packaging (75.7%), glass packaging (75.9%) and far exceeding that of plastic packaging (37.6%).[1]

“These results show that sustainability is one of the main factors consumers are looking for in their packaging,” says Josh Birch, Campaign Manager of Two Sides UK, “and by using certified paper-based packaging, brands are demonstrating their commitment to the environment to all their customers.”

For more information about the Two Sides Trend Tracker survey and to register your interest in receiving the report, go to www.twosides.info/trend-tracker-2023

Sources

1. Eurostat, Recycling rate of packaging waste by type of packaging (EU27), 2020

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