Creating Elevated Experiences
It’s not enough to focus solely on the product.
A consumer’s relationship with a product starts when they first know of its existence, and ends when it exits their lives, and they no longer find any use for it. Each stage of this relationship needs to be taken into careful consideration when designing and developing something new. When we think about our first moments with a brand-new product, we think about the first time we held it in our hands. Clearly, the product shapes the entire consumer experience. But there is one aspect of the experience that is just as, if not more important than the product itself, and that is… its packaging.
PRODUCT PACKAGING
A product’s packaging is actually a crucial stage in this relationship. It is notable for being the first tangible interaction that the consumer has with the product. Of course, that is because they don’t touch the product right away. In many ways, the packaging is like a gateway to the product itself. This is why you see so many product unboxing videos posted online. Consumers want to document the excitement that they feel while going through the journey of passing through the gateway to get to the product that they’ve been so excited to call their own.
ELEVATE YOUR BRAND
Packaging is also important because it serves as a vessel for branding. It tells a story. It elevates the branded product by acting as an extra medium for which organizations can express their brand identity. The most successful brands appeal to all your senses. That’s why it is so important for the packaging to look and feel a way that closely aligns with your brand identity. Say you want to tell consumers that your brand is environmentally conscious… you may want to design your packaging in such a way that it uses 100% renewable materials… you may want to dress your packaging in green colors that connote a kind of fresh feeling… every little bit counts.
So, next time a product enters your life, really take the time to pay more attention to how you feel when you unbox it. You will have many different unboxing experiences in your lifetime, but each one is completely different. For the one you have in your hands, this is it.