INC Magazine: Why Most DTC Brands Fail at Virtual Unboxing (And How to Fix It Before You Lose Sales)

I’ve got a weakness for Aesop, and I don’t just mean their serums, lotions and cleansers. Their unboxing experience is a masterclass in understated theater. Products arrive in minimalist packaging, with gift orders tucked into signature cotton bags lightly spritzed with fragrance. Before you even open a bottle, the scent already tells the story. Add a handwritten gift message and thoughtfully chosen product samples, and what could have been an ordinary delivery becomes a sensory ritual. Every detail reinforces the brand’s quiet luxury, building anticipation before you ever use the product. Ridge is effective in a different way, treating their wallet packaging like high-end consumer hardware, with smooth magnetic latches and an elevated tray for presenting the metal wallet. It even includes a micro-screwdriver for customization.

These DTC brands invest in their unboxing experience because they know it’s the only physical touchpoint a digital-first brand has with its customer. And it works; research shows that 72 percent of Americans say packaging design directly influences their purchase decisions. Even better, unboxing videos generate billions of views across TikTok and Instagram.

The only problem? On a DTC brand’s ecommerce site, that unboxing experience usually loses all of its value. Afterall, how can you simulate the feeling of an exceptional unboxing experience for something you can’t actually touch?

Plenty of DTC brands have certainly tried. Some have forced mobile shoppers to load detailed 3D interactive models of their box that are so huge that they freeze browsers. Others have turned to “Photoshop deception,” using high-gloss, ultra-rendered 3D package visuals on the website that look like luxury rigid boxes, only for the consumer to receive a flimsy, creased mailer envelope on their porch. Then there’s those that embed five-minute creator-centered unboxing videos on their sites, oftentimes promoting the creator more than the product. Each of these are either distractions or (at worse) actively driving customers away.

It’s not that unboxing experiences can’t be simulated. It’s that DTC brands need to embrace better and more innovative ways of getting shoppers excited about the experience they are in for once the product arrives. Here’s some ideas:

• Go 100 percent virtual. Not every shopper cares about unboxing so it’s not always important that a virtual unboxing experience is accessible to everyone. So, for tech-savvy fans, create an opportunity for shoppers to rotate, open, and view the physical package in 3D or place it in their own room via augmented reality. Believe it or not, Shopify platform data reveals that implementing 3D/AR product models like this increases e-commerce sales by up to 40 percent and decreases return rates by 5 percent.
  

• Add a little ASMR. Who says that you have to replicate the full unboxing experience to get people excited? Try leveraging high-fidelity audio-visual loops in product image carousels, capturing small details like the tactile crunch of a package opening, the click of a magnetic lid, or the peel of a fresh seal. It’s an added touch that can trigger sensory synesthesia, evoking the physical feeling of unboxing through a screen.
  

• Let people explore. Most unboxing experiences are about discovery; the slow relief of peeling back the packaging layers to find what’s inside. Brands can tap into that same feeling with interactive drawers or hotspot grids on their product pages. Instead of showing a single static box photo, let users click on interactive pins to reveal every item, card, and accessory included inside the box.

• Don’t forget to follow up. The virtual unboxing journey doesn’t have to end on the shipping confirmation page. Replace the generic shipping tracking links with a branded “Unboxing Preview” dashboard that gives customers a 3D animated walkthrough of what to expect when their delivery arrives.

Product packaging can become an even greater sales tool. And if DTC brands want to continue to show their value to fickle shoppers, they need to commit to creating virtual unboxing experiences as memorable as they are in person. That not only means more considerate online approaches to simulating unboxing moments but a better understanding of why people love them to begin with.