Unboxing Case Study

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To illustrate the unboxing of a self-gift more closely, different brands of a product of the cosmetics category (mascara) will be compared in terms of their packaging, their value for the consumer, and the associated unboxing experience. Looking at the more expensive lines of cosmetics, it becomes apparent that, as assumed before, high-value brands package their cosmetics in boxes when they sell them. Luxury brands apply an additional effort to package the product in a way that enhances the unboxing experience for the consumer. This finding can also be confirmed when looking at the example of mascara below. Exhibit 9: Three examples for the unboxing of self-gifts The three examples of mascaras above are sold by different…show more content…
Connected to this question is the importance to understand whether unboxing plays a significant role related to self-gifting. To better comprehend whether the role of unboxing is significant, it helps to consider the following scenario: If a product is purchased as a self-gift, the attitude towards the product and towards the unboxing might hypothetically be different than when receiving the same product as a common gift. Because the consumer spent his own money on the product, the initial attention put on the product is likely to be higher than when received by a second party. Gifts by others probably elicit a higher degree of curiosity in the consumer, as he or she does not know what to expect from the gift and is not yet aware of what is inside the wrapping. The initial attitude towards the product itself is therefore indifferent, as the product is unknown. The prevailing emotions are probably the excitement about the fact that a gift has been received and the anticipation of finding out what is inside the gift wrapping. However, when the gift is purchased for oneself, the aspect of curiosity is less apparent. The consumer has a better idea of what to expect from the content of the box and can focus entirely on the process of getting to the object itself. Supposedly, the consumer engages in the unboxing more consciously than he would if he received it as a common gift. The lower curiosity lets the consumer be freed of the feeling that he or she needs to rush towards the content of the box, hence satisfying the curiosity. Instead, the consumer can take his or her time with the packaging and enjoy the unboxing experience to its fullest extent. Based on this reasoning it can be argued that it makes a significant difference whether an item is self-gifted or

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