Unboxing has taken TikTok by storm. These trending videos have turned the app into the perfect place to promote your products and lead to a major shift in the merch industry: bespoke sample boxes. Sending out boxes full of surprisingly delightful promotional products with samples creates an “edge of your seat” suspense that mimics the same excitement that’s made influencers famous. It’s like finding a treasure box full of popular products and brands. 

These kits are an amazing way to welcome new hires, thank loyal clients, encourage team morale, and more. Sending an effectively curated promo collection – aka a Merch Box – to prospects can inspire them to create original packages of their own, but when you’re curating your box, how to make sure it has the ultimate impact?

Each box has a purpose, a reason for sending or it wouldn’t be worth the investment. But blindly sending a box might not be as effective as you anticipated, even if it’s full of really cool stuff. Here are a few steps you can take to make sure you get the most bang for your marketing buck. 

Step One: Sneak Peak Email

Sure, surprises in the mail are great, but sometimes a bit of hype can go the extra mile. Send an email prior to the delivery and tease the box contents. 

For example, say you are sending a sample new employee kit for remote workers to a potential client. Let them know to be on the lookout for their package full of goodies with an email that matches the design and theme of the box. You can even include the tracking number for ultimate anticipation. 

If you are sending an influencer kit, this is where you can list out what the influencer is supposed to do with the content. Try putting together a digital lookbook full of the box contents along with all of the product information. 

Step Two: Let them know it’s there!

Ideally, they’ll be waiting with bated breath, refreshing the tracking info, but depending on your shipping system, it can be really handy to send out a message letting the prospect know their package arrived. This works especially well if you are sending to someone’s home. There is nothing worse than sending a surprise that goes missing! 

It’s one extra chance to create another touch with your client and it shows them you’re active and taking an interest in their experience. 

Step Three: What’s in the Box?

There is nothing quite like opening that box. This is where including an insert can really help. Print a QR code on the box linking to your digital lookbook or tuck a one sheet into the box that lists the contents. Be sure to include some copy explaining what they are getting and why. 

If you are sending a box of potential samples to a prospect, be sure to explain why these products are perfect for them and if there is a theme or anything to tie them together. This is a perfect place to pop in a QR code to a ZOOMcatalog with any connected links to create a seamless shopping experience without adding cost to the printing or packaging. 

Step Four: Did you like it?

As marketers, we all want unsolicited fabulous comments and happy unboxing tiktoks. That doesn’t always happen and that is okay. It is still worth it to send a follow-up that says, “did you get it and did you like it?” This is another great spot for a ZOOMcatalog or ZOOMstudio presentation. Remind them what cool things were included. Use our new text box function to even add copy to your ZOOMstudio presentation and make it perfectly targeted to the campaign. 

After all, as much as you might include a call to action, even if they just get some joy out of your delivery, your brand won!

Step Five: Did it work?

Return on marketing investment, that is what it is ALL about? But it can be a hard thing to really measure. Did they buy that specific product, or were they inspired to buy something else? Including links to a ZOOMstudio presentation or a ZOOMcatalog can give you that visibility into a measurable KPI. Check out the clicks and views to see if your recipients interact. 

At ZOOMcatalog, we have insights into industry trends that can help you differentiate yourself from your competition. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, contact us today and learn how we can help you succeed.