4 Reasons We’re Obsessed with Unboxings
As much as we hate to admit it, we are addicted to unboxing videos! Not only are they fun, but they are educational as well. So, you get form and function in one—and you KNOW how we love things that enjoy sitting right on the super odd intersection of form meets function!
But, wait a minute; you may have been misled by our opener.
It’s not that we love watching them as much as we love making them.
That’s right. It’s a blast to buy something new, but it is even better when we know that we can share our excitement of opening the darn thing with a captive audience of onlookers. Do you know how we can tell that we have a nice crowd of you that come for our unboxing videos? Because during this time of year—holiday time—our top viewed videos tend to be our unboxing videos. In fact, it’s rare when all top 10 videos (of the 111 uploaded videos) aren’t unboxings! That’s right; though, we are a music publishing, a record company, and a blog, it’s the unboxings that draw the crowd during this holiday time frame.
That got us asking why folks love unboxing videos so much? I mean, we watch unboxings too, but it seems that some folks watch them like they are THE thing, the feature, the reason you came…. So we investigated and here’s what we found out:
1. “Safe” retail therapy
Unboxing videos are a way to window shop without the danger of actually spending the money. For those of us in retail therapy withdrawal, this way of window shopping is safer than browsing the internet and putting it in your shopping cart. I'm sure we all can recall a time when we ONLY meant to put that item in our cart, but before we know it, we had clicked the purchase button, since at that moment, we just HAD to have it. --Oops! Maybe that's only me...... With unboxing videos, we get the same thrill of feeling like there is something new to be in awe of, but without the price tag (and that inevitable financial drain on our accounts). It is not us who has made the purchase, but the person making the video.
2. Power of surprise?
The second reason that unboxing videos are so addictive is that, just like that crazy “Kids Opening Packages” phenomenon, opening boxes has this appeal that some people can’t resist. (--Yep, just Google it, and you will see what I mean; it's nuts!) Even though, with an unboxing video, it is probably pretty clear WHAT is going to be in the package (from the video’s title and description), however, there is something magical about seeing it unfold.
3. Nosiness
The third reason that unboxing videos are obsessions can be boiled down to plain old nosiness. We live in a reality television kinda world, which means that even the most mundane activities can be interesting to people looking for something to invest their time and emotions into. So, the activity of getting and opening something new may be a draw for a bunch of folks who have time to spare. –I won’t lie, I obsessively watch holiday cooking shows during that season, because it is seeing the folks making food for their families that motivates me to share the same kind of love with my own, so I don’t knock that kind of nosiness, since I understand on a different—but still strange—level. Generally, my life does not revolve around what other folks are doing, but I find that with holiday cooking, seeing others engaging in it provides just the feeling that encourages me to want to cook, so I search them out and run them all day during that season. But I digress....
4. Pre-purchase research
Here are the reasons that we engage in watching a series of unboxing videos. We usually have one of five aims:
First...
The first would be to know how one item compares to another. With that type of quest, we would be looking for more of a review meets an unboxing. For instance, when we were shopping for the vlogging camera that we just purchased (see link), we looked at quite a few unboxing and review videos, so that we could see what features each camera had and how they compared to each other and what the vloggers liked and did not like about these cameras. We ultimately made our choice, but it was a tough one, because there were so many differing opinions and so many different cameras to choose from. We ended up taking an aggregate of what we saw to go into our local big box retailer to see the cameras up close. But the videos were our way to start that comparison shopping process.
Second and Third...
Our second and third aims would be to know what is included in the box and to know what possible accessories are needed. Sometimes, a critical piece, like an adapter or batteries, are necessary to even set an item up and it’s nice to be aware of that before we get it so that we can get those accessories at the same time we make the big purchase. That way, when we get the item, we can start it up right away and get going doing something.
Fourth...
Our fourth reason to indulging in a binge of unboxing videos is to let us know if assembly/set-up is going to require a bunch of time and any special effort. Knowing that in advance can help us budget our time better and be realistic about getting up and running.
Fifth...
Our fifth and final aim to watch unboxing videos would be to know how quickly we will be able to start using an item. In our mind, there’s nothing worse than feeling great about a purchase, only to get home and realize that the set-up/assembly will take a few days. If that is the case, we want to know ahead of time, so that we can clear our schedules and dedicate time and focus to getting acquainted with the item. Also, understanding an item’s ease of use is important, but that was probably assessed back in our original quest (under aim one).
Well, that’s it for us. Do you binge on unboxing videos?
If so, why? If not, why not?
We would love to hear from you either way.
Shoot us an answer in the comments below.
Until next we meet, here’s wishing you love, peace, and chicken grease!
To come along with us on our journey to find that next creatively inspiring thing, be sure you’ve subscribed to both the blog and to our YouTube channel.
More Ways to stalk B L O O M I N G P R E J I P P I E :
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bloomingprejippie
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/bloomingprejippie
Youtube: https://goo.gl/EzSkVn
Soundcloud (blog): https://soundcloud.com/bloomingprejippie
Soundcloud (music): https://soundcloud.com/prejippie
Funky Happy People (who listen to a variety of genres of music)
Be the Next D.I.Y. Rock Star (proactive music business mindset and strategies)
