The Most Important Unboxing Day of the Year

Boxing Day is a holiday around the world, also known in America as the day of many returns.

Presents under the tree leave an indelible first impression when the paper is gone and the box is opened. The real surprise, though, may not be the gift, but the way the product is experienced once the ribbons and bows are gone.

I recently purchased a new pair of stereo in-ear headphones with a microphone for my iPhone made by VModa. I like to listen to music on my iPhone but my stereo headphones didn't have a microphone, so this product seemed like a great solution. Once I got them home and tried to unwrap them, I found the unboxing experience made me want to reconsider the choice. The packaging was  aggravating. I am completely aware that retailers require packaging that prevents loss from theft by customers or employees. But this design defied reason. The amount of time it took to figure out how to set the headphones free was at least 15 minutes. And the experience was complicated by the fact the packaging made it really difficult to guess where the safest place was to cut it open. The cord was black, the packaging was black and there was black tape holding the cord to the plastic. There were instructions, but they were buried under a corner of the plastic you had to fold back to read. I sliced my finger pulling back the tab to read them. I am certain the product managers and designers didn't mean to leave me with such a sour attitude by the time I started using the headphones 20 minutes later.

Every part of the customer experience tells you something about what matters most to the company behind the brand. Does the company put their processes ahead of yours? In this case, was theft prevention the prevailing design goal? Does the set of business rules around the company's service department give the consumer the benefit of the doubt? Does the company empower front line sales and support people to solve problems for customers? How much does a customer have to adapt to the company, and how far does the company go to ensure not only their products but their processes align with their consumers' needs and goals? Acquiring the product and then getting the product to the first use can be as important to the whole product experience as features, price and durability. As Oprah says, "Love is in the details," although, admittedly, I believe she was speaking about a more macro-global level of love.  The companies that seem to "get" that the total consumer experience matters are the ones that build relationships with their customers from the first interaction. They think about their customers' entire journey from consideration to purchase to out of the box experiences and support over the product's lifetime, and are especially prepared when problems unexpectedly arise.

We always hope to make great Christmas memories each year in our house. Often, though, the memories that are most unforgettable are the ones least expected - the dropped turkey or the present we received that cost us some bandages just to get it out of the box.

Comments

[Henry]

There's a problem with those headphones (I've own the last 2 generations of them). The problem is that the body casing is made of metal. While it's quite appealing in design, in practice it becomes rather flawed. You WILL get shocked by these headphones. As you jostle around, the headphones will shock you. I sent probably 5 or 6 pairs back to them for this issue already. They've never remedied it. So I went and hacked together my own solution. I took a pair of extra silicon ear bud things -- cut them up and fitted them so my skin never touch the metal. Remind me to show you the next time I see you.

[Gearhead Gal]

Thanks for the comment, Henry. It begs the question, though, why did you stick with the headsets with a flawed design and then cobble together your own fix to them? Why not just switch?