What is Unboxing? How is it related to ASMR?

A trend that has been around on YouTube for a long time is the so-called "unboxing". Here, videos are recorded of what is actually a rather unspectacular everyday process that probably happens in millions of households every day. Either the delivery man brought it over or you bought it in town and brought it home yourself. Now it's time to unpack a new achievement from its box. Nowadays, of course, it is not absurd to record a video of it. This is filmed for an unboxing video usually without commentary, so that you can hear only the sounds of opening the box and unpacking the product.

That this should not remain a passing trend is shown by the fact that unboxing videos have been popular for years now and the enthusiasm does not seem to abort. Even many people who don't even know the term unboxing will probably have found and seen an unboxing video while searching for a product video.

There has already been an increased number of online searches for the term "unboxing" since 2009:

There are now said to be well over 40 million such unboxing videos!

Why do people like to watch these unboxing videos so much?

Even as a child, unboxing usually gives you a thrill. The fascination for it certainly stems from the fact that at an early age, people are used to celebrating the unboxing of gifts for birthdays, Christmas or other occasions with the whole family.

Sometimes the moment of anticipation and unwrapping is much more exciting than the actual toy that the child often plays with for only a short period of time. Maybe it's something special to unpack something new that no one has ever held in their hand before. It's not without reason that many people rave about the smell of a new car.

It is not without reason that many shopping addicts say that they know that they do not need the purchased items at all and that they will not use them, but that they were only delighted by the short moment of the purchase. However, the joy is then gone again at the latest after unpacking and the moment must be repeated as soon as possible to experience this feeling of happiness again.

Perhaps many people are simply interested in seeing how a certain product really looks before they buy it themselves. After all, an unboxing video offers an unfiltered insight.

For sure, many people enjoy seeing how other people unpack an expensive product like the current iPhone or the new Playstation, for which the viewer may not have enough money. Why else did people used to watch MTV Cribs and see how luxurious the celebrities live?

Unboxing as a marketing strategy?

Of course, retailers and producers of goods have also realized that you can satisfy and win customers through positive unboxing experiences. Be it just a beautifully designed thank you card in the box or really eye-catching packaging. A positive feeling after the purchase generates further purchases. Especially when your own item has made it into unboxing videos by well-known Youtubers or influencers.

Self-produced unboxing videos by the manufacturers will remain rather rare, however, because the authenticity of unboxing videos by Youtubers in particular makes them special. Because an unbiased product presentation (at least that's what it looks like) can give the customer the final impulse to buy.

What does unboxing have to do with ASMR?

Even if the packed product doesn't excite you, you can't deny that most people like to hear the bubble wrap that is often used as packaging material burst. After all, this also makes noises which probably satisfy most people for a short time. Why else would you crush every single nub of the foil between your fingers in anticipation of the bang? But also the cutting or tearing open of the box and the rustling of the paper makes familiar noises that everyone probably knows.

Since unboxing videos are usually created without commentary from the person filming, the only sounds that can actually be heard here are the unboxing sounds that are perceived as relaxing. Here is a small selection from the ASMRSome-YouTube-channel: