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This is the second in a new series that lifts the lid on Gen Z’s social media habits and their impact on fashion consumption. Read the first installment on social media shopping here.
In March 2020, Audrey Peters started on TikTok like many others, posting comedy videos. Its content included witty dispatches of New York’s neighborhoods and hotspots, a concept that eventually died out. She first experimented with a luxury unboxing video in March this year after a shopping trip to Italy. It got 1 million views, she recalls. “Unboxing content is now my top performing content on TikTok,” she says. “So I ran with it.” Since June, its views are up 160 percent, with engagement up 140 percent. Her profile has 37.2 million likes.
Unboxing features creators unpacking a newly purchased product and showing it to an online audience. The concept first appeared in the early 2000s on YouTube, particularly in the realm of gaming and electronics. Today, it has been adopted by a new generation of TikTok creators: #unboxing has had 44.3 billion views on the platform since its launch in 2018.
TikTok Content
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For luxury brands, unboxing is a low-cost way to gain endorsement from top social media creators. However, getting their products in front of creators isn’t easy — and experts point out that it’s not possible to influence production in the same way that brands can through paid partnerships.
Similar to shipping (which typically features multiple products), unblocking allows social media users to live vicariously through creators. While fast fashion and first-wear dominate shipping videos, many of the most popular unboxing videos are focused on fashion and luxury products — an internet trend led, perhaps inevitably, by Kim Kardashian.
“I’ve been watching unboxing videos since I was a kid,” says 20-year-old Dallas college student Khandon James. “The first unboxing video I remember was when the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch had just come out. Seeing them gave me a feel for the product and made me want it.”
“It’s about the experience,” agrees Gabrielle Ragsale, also 20, based in San Francisco. “I love the unboxing process, it’s kind of like Christmas. Back in the day, you will [be inspired by] reviews or maybe even pictures submitted by someone, but now you can see an entire video of someone’s first impression, debuting the entire product in detail.”
