Unboxing Experience for Shopify Stores: What Goes in the Box
An unboxing experience for a Shopify store is everything the customer sees between cutting the tape and using the product: the outer box, the fill, how the product is wrapped, what paper is inside, and the email that arrives after delivery. A good one does three jobs. It gets the product there undamaged, it makes the brand recognizable, and it tells the customer what to do next (how to use it, how to reorder, where to leave a review). Most of that costs cents, not dollars, and two parts of it, the packing slip and the delivery email, are already in your Shopify admin.
Shopify details come from its pages on packing slips, packages and customer notifications (read October 23, 2026). Cost figures are our rough estimates for small quantities, not supplier quotes.
The five layers of an unboxing
An unboxing has five layers, from outside in; decide for each what you spend and what it has to achieve.
| Layer | Job | Low-cost version | Upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer box or mailer | Protect, and identify you on the doorstep | Plain kraft mailer with a printed sticker or stamp | Custom-printed mailer box |
| Fill | Stop movement and breakage | Crinkle paper or paper fill sized to the gap | Molded insert that holds the product |
| Product wrap | The first thing seen when the lid opens | Tissue paper closed with one branded sticker | Printed tissue, a fabric bag or a sleeve |
| Insert | Tell the customer what to do next | One printed card (care, reorder or review) | A small booklet or a handwritten note |
| Follow-up | Continue after the box is open | Shopify’s delivered notification with an edited message | A how-to email or video a few days later |
Our view: the outer box is the easiest place to overspend. A custom-printed box looks good in a photo, but a plain mailer with a crisp sticker, opened to reveal neat tissue and a card, reads as deliberate. Spend first on what the customer sees when the lid comes off.
The fill decides whether the product arrives intact, and a broken product undoes every other layer. Test-ship your most fragile product to yourself before you choose a fill. For greener options, see our guide to sustainable packaging.
Across all layers, match the packaging to the price. A $9 item in a rigid gift box raises the expectation of the product; a $200 item in a bag of loose air pillows lowers it.
Customize the packing slip
Every Shopify order can print a packing slip listing the items, shipping and billing addresses, SKUs and quantities. You print one from the order page or many at once from the orders list. Printed with the default template, it is a picking document; customized, it becomes the one sheet of paper every customer gets from you.
Shopify’s packing slip template is edited with Liquid, so you control the layout, styling and data. It lives under Settings > Shipping and delivery, in the Documents section, as Packing slip template; after an edit, Preview template shows the result, and Preview with a real order shows it on that order’s items before you click Save (customizing packing slips, read October 31, 2026). Logos and images must be uploaded to Content > Files, because the template shows images only from Shopify’s own cdn.myshopify.com domain (packing slip variable reference). Useful changes that need only small edits:
- your logo at the top and your store’s colors;
- the customer’s first name in a greeting line;
- a short thank-you and one instruction (“Questions about sizing? Reply to your order email”);
- the return window in plain words, matching your return policy;
- removing internal data (SKUs, bin names) if the slip is customer-facing.
If you have no one comfortable with Liquid, keep Shopify’s default for picking and print a separate branded insert. Our article on packing slips and packaging in fulfillment goes further into the template and when to use one slip or two.
Inserts that do a job
A card in the box should ask for one thing. Pick the one that matters most for the product:
- Care or use instructions for products that disappoint when used wrong (skin care routine, plant care, first wash of denim).
- A reorder prompt for consumables: when the product usually runs out, and a short URL or QR code to the product page.
- A review request with a direct link to the review page.
- A discount code for the next order. Print a code that is not tied to an email address, so it works for gift recipients too.
On review requests, ask for an honest review. Do not make an incentive depend on the review being positive; in the US, the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, in effect since October 21, 2024, allows incentives for reviews only without an express or implied requirement of a particular sentiment, and review platforms have their own rules. If you want to email the customer marketing afterwards, that needs their marketing consent; a printed card can invite them to subscribe, but it does not sign them up.
Fit the box to the product
An oversized box costs twice: more fill, and a higher shipping rate if the carrier charges by dimensions. Shopify uses packages to calculate rates:
- Add your real boxes under Settings > Shipping and delivery > Packages with Add package, using the outside dimensions, since carriers price by those.
- Mark the box you use most as the store default; its weight is added to the products’ weight for weight-based and carrier-calculated rates.
- Assign a specific box to a product in its Shipping section (Package when shipped alone). That override applies only to single-item orders.
The details of package settings are in package sizes in Shopify.
The last layer: the delivered email
Shopify sends a Delivered notification when the carrier reports the parcel delivered (not for local delivery, which has its own confirmation). Edit it under Settings > Notifications > Customer notifications so it continues the unboxing: a sentence on how to start using the product, a link to a how-to page, or a reminder of the return window. Keep marketing offers out of transactional notifications.
Three budgets
Our rough estimates per order, for small runs, excluding the shipping box itself:
- Under $0.50. Tissue paper, one branded sticker, a printed card from a home printer or a cheap print run, and the customized packing slip.
- About $1 to $2. Printed tissue, a professionally printed card or small booklet, a sample of a second product, a branded sticker on the outer mailer.
- Premium, $3 and up. Custom-printed mailer box, molded insert, a handwritten note, a gift bag. Worth it when the product price is high or the box is part of the gift.
Start at the lowest level that looks deliberate, ship it to yourself, and add only what you would notice as a customer. On a tight budget, see packaging on a budget. More on boxes, labels and returns in the shipping and returns hub.
FAQ
What should I put in my Shopify packages? Put the product protected by fill, a customized packing slip, and one insert with a single purpose, such as care instructions, a reorder link or a review request. Add anything more only if it fits the product’s price.
Can I customize Shopify packing slips? Shopify packing slips are customized with Liquid code, which controls the layout, styling and data shown. You can add your logo, a thank-you message and your return window.
Is a custom printed box worth it for a small store? A custom box is rarely the first thing to buy. Tissue paper, a sticker and a good insert give most of the effect for a fraction of the cost, and the box can come later.
Can I send an email when the parcel is delivered? Shopify sends a Delivered notification when the carrier reports delivery. You can edit its text, or turn it off, in Settings > Notifications > Customer notifications.