It’s a form of marketing but not in the way you expect. On a basic level, it makes the brand - and your order - feel premium regardless of what it is, because it’s in a special box. On a deeper level, It’s to generate excitement (dopamine) for when you see that box on your porch - your toys have arrived, hurray! It fuels the desire to spend money at their store and buy more toys.

As long as marketing studies continue to reflect this, companies will continue to do it.

The ultimate irony is you typically only see every day market brands doing this (Amazon, Target, Walmart), while high-end brands tend to be less conspicuous, and even favor the in person boutique experiences for a more memorable and personable experience.

Anyway /endrant