How to win customer loyalty with every shipment

When it comes to buying clothes online, I’m sure you’ve had great and poor experiences. If you’re looking for clothing brands that understand how to surprise and delight their customers, then you’ll love this post.

Without a brick and mortar location, online brands must think carefully about the entire customer experience from first click to the moment the box is opened — and beyond. Clothing brands face unique challenges and opportunities. They have an especially difficult task to create a rewarding customer experience as they have to consider clothing fit, returns, and also find unique ways to spread word-of-mouth.

Sticker Mule aggregated a list of ten online clothing companies that include free, unexpected gifts in their packaging to win their customers’ loyalty. Adding a small gift or sticker to a package is often the final step in taking a first time buyer into a fan that promotes the brand online and in real life.

Quick note: We selected these companies based on Twitter and Instagram mentions and in no particular order. We really hope you enjoy this list and maybe decided to implement sending stickers with customers purchases in your company. If you would like to feature your own clothing and apparel company here, please email us at help@stickermule.com and include your information and customers' photos.

1. Lauren James | laurenjames.com | @ShopLaurenJames

Finally got my Lauren James order in the mail and was surprised by 2 free koozies and free stickers! 😍 #LoveLaurenJames

— Megan Armstrong (@Megan_1116) October 5, 2015

In mid 2013, Lauren James was founded by a registered nurse turned fashion designer. Lauren James bases its brand on incorporating modern styles into classics and creating clothes that could be worn on every occasion.

Lauren James customers love that they receive small free gifts with their purchases. Many customers share their orders on social media and take photos of their purchases with the free sticker or gift that was included. The tweet above is one such example where a customer received a sticker and a koozie as a free gift and shared it on Twitter. As customers share their purchases on social media they expose the brand to a whole new set of potential customers as well as increasing the amount of people reordering from Lauren James.

Lance Stokes, COO at Lauren James, says, “Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that. I tell our team daily that 'if you're not winning in convenience, you better be winning in experience'. The real goal, however, is to do both."

Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that."

2. Fraternity Collection | fraternitycollection.com | @fratcollection

Get a free koozie and sticker when you buy from https://t.co/6stVjpewe9 use promo code irisgutierrez16 for 10% off pic.twitter.com/z4Y6oo9qt6

— Iris Gutierrez (@IrisIsabellegut) June 18, 2016

Fraternity Collection formed its roots in Jackson, Mississippi. Fraternity Collection was started by two fraternity brothers who aimed at creating a clothing company catering specifically toward the collegiate Greek community.

Through its stickers, Fraternity Collection has created a very recognizable brand all over the world. Their signature sticker that they send out with every order is a bowtie. Customers collect the different bowtie stickers and attach them everywhere, especially on cars which creates an easy way for drivers on the road to recognize Fraternity Collection. Fraternity Collection also loves to send surprises to customers such as koozies. These small surprises really build the brand’s connection to the customer and help Fraternity Collection reach new potential customers.

3. Cotton Bureau | cottonbureau.com | @cottonbureau

The APT shirt I ordered from @cottonbureau came today, there was a Icecream sticker in there as well sooo… pic.twitter.com/yBN1gz2JhP

— doom.works (@Doomworks) June 29, 2016

I got this 🔥🔥🔥🔥 sticker with my last @cottonbureau order & I’m paralyzed with indecision about where to stick it. pic.twitter.com/cwhP6aX6Oi

— Ed Casey (@edcasey) June 13, 2016

Founded in 2013, Cotton Bureau sells high quality, custom designed t-shirts by different designers from around the world. Cotton Bureau allows anyone to submit a custom t-shirt design, but then the Cotton Bureau team selects only the best designs to be sold online.

Cotton Bureau has a lot of different sticker designs that they send out to their customers. Some stickers are sent out only with certain shirts while other stickers are sent with every purchase to promote the brand.These designs can be found all over social media shared by happy customers. The two most popular designs are the hotdog and ice cream stickers, customers can’t wait to receive these stickers with their order.

4. Roxy | roxy.com | @Roxy

Cutest dad asking me what my sticker on my car is cause his daughter loves it ❤️ @Roxy

— Ang Atwood (@AngAtwood) December 22, 2018

Roxy was born when the brand Quiksilver decided to start a women's line in 1990. Starting a surf brand for women was something that had never been done before. Shortly after Roxy was formed, the brand started paying off. Quiksilver saw what a huge opportunity the women’s surf market was. Today, Roxy has expanded into a sportswear, denim and snowwear brand with many more products.

The tweet above shows just how much customers love stickers and especially stickers from Roxy. Their iconic black and white sticker can be found on surfboards along dozens of beaches across the United States. Customers are driven to attach these stickers mainly due to their love for the company and as a way to build and display their personality.

5. Vineyard Vines | vineyardvines.com | @vineyardvines

In 1998 two brothers, Shep and Ian Murray decided that the wearing suits everyday to work wasn’t for them and instead decided to create a brand that shows off “the good life”, they named this brand Vineyard Vines. Vineyard Vines sells preppy clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Today it has grown into a huge brand with many outlets and retail stores throughout the United States.

With unique, creative designs, Vineyard Vines grew their already popular mascot (a smiling whale) into a cultural icon. The smiling whale that comes in many different designs such as the one pictured above inspired people to start collecting the stickers and even reselling them to collectors. Whenever people see the smiling whale they automatically think of Vineyard Vines and "living the good life.” The smiling whale and the Vineyard Vines stickers also took over Twitter receiving hundreds of tweets about them. Stickers have definitely been very successful for Vineyard Vines and their customers love them.

6. Stark Originals | starkoriginals.com | @starkoriginals

Stark Originals is a very popular and fun clothing company. Stark Originals likes to have fun, play outside, and drink beer. Their designs are very creative and very often contain really cool art featuring beer bottles. The company sells t-shirts, sweatshirts and many different accessories.

Stark Originals knows how to promote on social media well, through their Twitter account they share their sticker designs and promote that they include stickers with every purchase. This proved to be very successful for Stark Originals because customers loved knowing this beforehand and it pushed more people to order from their website.

7. Rivet & Cuff | rivetandcuff.com | @rivetandcuff

A Rivet & Cuff sticker with every purchase! Where would you post yours? https://t.co/fZuU3S8Spp pic.twitter.com/bpGCQIQBKt

— Rivet & Cuff (@rivetandcuff) July 16, 2016

Rivet & Cuff is a company that first had its roots as a project determined to use technology to solve online sizing and fit. Today there are developing technology that brands and online retailers can license so that customers can find the best fit. In addition to their main goal of solving online sizing and fit they never lost their passion for jeans. Today, they have a large selection of men’s jeans from the best brands for sale.

One of their growth tactics is to send stickers with every purchase. As customers receive these stickers they usually share them on social media and paste them around the neighborhood facilitating a guerilla marketing campaign for a relatively low price.

Rivet & Cuff explains that “At Rivet & Cuff, we take enormous pride in our brand and our logo which captures the vibe of our boutique specialty denim business. We've been selling premium men's jeans since 2013, and with every pair from day one we've included our Sticker Mule stickers as a way for our customers to remember us, and share their stories. We've tried shirts and other promotions, but our customers seem to want the stickers. They wear our jeans, but they put our stickers on just about everything else. Our learning is that if you love your brand and your logo, and you have a passionate customer base that share your values, they'll love your brand too - and stickers are the perfect way for them to express it.”

We've tried shirts and other promotions, but our customers seem to want the stickers.

8. CLE Clothing Co. | cleclothingco.com | @cleclothingco

Two friends, a graphic designer and an entrepreneur, founded CLE Clothing Co. in 2008. They were both looking for an awesome new project to work on and decided that a clothing company would be a great adventure. Eventually one night after talking it over at their favorite place and having a couple of beers and burgers, CLE Clothing was founded.

CLE Clothing does a really cool thing with their stickers by sending them out with purchases but also selling the stickers on the website. This a great idea because when the customer get a sticker, they are surprised and are extremely happy that they received a product that usually costs money, for free. CLE Clothing shares their many sticker designs on social media platforms such as twitter to show off their stickers designs and promote purchasing their products.

9. SidemenClothing | sidemenclothing.com | @SidemenClothing

@SidemenClothing have the best delivery time and their little stickers are hella cute, you guys are the bomb 🎀

— Wrenny (@Loser_Anthems) July 15, 2016

Sidemen Clothing is a brand created by a group of very famous gamers on YouTube in association with their YouTube channel. On the website they sell many different products including clothes, phone cases and gaming controllers.

The YouTubers behind Sidemen Clothing made the brand incredibly incredibly popular among teens. They built this amazing following through their YouTube channels where they have millions of followers as well as on social media giving the brand a huge head start through their amazing reach on these platforms. They also use stickers to grow their brand and channels, for example with every purchase they send different stickers of the brand and a certain YouTuber that is partnered with Sidemen Clothing. This proved to be incredibly successful and inspired fans to create unboxings with the stickers and share them heavily on social media.

10. Runyon Canyon | runyon.co | @runyonusa

Every purchase at Runyon Canyon Apparel comes with a FREE Sticker!!! This is our first col… http://t.co/cNhkaPjBdf pic.twitter.com/Xpfu3Ko67q

— Runyon Canyon (@runyonusa) May 8, 2015

Runyon Canyon Apparel is an outdoor company that specializes in outdoor & performance sportswear. Runyon Canyon was started as the outdoor brand of Los Angeles inspired by the Runyon Canyon and its urban wilderness. Runyon Canyon allows all people from different places to blend with the animals, art, fashion and the outdoors.

Runyon Canyon has a great following on social media. On their Twitter account Runyon Canyon shares regularly that they send out free stickers with every purchase. This is also a really cool twist because their followers and customers get to see the design of the sticker before they order. This twist to the usual surprise is also a push for some people to order. This method proved to be very successful for Runyon Canyon because it serves two purposes, helping facilitate orders and reaching the potential customer that will see the sticker and will visit Runyon Canyon’s website in return.

Runyon Canyon loves stickers and says, “Stickers are great way to extend your visibility and plus people think it’s really cool. We’ve seen our stickers on Nalgene bottles, cars, books, iPads, laptops, skateboards, skis, bikes, helmets… you name it. It’s worth spending the investment just by watching the creative ways people utilize them sticker alone. Not only do stickers make a fun free gift… They also make a great way to decorate and personalize packaging and branding.”

Not only do stickers make a fun free gift… They also make a great way to decorate and personalize packaging and branding."

Concluding thoughts

A great customer experience, branding and packaging doesn't have to cost fortune. Resonate and evoke a positive emotion from your customers when they open your package, see stickers and pick up their apparel for the first time.

There are countless ways to delight your customers and win customer loyalty using stickers and other custom printed products. Check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.