Key Takeaways:
• Enhanced Unboxing Experience: Skate apparel brand Pearl’s use of unique print products, like a wax-sealed envelope and embossed tags, significantly enhances the unboxing experience and brand perception.
• Personalized Touches: The inclusion of detailed postcards and varied stickers adds a collectible and personalized touch that resonates with end-users.
• Memorable Branding: Pearl’s intentional branding efforts create unique, unexpected moments that elevate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
I recently bought a T-shirt from a new-ish apparel company related to the skateboarding world called Pearl.
The T-shirt is good quality. I love a good pocket tee, I love minimal branding and I love the color green. So, it hits all the marks for me.
But what stood out more than the fit and fabric was the way that Pearl boosted the branding experience when I “unboxed” – more like unbagged – the shirt. And that had all to do with print products.
There are countless ways that distributors and printers can incorporate print products into their campaigns, and what Pearl did is a perfect case study in how different print products can not only complement an apparel piece but level up the perception of the garment itself – even if the recipient is already happy with it, like I was.
Exceeding Expectations
I’ve come to expect stickers with purchases like this. Especially in the skateboarding world, stickers are a necessary and much-beloved branding tool. And while it would be very easy for Pearl to just toss some stickers in the packaging envelope, they went the extra mile.
The stickers came in a separate envelope that looked like a wedding invitation. The envelope was even closed with a wax seal featuring the brand logo. I’m already impressed. (Note: The wrinkles are from me, not the brand. I hadn’t decided right away that I was going to write about this, so I had thrown it in my recycling bin.)
Inside that envelope was a dual-sided postcard printed on heavy paper stock. One side was just a fun brand logo, and the other detailed what season and edition the T-shirt was a part of – something streetwear collectors and fashionistas care about deeply. Here’s hoping Pearl becomes the next Supreme.
Then, of course, there were stickers. Three of them – different shapes and sizes, different brand aesthetics and designs.
This was a calculated move by the brand’s founders to stand out in the modern “hands-off” era.
“When our first collection was released, we did these little envelopes with cards in them and they were all wax sealed with a little Pearl logo on the stamp,” Pearl’s Andrew Nedimyer told the skateboarding blog Village Psychic. “We wanted to do stuff like that for every single order to give a reminder what you miss out on with all that drop-ship or fulfillment stuff. It’s allowed us to be a little bit more intentional.”
The Tag
On the shirt itself, the tag, attached by a safety pin, was also made out of thick paper. It featured a white-on-white embossed logo that gave off a very upscale and luxury brand feel, and removing it with the safety pin felt a lot more dignified than simply ripping off a flimsy piece of paper.
Again, it felt like something I should hold onto, even though it was just proof that the item was new.
The Lessons
So, what does this all mean for you, the apparel distributor? It means taking things that were expected and creating unexpected moments. I expected stickers, I expected tags. I didn’t expect an envelope with a wax seal housing them. I didn’t expect a tag to feature an elevated imprint like embossing to add a layer of pizzazz.
Yes, the shirt is a great fit – for those apparel nerds keeping score at home, it’s a heavyweight cotton and slightly boxy fit with sleeves just above the elbow while staying nicely fitted to the arm. But what makes me already excited to order from them again is the care that a small company like Pearl takes to leave a lasting impression.
This is something that’s easily attainable in the promo space. When your customers come to you with an apparel order, consider what other pieces you can incorporate. This doesn’t have to mean a kit. It can mean tags, stickers or accompanying print products to tell the brand story without overstaying its welcome.
