A glimpse inside Sticker Mule 

<YouTubeVideo videoId="-mObM5qdtus?rel=0&showinfo=0" />

We created Sticker Mule to be the best place to work and shop. It was an opportunity to test our ideas about what makes an ideal customer and work experience. So far, we have not shared much about our inner workings, but since [we are hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers#current-openings-list) we think it’s good to provide a glimpse at what it’s like here.

In addition to our factories in the US & Italy, we work from 17 countries and rely on metrics to self manage. Our metrics focus allows us have a lot of fun by freeing us to not worry about the small stuff. BBQs, relaxed travel, good food and [Vinny’s wine](https://stickermule.wistia.com/medias/b0fc3ikmii) help make this a great place to work. 

Of course, the best fun tends to be spontaneous and, fortunately, our iPhones captured a few of these moments along the way. Our new video gives you a look at our people, culture and some amusing moments. Check it out and, if you’re interested in joining the fun, [apply to join us](https://www.stickermule.com/careers). 

Our team comes from diverse backgrounds and 17 countries, but we're all united by a shared set of values. 

Introducing Sticker Mule Europe 

![Sticker Mule Europe](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/af8e2a2538fa77071d35559241cab1509667c1d3)

Our European factory is open for business.  Along with it, we have many improvements for our European customers, including: 
 
__Faster turnaround__
It's only 2 days transit time for most European countries. 
 
__Cost-effective shipping__
Shipping includes all brokerage and customs duties.
 
__VAT support__
Eligible businesses automatically have the VAT removed during checkout. 
 
__Local currencies__ 
Order using GBP or Euro depending on your preference. 
 
__Multi-lingual content__
We translated the majority of our content to 5 languages. 
 
__Local customer service__ 
We hired our first European customer service agents and began offering [multi-lingual support](https://www.stickermule.com/support/what-languages-do-you-support). 
 
During checkout, we automatically determine if your order will be manufactured in Europe and offer applicable shipping options. Your order must only include [products that we make in Europe](https://www.stickermule.com/support/what-products-do-you-produce-in-europe) to ship from Europe.

Our European factory is open for business!  Along with it, we have many improvements for our customers in Europe. 

Introducing packaging tape 

Sticker Mule’s [custom packaging tape](https://www.stickermule.com/products/packaging-tape) is made with strong, durable paper that is reinforced with fiberglass strands. Popular, high volume retailers use this type of tape to improve their productivity and quickly and securely ship hundreds or even thousands of packages a day.

We use a water-activated adhesive, which allows our tape to quickly create a strong bond to your package once applied. A single strip creates a strong bond once applied to your box, helping you keep your package secure. It’s the best way to brand your boxes while improving productivity. 

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For just a few pennies a box, our [full color printed gummed packaging tape](https://www.stickermule.com/products/packaging-tape) helps you brand your boxes in a single pass. If you care about presentation and a branded shipping experience, Sticker Mule’s packaging tape is what you should be using.

Our packaging tape is sold in rolls. Each roll is 300 feet long x 3 inches wide  or 91m x 7,14cm.

We include a free sponge with every order to help you get started using your packaging tape. If you only ship a handful of packages per day a sponge is an effective, inexpensive way to apply your tape. 

[![Custom Branded Tape](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/61514a63a751d4314fd0c9d783d7ef7eb214d1c8)](https://www.stickermule.com/products/packaging-tape)

As your shipments grow or if you already ship at a high volume, you may want a faster option. Packaging tape dispensers make the process easy and extremely fast. [We reviewed four different packaging tape dispensers](https://www.stickermule.com/support/what-tape-machine-or-dispenser-do-you-recommend) to help you decide what type is best for you.

As with all of our orders, you’ll receive a proof in 4 hours and our [custom packaging tape](https://www.stickermule.com/products/packaging-tape) ships in 4 days or less and includes free 2-day shipping in the U.S. 

[Learn more about custom tape](https://www.stickermule.com/support/packaging-tape) or order a sample of custom tape today.

<ButtonCta text="Try packaging tape for $4" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/packaging-tape-sample?ref=blog" />

Brand your shipments like top-notch retailers with custom packaging tape by Sticker Mule. Free shipping. Fast turnaround. 

What your customers want from their shopping experience 

Your customers are your business. Without them, even the most fantastic, life-changing product will get no sales.
 
And if you aren’t delivering what people want, you’re basically going out of business… be it quickly or slowly.
 
That’s why smart owners spend a lot of time pondering, testing, and asking what their customers want.
 
So what do *your* customers want? And how are you going to give it to them?
 
There’s a bunch of ways to answer this. One way is to focus on giving them the product they want. 
 
The other part is about their experience of getting (and using) that product. It’s the product discovery, the ordering, the shipping, and all the customer service interactions in between. It’s the second part – the customer experience part - that I’m going to focus on here.

## The customer experience

As many of you know, this “customer experience” aspect of your product is becoming more and more important. To some shoppers, it’s basically part of the product. Their customer experience part will determine whether they ever order again.
 
Recent [research from Marketing Sherpa](https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/purchase-experience-customer-satisfaction) makes this clear:

![1- Marketing Sherpa Customer Experience](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/c219a4971d9d0e83242f16588216a54dd6e30bb7)

So how can you give your customers want they want in terms of customer experience? Well, there’s been some research done on that. We’ve rounded it up for you, and listed it here in order of importance. If you can apply even a few of these ten suggestions, you should see higher conversion rates, larger order sizes, and better customer loyalty.

## 1. Offer free shipping
 
What’s the most powerful word in the English language? Depending on who you ask, it could be “you” or “because”… or “free”. “Free” is especially powerful for ecommerce for obvious reasons. The trouble is where to use it.
 
Ends up, using it with shipping is crazy effective. That’s because almost all of us hate to pay for shipping. In a survey of over 2,000 U.S. consumers, “provide free shipping” came in at the top of the list for ways retailers can improve the customer experience. It beat out the runner-up by 21%.

![2 - Mrketing Sherpa research of shopping experience](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/81459baeee8ce6e9205610187f513fc09f55cc40)

So offering free shipping could get more sales. But… there’s a reason retailers charge for shipping. It’s expensive (duh). You can’t just eat that cost.
 
You could:
 
* Add the average cost of shipping to every item.
* Figure out a minimum order size that you’re willing to cover the shipping for.
 
Most retailers opt for the second choice. That’s probably the best one for you, too. 91% of [online shoppers say they’re willing to spend more just to qualify for a free shipping offer](http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/infographic-what-consumers-want-most-online-shopping-experience-174564).

## 2. Include customer reviews
 
Everyone hates purchase mistakes. You know – when you buy something you end up not liking very much. It’s called “buyer’s remorse” if you’re on the marketing side. If you’re on the customer side, it’s just a bummer.
 
One of the most trusted ways for customers to know they’re ordering something good is for them to read reviews. They may not even read all the reviews – just seeing that an item has over a dozen five-star reviews is usually enough to build trust.
 
The power of reviews has even been quantified. According to [research from Bazaar Voice](http://media2.bazaarvoice.com/documents/Bazaarvoice_Conversation_Index_Volume8.pdf), just one review is enough to increase sales by 10%. And the more, the merrier.

![3- More Reviews Means More Orders](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/a675d9797e1199ec90727846d9db1b90c8af25aa)
 
No wonder sites like Etsy make it so easy to leave a review… and keep asking shoppers to leave a review… and make each seller’s reviews so prominent on product pages.

![4- Etsy Reviews on product page](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/1e03f7ad8d4b5eacac91cc8ee32d21ee77d9873e)

## 3. Give them packaging that’s easy to open
 
It’s not just you. And it’s not because you’re getting old. Some packaging is just difficult to open. It's getting so bad that [77% of consumers reported to have been injured](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrap_rage) by product packaging in their lifetimes. They also said that difficult packaging is the most irritating and annoying thing about ecommerce packaging.

![5- Packaging frustration research](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9e3214573546b5847064f19600a081e64c979db8)

## 4. Make sure your site loads fast
 
People like to get their orders shipped to them fast. They like placing their orders fast, too. In fact, they just generally like fast when it comes to being online.
 
So what’s “fast”? A page that loads in two seconds or less. Any more than that, and you’ll start losing customers and orders. The slower your site gets, the higher the page abandonment rate for your site will go, as this [data from Kissmetrics](https://neilpatel.com/blog/loading-time/) shows:
 
![6 - Page Load Time Chart from Kissmetrics](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/3ca42d62dd1dbca80759e2c3d74f0006d40af5d8)

Site speed can have huge effects on your earnings. [Just 4 seconds of pageload time](https://www.portent.com/blog/analytics/research-site-speed-hurting-everyones-revenue.htm#:~:text=The%20first%205%20seconds%20of,(between%20seconds%200%2D5)) can impact your revenue by 3X. That means if your pageload time is over 4 seconds, you could be losing out on a lot of revenue!
 
All you folks on ecommerce platform sites like Etsy and eBay and Amazon don’t have to worry about this, of course. It’s one of the best benefits of sticking with a platform.
 
## 5. Don’t hide your shipping costs or any other unexpected fees

Trust is a really big deal online. It can make or break an order. Adding a surprise shipping fee (even if it’s a legitimate shipping fee) damages any trust you might have built up. It raises a red flag with your buyer.

![7 - Chart of cart abandonment reasons](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/cf1b0f98524b8564e63471e0fa894a5d5ba13d08)

Here’s an example of an unexpected shipping fee. It’s a $9 extra charge for insurance, and it was enough to make me decide to buy from a different site.

![8 - Image of Surprise Fees at checkout](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/3913f0bc22eeb7854fb57a375da960eb988591ce)

## 6. Don’t force them to register when they check out
 
Let’s be honest: Online ordering can be a bit of a pain. There’s all these options (shipping, fast shipping, gift wrap, gift message?). And then all those form fields (Name, address, zip code, email… email again).
 
You finally get through the whole exercise… and then the retailer wants you to register, too?
 
Grrr!
 
I know I’m not alone on this. And here’s proof: The second [most common reason people bail on their shopping carts is because they’ve been forced to register](http://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate).

![9 - Chart of cart abandonment reasons](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/55c3215a00c59237fd2471aa9766a210b886e9d6)

So be nice. Don’t make people register. Let them check out as a guest.
 
## 7. Give them custom packaging
 
We’ve written about how much packaging influences a [customer’s experience](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/how-to-make-memorable-shipping-experience "shipping experience for customer packages"). But it can increase their loyalty to your online shop, too.
 
30% of the consumers in a recent survey said they are more likely to order again if their package came in a custom-printed box. Big spenders are particularly influenced by this: The more someone spends on online shopping per month, the more likely they are to be influenced by the box.

![10 - Custom Packaging Increases Loyalty](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ad00e2a4deb47fcd4e39a40ad0feb76e540a819b)

## 8. Let them get their orders shipped fast
 
Want proof of how impatient we’ve all become? Here: [90%](http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/infographic-what-consumers-want-most-online-shopping-experience-174564) of consumers will choose a delivery option that ensures their order arrives within seven days. Even if they have to pay for the upgrade.
 
Amazon’s Prime shipping has spoiled most of us. (Sticker Mule offers free 2-day shipping on orders in the U.S.)

## 9. Put their needs ahead of your own business goals
 
We mentioned trust earlier, and how it can make or break a sale (and over time, your business). This is another perspective on that. It highlights how critical it is to do more than just say you care about your customers. You have to demonstrate it.

![11 - Marketing Sherpa: Put Customers Needs First](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/f56016a6418aa42b6e02705ffc2c47b132b717ce)

There’s no one tactic that will cover you on this one. You’ll need to prove it at every step through the purchasing process and beyond.
 
## 10. Help them make the best decision (for them, not you)
 
This is similar to the last point, but it shows how customers expect help with their buying decisions. And not just any help. Useful help. Unbiased help. Help that puts their needs first.

![12 - Marketing Sherpa: Help Customer Make Decisions](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/026df2f4ab8614893aca789a579dc062d46beaf7)

If you’ve heard of content marketing (attracting an audience through useful content), you may have heard that for it to work, the content has to avoid selling. If the publisher (aka, the company) is too focused on their products, or too salesy in their approach, their content marketing fails. These last two points back that belief up well.

Same thing applies to shopping ads on Google. [KlientBoost](http://klientboost.com/) has come up with something called [The Gold Pan Technique](https://klientboost.com/ppc/gold-pan-technique/) that helps you narrow in on the products your potential customers are actually searching for.
 
So how can you help people make a decision? All the usual things. Lots of pictures, videos even. Good product descriptions with technical details. Reviews and other types of user generated content. And good customer support. But it all has to be in support of the customer – not your own sales goals.

## Conclusion
 
There’s a new buzzword in marketing that sums up everything we’ve been talking about: customer-first marketing. It is exactly what it sounds like – putting the customer’s needs above your own, at every stage of the customer lifecycle. In every decision you make.
 
Many of the most successful companies in the world have already embraced this idea. If you aren’t able (or willing) to make any of the changes mentioned here, consider just that one question: What more could you be doing to put the customer first?

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

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

We have to deliver what customers want. It’s the whole point of being in business. That's why figuring out what your customers want is so critical. 

Introducing die cut roll labels

We are pleased to announce [custom die cut labels](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-roll-labels) at Sticker Mule. 

Die cut roll labels can be cut into any shape or size. [Die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) have long been our most popular product so we’re excited to offer this option to customers who want their die cut designs on a roll.

When we first [introduced circle roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/introducing-circle-roll-labels) a year ago, we said our roll label quality exceeds anything on the market. That still holds true and we continue to use the latest generation of print technology that's currently unique to Sticker Mule. We only use the highest quality materials for our roll labels to make them durable and waterproof.

[![Die cut labels on bottles](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/3b32a1ddbeee8a3a9fbf6d0b1235778375162c34)](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-roll-labels)

In addition to custom shapes, in January [we announced custom sizes](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/introducing-custom-size-roll-labels). Customers can enter an exact size allowing them to order the precise dimensions needed to label their products, packaging and more. 

With [die cut labels](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-roll-labels), we now offer a total of 6 roll label types. Our labels are printed in full color with a matte finish on [BOPP material](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/what-is-bopp). Each label has a laminate that protects it from moisture making them ideal for beverage and food applications.

[![Custom shaped labels](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/159ab087cb30648c875c3a27a02c9eccba901469)](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-roll-labels)

As with all Sticker Mule custom products, we offer unlimited changes to proofs, fast production and free shipping in 4 days or less for die cut roll labels. 

<ButtonCta text="Try die cut labels" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-roll-labels?ref=blog" />

You can now order custom die cut roll labels from Sticker Mule in any shape or size. Fast turnaround. Free shipping. 

10 ways to save on shipping costs 

Did you notice what happened in January? USPS and FedEx raised their costs. So did CanadaPost. 

These weren’t massive price hikes – only about 3-5%. But it may have been enough to cause you to furrow your brow when you tallied up the month’s expenses.

Shipping costs are unavoidable, of course. But there’s every reason to keep them down. So here are 10 ways to save on shipping costs for your online shop, Shopify store, or your brick-and-mortar business.

Apply even a couple of these, and you’ll more than make up for the price increase from January. You might even trim your costs by 20% or more.

## 1. Join a professional organization that offers shipping discounts
There’s safety – and power – in numbers. It’s true in life, and ends up being true in shipping, too.

There are a bunch of professional associations that offer shipping discounts to their members. Here are just a few:

* [The Specialty Food Association](https://www.specialtyfood.com/specialty-food-association/membership/member-services-benefits/shipping-supplies-savings-programs/) gives its members
 * Up to 29%† on select FedEx Express®
 * Up to 20% on select FedEx Ground®
 * Up to 10% on select FedEx Home Delivery®

It costs $300 and up to join.

* [The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors](https://www.naw.org/busservices/shipping.php) offers
 * Up to 36% on UPS Air letters including UPS Next Day Air®†
 * Up to 32% on UPS Air packages (1 lb.+)†
 * Up to 34% on UPS International imports and exports
 * Up to 24% on UPS Ground shipments

† Many local Chambers of Commerce also offering shipping discounts.

## 2. Get a good scale
If you’ve been guessing about the weights of your packages, please stop. And if you’ve been trying to make do with a bathroom scale for the larger packages, it’s time to upgrade. You need to get a precise weight for every package, or you could be overspending.

Which scale you get should depend on what you’re shipping. If your orders tend to be really light (like less than 4 lbs) a regular light-duty postal scale might be fine. But most scales like that will become useless for packages over 4 lbs.

Look at it this way: A good-quality scale for packages of 4 lbs or less will cost you maybe $30. If it saves you even 50 cents a day, it’ll have paid for itself in two months.

## 3. Save time, too – get your packages picked up
Unless you’re a post office nerd, you probably don’t relish running to the post office every day to drop your packages off. So don’t: The US Postal service will pick up First-Class, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, International, or Return Service packages for you. It can kind of be a lifesaver.

[Schedule your USPS package pickups here](https://tools.usps.com/schedule-pickup-steps.htm).

If the pickup area is secure, you don’t even have to be there when the packages get picked up. Just tell USPS where to find the packages when you fill out that form.

Voilà: One less thing to do.

## 4. Print your labels online
Have you been buying your shipping labels at the post office counter, or at one of those self-self kiosks? If so, you’re overspending. It’s cheaper to buy those online, and then just print the labels at home. You’ll save up to 22% on First-Class packages and up to 54% on Priority Mail Express.

## 5. Consider the weight of your shipping materials
Know why so many companies use peanuts to fill boxes? Because they’re really light. Same goes for those air pillows you’ve probably seen in some packages.

But what if you can’t afford those air pillows, or you don’t have a spare closet empty to store shipping peanuts in?

Just scrunch it. Some paper, I mean. Scrunch up newspaper, or any light paper. It’ll fill the packages nicely, is super light, and doesn’t cost so much. It’s a great way to keep kids busy, too (though you may need some fun paper to keep them interested).

Almost any paper will do. Ideally, you want it to be just strong enough to hold its shape, but light enough not to nudge your scale.

Word to the wise: Don’t try to shave grams off your shipping weight by using flimsy shipping boxes. Exterior boxes need to be sturdy enough to make it through an occasionally rough journey through the post office.

One way to conserve costs? The [poly mailer](https://www.stickermule.com/products/poly-mailers). If you’re shipping items that aren’t likely to be damaged by a bump (like clothes), a simple poly mailer could shave a couple of ounces off each package. And you could dress it up (ahem) with some custom printing.

![Yukon Built Custom Poly Mailers for Online Shops](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/cf319a3005f8345277811eb9eb3ba3e06bf8067f)

## 6. Use boxes that fit the item
It may mean you have to buy a couple of different box sizes, but you’ll probably save money in the end anyway. And you won’t be one of those [companies that ships a tiny item in a huge box](https://twitter.com/USAbox/status/575329675754532864).

![Huge box with a tiny item](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/dfb97617391245c1b88be5fc471b2540073cd224)

## 7. Consider skipping shipping insurance
Any package shipped via priority mail is automatically insured for $50. So if your orders aren’t usually worth more than $50, you probably don’t need insurance at all.

For the packages that are worth more than $50, you may want to do some math. (No really – this is math you’ll want to do).

Let’s say your package is worth $100. If it gets lost, you’re out $50. The cost of insuring it for that extra $50 is $2.65.

Not bad, but if you bought insurance for 100 of these orders, it would cost you $265. If you skipped the insurance, you could lose up to five $100 orders and still break even. That’s because you’d be covered for the first $50 of those five $100 orders. And the remaining $50 for the five orders comes to $250.

But are you really going to lose five out of every 100 packages? One out of every 20 packages? Probably not. So maybe you could skip the insurance for $100 packages.

The math would change (of course) for more expensive packages. So maybe you’ll only want to insure packages that are worth $150 or more. It depends how much risk you want to take, how often packages go missing, and how valuable each package is.

## 8. Use a rewards card
We’re not sure if this is cheating, or just a creative way to cut your shipping costs. But there are plenty of “rewards card” credit cards that give cash back with every purchase.

Usually it’s only 1%. But some cards give much more (up to 6%) in certain categories. If you pick the right card and if you’ve got the credit rating to qualify for the card, you could finagle a way to get 6% back on your shipping costs.

Just don’t carry a balance, or the interest rates will rapidly eat up anything you’ve saved.

## 9. Use Stamps.com, Endicia or Etsy’s shipping option.
Some shipping services and sales platforms give generous discounts if you use their shipping features.

For instance, [Stamps.com](http://www.stamps.com/shipping/) gives its users:

* 26% off first-class package service
* Up to 53% off priority mail
* 10% off priority mail express.

Their site also says you can save up to 40% on package insurance “compared to USPS rates”.

Other sellers have gone with [Endicia](http://www.endicia.com/), which is more sophisticated than Stamps.com (and better designed to support larger operations). They also offer serious discounts.

And then there’s Etsy. According to some sources, Etsy’s “create a shipping label” will let you save almost half the cost of what the USPS would charge.

## 10. Shop and negotiate for prices
There’s a thread running through all the tricks we’ve mentioned here: It pays to shop around.

So here’s how to act on that: Open accounts with all the big shippers. Then plug in some numbers and check their prices for the package types and sizes you’re most likely to ship. Usually there are significant differences in price points across the different carriers.

The best choice depends on your business and your packages. And maybe, based on which other deals you can get through the tactics mentioned above. Who knows - maybe all your packages below 2 lbs should go by USPS, while most of the ones over 2 lbs should go UPS… and the international orders should go via FedEx.

Until you do some homework, you’ll never know.

## Extra credit 
Want to really surprise and delight your customers? See if you can ship their package for less than your checkout cart quoted, then refund them the balance. So if they paid $10 to ship their order, but you can get it to them for $7, refund the $3.

Then send an email notifying them of the refund.

Something like this will cost you a bit to set up. And it’ll take some time and skill to manage. But who would ever forget getting a refund for something like that?

Maybe this isn’t something you can do for every order. Maybe only your very best customers will get this kind of treatment, or you’ll only be able to do it for orders over a certain size. But this kind of white-glove treatment will not go unnoticed. It’s this kind of above-and-beyond care that makes customers stick around.

## Conclusion 
As you can see, there’s plenty of ways to cut shipping costs. But don’t get totally focused on the money. Service – for your customers and for you – matters, too. 

At Sticker Mule, we help you wow your customers with custom printed products. Why not try our [poly mailers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/poly-mailers) or [address labels](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/address-labels) today? Get $10 off your first order when you sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />


Shipping costs are unavoidable, but that’s every reason to keep them low. Here are 10 ways save on shipping costs for your business. 

Introducing quick order 

We are excited to introduce [quick order](https://www.stickermule.com/quick-order). It’s common for customers to order dozens of items at the same time, but building the cart for large, multiple item orders was cumbersome. Not anymore. 

## Order dozens of items in seconds

[Quick order](https://www.stickermule.com/quick-order) lets you order dozens of items in seconds. Simply pick the items you want, identify the number of unique designs per item, attach your artwork and breeze through checkout. 

## Quickly generate quotes

Quick order is great if you need to quickly research pricing for a large order too. We’ll automatically calculate your [multiple item discount](https://www.stickermule.com/support/can-i-get-a-discount-for-ordering-multiple-designs) as you build your order too.

We hope you’ll love it as much as we do! 

<WistiaVideo videoId="bo1hpv7k33" />

<ButtonCta text="Try quick order" href="https://www.stickermule.com/quick-order?ref=blog" />

Quick order let’s you order dozens of items in seconds. This is the next step in our relentless drive to make ordering fast and easy. 

DIY front adhesive stickers

Are you familiar with [front adhesive stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/front-adhesive-stickers)? Front adhesive stickers are just like our [clear stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/clear-stickers) except the sticky side is on the front of the design, not the back. They are made to apply the design-side to the inside of a window. 

![Custom front adhesive stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/bba2b92679baaf8980894781314b0528e9092da5)

Let’s learn more about custom front adhesive window stickers and how you can make your own without breaking a sweat!

## What are front adhesive stickers? 

Front adhesive stickers are printed on [clear material](https://www.stickermule.com/products/clear-stickers) and have an adhesive on the front, printed side of the sticker. These stickers are particularly helpful for certain uses including business storefronts that want to display their memberships, information or causes they support. 

They are also called the “[Inside Window Stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/window-stickers)” since they are stuck on the inside of windows.

When we launched these stickers, we originally called them window stickers. We changed the name because "front adhesive sticker" is more intuitive and because other sticker types are also considered [window stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/window-stickers).

## Where can you use front adhesive stickers?

There are many uses of front adhesive stickers for both businesses and personal uses.

__Businesses:__

- Storefront displays that you occasionally have to change (since it’s so easy to stick on and peel off!) 
- Announcement for your business or social cause 
- Display professional memberships 
- Show off awards and reviews 

__Personal: __

- Hassle-free window decors during special occasions such as Halloween or Christmas 
- Showing support for your favorite team or organization by sticking their logo or banners on the inside of your car window
- Simply making your personality shine through custom front adhesive window stickers 

## Back adhesive vs. front adhesive stickers 

So, when is it ideal to use back or front-facing adhesive stickers for windows? Not all stickers are made alike and that is exactly why you should know which one to use.

### Use back adhesive stickers when…

- Your sticker is located in a safe area where it’s not at risk being peeled off by passersby 
- You don’t have a store window but you still want to jazz up your exterior with customized decals 
- The opacity of your store window is high that customers wouldn’t be able to see your stickers and designs when it’s stuck on the inside

### Use front adhesive stickers when…

- You have big windows or glass doors that catch the attention of passersby 
- You have very clear windows and they are not prone to dirt or any kind of obstruction to your decals 
- You need a cost-effective way to improve your front store marketing 

## Pros and cons of front adhesive stickers

That said, front adhesive stickers aren’t perfect. Here are a few considerations: 

| Pros       | Cons       |
| ---------- | ---------- |
| - Tamper-proof       | - They cannot be seen clearly on tinted or opaque glasses       |
| - Protected from weather and dirt from outside your window       | - If the glass is obstructed by an external object, the sticker cannot be seen       |
| - Easy to stick on and remove, perfect for display windows that need to change every so often       | - Stickers can still be subjected to wear and tear. They are less permanent compared to other decors, such as paint       |
| - More economical compared to other means of decorating your storefront       |        |

## How to make front adhesive stickers 

Making front adhesive stickers is easier than you thought! Here at Sticker Mule, it’s as easy as 1-2-3!

1. [Upload your sticker](https://www.stickermule.com/products/front-adhesive-stickers) design on our page.
2. Select the desired size, quantity, then request a proof.
3. Request additional changes (if needed) and we’ll ship your stickers within four business days!

We hope you try our new [front adhesive stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/front-adhesive-stickers) and let us know what you think.

<ButtonCta text="Check out front adhesive stickers" size="large" variant="secondary"  align="center" href="https://www.stickermule.com/products/front-adhesive-stickers?ref=blog" />

Front adhesive stickers are printed on the sticky side of the sticker. This makes them a perfect option for the inside of any window. 

DIY Front Adhesive Stickers 

How Grado Labs built their word-of-mouth marketing machine 

When I first heard of Grado Labs, my immediate thought was: here’s *another audio company*. Probably not much different than the rest.

Boy was I wrong. Grado Labs is totally different.

Before Beats came along, Grado Labs was unleashing sweet, melodious tunes into their customers' ears with award-winning headphones.

In fact, Grado Labs has now been around for 64 years.

And while Grado’s competitors spend millions on marketing — with a flashy internet ad here and  another commercial there — Grado has built their brand without any advertising since 1953. They rely completely on word-of-mouth.

Some of Grado’s successes:

* Massive companies, like Microsoft, beg Grado to commission special limited pairs of Grado headphones
* Musicians, like John Mayer, swear by Grado headphones in the studio when recording and mixing an album
* Celebrities, like Elijah Wood, retweet Grado tweets *just because they love the brand so much*

![Grado Labs 1995 Tweet - Retweeted by Elijah Wood](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/1ae9d906e15c17b83e64ec2a6efa9c154bc5795e)

For Grado, this is business as usual.

Random retweets from Elijah Wood? Regular occurrence.

("I just wish Elijah would retweet some of my better tweets," VP of Marketing Jonathan Grado laughs.)

For audiophiles everywhere, Grado Labs stands above the rest. What makes this brand special? Why are they so successful?

I went on a mission to find out. Here’s what I discovered.

<YouTubeVideo videoId="BfQQrReQmkw" />

## Grado Labs timeline

__1950__ — Joseph Grado, a watchmaker at Tiffany & Company, had an idea to start producing audio equipment. 

“Joe was making phono cartridges out of his house,” grandson and current VP of Marketing Jonathan Grado explains. “These phono cartridges hold the needle for a record player to play a record”

![John Grado and Jonathan Grado in the Listening Room](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/ccbe17487f2ccfacbeaab8d637c102e4efad5a52)

__1953__ — As phono cartridge production outgrew the family’s kitchen table, Joseph took over the small building of his family’s struggling fruit business and officially created Grado Laboratories.

__1961__ — Fueled by the unexpected success of phono cartridges, Grado Labs started growing rapidly. They released new products for record players, including the Dustat Record Cleaner, speakers, turntables, and more.

![Grado Cartridge Gold](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/32596f5fc93abd1a8c6679f38113c882f8ccde10)

__1965__ — John Grado, Joseph’s nephew, starts sweeping floors at Grado Labs at age 12. In between cleaning duties, John learns about sound and electrical engineering from Joseph. 

“I’ve been working at Grado for 52 years now. But it doesn’t seem that long. Feels like I’m just getting started,” John told me.

__1974__ — John graduates from college (and sweeping duties) and joins Grado full-time.

__1984__ — Phono cartridge development is at its peak. Grado is making 120,000 cartridges per year. All cartridges are hand-made at a small Grado Labs building in Brooklyn, where the family also lives on the top floor.

__1990__ — Tides quickly turn. Turntable sales slow down, and so does Grado Labs and their phono cartridge business. Joseph retires, and John buys the company, becoming President and CEO. 

Jonathan: "Grado went from 10,000 cartridges per week in the mid-1980s to 10,000 cartridges per year in the early 1990s."

__1991__ — John needs an idea to keep Grado Labs from closing down. He decides to enter the headphone market. "I noticed headphones were considered second-class citizens. Most people focus on speakers, so I thought we could have the best impact on headphones."

__1993__ — The SR325, Grado’s first pair of headphones, is released.

__1994__ — A second pair of headphones, the SR60, gets a glowing review from a popular magazine and goes “viral”

__1997__ — The popularity snowballs. *Forbes* magazine profiles John and calls him “one of the finest names in stereo headphones”

__2003__ — Grado Labs celebrates their 50th anniversary

__2013__ — Jonathan, John’s son, joins Grado Labs full-time after graduating college. With a $0 marketing budget, Jonathan has to rely on word-of-mouth to grow the brand. He uses stickers and social media to push Grado products, and Mashable names Grado Labs a top 8 most social small company in America. The praise continues as Wired says Grado builds the "best headphones in the world."

__2016__ — Grado sees record revenue. And they’re just getting started.


## From the brink of extinction to massive success

“I was having the most fun when we were struggling the most,” jokes John Grado about the early days of Grado Labs.

In 1965, vinyl records were growing in popularity and Grado Labs phono cartridges were a popular choice for enthusiasts.

Over the next ten years, Grado would make almost 500,000 phono cartridges each year.

Every cartridge was build by hand in their small Brooklyn building, manually tested part-by-part, and carefully packaged and sent to stores.

But then, it all came to a screeching halt.

![Grado Labs Building](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/c14635b028c2a2643dff4537a808ca5a7950be6f)

*The unassuming Grado Labs building, as it stands today. It’s still used by Grado Labs 60+ years later.*

In 1988, phono cartridge production had slowed to a crawl as consumers moved to portable audio devices.

Overnight, Grado Labs went from “growing business” to “uncertain future.”

Deciding to retire, Joseph sold the business to his nephew John as big questions loomed on the horizon. Will phono cartridge sales ever pick up again? Is the business doomed? Where do we go from here?

“Business is like being a captain on a ship,” John explains. “There are ‘up’ times, where the weather is nice and anyone can steer the ship. But there are also ‘down’ times when you’re in the middle of a storm. It’s during the storm the talented people survive.”

Down to three employees and a lot of uncertainty, John made a critical decision for the future of Grado Labs.

Pivot the business.

"At first, I considered getting into the speaker business. I tinkered, looked around at what others were doing, and ultimately decided against it. There was so much competition and I thought there was a bigger opportunity with headphones."

![Grado Headphones SR225e with stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/3869dc751bd98c805455833a22ca8ed324cc8f1f)

Taking lessons he picked up working under Uncle Joseph, John started experimenting.

Failure after failure, and iteration after iteration, John tested until he built the perfect pair of headphones. 

"Even today, people tell us everything we put out is a hit and it’s perfect. But what they don’t see is a big pile of stuff on the chair we didn’t put out because it didn’t match our standards."

In 1994, two years after starting headphone tests, John and Grado Labs released their second pair of headphones called the SR60.

They were a massive hit. An [unexpected review in Stereophile magazine](http://www.stereophile.com/headphones/532/#HmF46HjTERkOesAt.97) put the headphones on the map in the audio community. The headphones started selling like crazy.

In 1994, just a few years removed from near-extinction, Grado Labs saw revenue of seven figures.

Within a few years, audiophiles everywhere were raving about Grado Labs headphones. The business was growing again.

## Building word-of-mouth marketing to the next level

"Every ad says it's the world’s greatest product. Everything can’t be the world’s greatest. Wherever I look, I see ads I don’t believe. Why would anyone believe ads for Grado headphones?"

When John re-focused Grado Labs in 1990, he refused to pay for advertising — just like Joseph, going back to 1964.

Instead of spending money on ads, John decided to reinvest the money back into the business to create more incredible headphones.

Relying solely on good reviews and word-of-mouth from loyal supporters, Grado Labs grew their reputation.

Generation to generation, the headphones were passed down.

Grandparents handed down SR60s to their children — who then handed it down to their children.

Kids gathered around the living room to listen to a record player using a Grado phono cartridge made 40 years earlier.

And entire families would bond over the near-perfect sound Grado products produce.

Grado’s reputation didn’t stop with just families, though. Celebrities, musicians, and audiophiles obsess over their Grado headphones.

(Plus, unlike traditional headphone brands, which pay money for celebrity endorsements, Grado has never spent a dime asking people to wear their headphones.)

For example, Jimmy Fallon wears Grado headphones live on his award-winning show.

![Jimmy Fallon wearing Grado Headphones on the Tonight Show](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d3aa1df2b2515254d2e39d19d3697039ca91249d)

Music producer Rodney Hazard — who’s produced for Joe Budden, A$AP, and Meyhem Lauren — uses Grado SR80s to help him create the best possible music for his artists.

![Rodney Hazard wearing Grado Headphones](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/179359e4e94f00c546d7a321bd50af4e7801ecef)

*Rodney Hazard rocking a Heritage pair of Grados.*

And Grammy Award winner John Mayer bought a pair of PS500e Grados to make sure his music sounds the best it can (and to enjoy the music of other artists).

![John Mayer wearing Grado Headphones](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/1131f7563be83941296d317e127001eb00844308)

*John Mayer, listening to music on a pair of Grados.*

Families, musicians, celebrities… for music lovers everywhere, Grado is synonymous with “premium.”

Recently, Grado Labs had another trick up their sleeve to grow the brand: social media marketing.

While in college, Jonathan Grado wanted to help his dad with the family business. “I had the idea to start marketing our brand to more people and hopefully help us grow.”

But Jonathan was in for a big surprise.

“My dad said I could help with marketing, but he couldn’t give me a budget. I had $0 to work with.”

Forced to be creative, Jonathan turned to Facebook and Twitter, “I wanted to create a place for Grado Lab fans and audiophiles to congregate.”

Almost every day, Jonathan would tweet and post on Facebook. His most successful posts were photos of Grado’s beautiful, hand-made headphones. 

> Photos pull people in, and the sound of our headphones keeps them here."

Since Jonathan started using social media to showcase the headphones, Grado’s popularity has skyrocketed.

In 2014, the leading social media news company Mashable named Grado Labs one of the top social media small businesses in the United States.

And over the past three years, revenue has more than doubled.

Now, with a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter page, photos are just as important. “Photographs of our headphones drive a ton of great comments and draw a lot of potential buyers to our brand.”

## What will Grado Labs do in the future?

“The major focus here is behind-the-scenes. We’ve never paid for an endorsement. We’d rather random people like our stuff than become a name-brand enterprise.”

As Jonathan shares the vision of Grado Labs, it’s clear the team is careful not to grow too quickly and lose their quality.

Even with healthy revenue, there’s no talk of building an ad budget. No talk of buying celebrity endorsements. And definitely no talk of mass-producing the headphones in China to lower cost.

“We don’t need to be the world’s largest company or conglomerate to be successful,” CEO John is quick to remind the small team at Grado.

With steady, focused growth there are two other marketing strategies Grado Labs is using with success:

* Beautiful, high-quality stickers to match the brand (and grow viral marketing)
* Monthly email newsletter — including a birthday surprise for subscribers

Jonathan has always been a big fan of cool stickers. Going forward, he plans to further incorporate stickers into the Grado Labs brand. 

“I keep some stickers with me at all times and some on my desk. They’re great to share with friends or include in orders.”

![Grado Headphones Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5cc883d11882a94a7205a9406c54a73836287993)

Over the years, Jonathan has used [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers), [rectangle stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/rectangle-stickers) and [transfer stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers) from Sticker Mule. "No matter where our customers put the stickers, Sticker Mule quality speaks for itself. The stickers always last and look great."

Going forward, look for even more stickers from Grado Labs.

On the email side, Jonathan has been building the Grado Labs newsletter.

Over the years, Jonathan heard from thousands of dedicated followers who wrote to Grado Labs begging for updates.

Add in people who entered Grado contests and purchased headphones, and there were about 15,000 email addresses Jonathan had saved. 

To appease their raving fans, Jonathan built a newsletter. Every month, he sends out new stories, films, photos, and more for the Grado Labs faithful.

The results have been positive. "Email works pretty well for us. It’s a good sign for the future."

## What can you learn from Grado Labs?

After talking with John and Jonathan at Grado Labs, three key principles come to mind:

1. Quality
2. Creativity
3. Contentment

These key focuses bled through everything they shared:

“Give people the best product you can and eventually you’ll be successful.”

“We had a recent 5-year gap between new headphone products. We only release when it’s needed.”

“All the work and experience of 64 years leads to creating high-quality headphones today.”

The craftsmanship, care, and focus is what makes Grado Labs different. Instead of nickel-and-diming, or focusing on revenue and satisfying shareholders (like so many other companies), Grado focuses on releasing amazing products and let everything else take care of itself.

Today, 64 years later, you can still find Grado Labs in the same unassuming Brooklyn building. While they continue to grow, they’re doing it on their own terms. 

There’s no sign on the door, and if you’ll have to knock loudly because John, Jonathan, and the rest of the team are hard at work building perfect headphones.

If you want to say hello to John and Jonathan (and the rest of Grado Labs), [click here](http://gradolabs.com/).

![Grado Labs Stickers and RS2e Headphones](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/db04cf67206f7eaeeee939e12da211fcf3ff58f4)

There are countless ways to delight your customers and build *your* word-of-mouth marketing machine using stickers and other custom printed products. 

Check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

Learn how Grado Labs has built a successful business that has stood the test of time through word-of-mouth marketing. 

The making of our new homepage video 

Our [home page](https://www.stickermule.com/) is the first interaction most visitors and customers have with our brand. Our previous home page video showed the ordering process, but lacked a story that focused on our customers. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we created our new homepage video.

<WistiaVideo videoId="qwwgsbtbav" />

## Script
Instead of making a basic “how-to” video, we wanted to make something that was more inspirational and persuasive. To do this, we knew we had to tell a story – one that revolved around our customers. One blessing & curse with our business is that we have all sorts of different customers: big businesses, small businesses, non-profits, hobbyists, do-it-yourselfers, developers, designers... the list goes on. There isn’t just one “target customer” we go after, so we decided to focus our story on three: a startup, a do-it-yourselfer, and a designer.

With our personas selected, we focused on a few key features of Sticker Mule that we wanted to highlight in the script:

### Ease of use
- No file restrictions
- Mobile friendly

### Proofing
- Online proofs within 4 hours
- Unlimited revisions

### Speed
- Quick turnaround
- Free shipping

It was important to highlight the minor differences in how each person used Sticker Mule. For example, if we only showed someone uploading a photo from their phone that might turn away the designer who wants a pixel perfect print. But if we only showed the designer uploading a vector image that might turn away someone who doesn’t have graphic design skills.

After showing the entire ordering process, we focused on how each person used their stickers in real life. Easy ordering and fast shipping are great, but how they plan to use the stickers is the main reason people buy in the first place.

## Storyboard

A storyboard is a scene by scene drawing of how the video will look. We created a storyboard to plan the shoot and fix any potential pitfalls before we shot anything. We kept things simple by limiting the video to 4 different locations: Aaron’s office, Jess’ workspace, Brian’s desk, and a location that would tie in all three of them.

![Storyboard vs finished video](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/2f46e23cb97fb91c553a40b3324fcb9f1df24f76)

## Voiceover
We used the same voiceover pro to remain consistent with our other videos. One big advantage of using a voiceover (as opposed to on-camera dialogue), is that we didn’t have to worry about sound once we began filming. This made shooting and editing much easier and faster.

## Shooting
We shot the entire video in one day. This required a tight schedule for each location and set call-times for the actors. Luckily, each location was relatively close together, and everyone showed up on-time.

We kept the storyboard on hand as a reference to make sure each shot fit what we had envisioned.

<WistiaVideo videoId="rpcmc9d01e" />

For the final scene, we knew the timing was key. So we played the voiceover through an iPhone, which kept our camera movement and actors all in sync.

## Editing
We used a combination of Premiere Pro and After Effects for all the post production work on this video.

Since the ordering process is a key part of this video, we knew that whatever took place on the screens in the video had to look really good. But shooting a screen isn’t always easy and doesn’t always look as sharp as you would want it to. For this reason, we decided to overlay screencasts on top of the screens shot in the video. For the MacBook and iMac this was relatively easy, but the iPhone took some motion tracking and masking work to have it look realistic.

![Editing Sticker Mule's home page video](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/3e55e77faff205857f231219d199327935598642)

Instead of using straight-up screen capture footage, we recreated each scene and animated it in After Effects. This made all the movement perfectly smooth, and helped us with the next step: translating.

## Translating
Since the whole video was narrated via a voiceover this made translating very straightforward. However the on-screen scenes needed to be updated to have the localized versions of the site in each language. To make this easy, we used the Templater Rig After Effects plugin from Dataclay.

![Homepage video text](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/2f826187fe6b95ad4856ba701df6d7719033742c)

The Templater plugin allowed us to update each layer of text via a Google Sheet. We only had to animate the screencasts once, and we could easily change languages with a click of a button.

If you’re interested in seeing our homepage video in different languages here are the links. Just make sure you switch back to English (bottom right) when you’re done!

[Italian](https://www.stickermule.com/it#video)

[French](https://www.stickermule.com/fr#video)

[Spanish](https://www.stickermule.com/es#video)

[German](https://www.stickermule.com/de#video)

[Dutch](https://www.stickermule.com/nl#video)

[Portuguese](https://www.stickermule.com/br#video)

[Japanese](https://www.stickermule.com/jp#video)

## Conclusion
We’re thankful to have 100,000 customers that trust us to print their custom stickers, magnets, and poly mailers. It’s impossible to capture everyone’s unique story, yet we aimed to capture a representation of many stories in one minute and fifteen seconds.

And if you liked this video, you should [subscribe to our channel on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/stickermule?sub_confirmation=1).

A behind the scenes look at how we made the video on our homepage. From script to post-production. 

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