Want to build stronger customer relationships and generate more demand? Take a page from the playbooks of top-performing Shopify stores. Brands like Gymshark are winning not just by selling—but by connecting. This article breaks down how their approach can be adapted to help manufacturing businesses stand out, grow faster, and build loyalty that lasts.
1. Know Your Audience Better Than They Know Themselves
Gymshark didn’t become one of the UK’s fastest-growing fitness brands by accident. The company understood something most businesses miss: people don’t just buy products—they buy into a vision of themselves. Gymshark’s customers want to be fitter, healthier, and part of a lifestyle. That’s why the brand built more than a product line—it built a movement.
Now think about your manufacturing business. Maybe you produce industrial fasteners, custom enclosures, or precision components. Your end customers might be plant managers, OEM buyers, or engineers. What’s driving them? Speed? Reliability? Safety? Cost savings? The real opportunity lies in going beyond the product to understand what they’re trying to achieve. If you can tie your business directly to the outcomes your customers care about, you’re no longer just a vendor—you’re a partner in their success.
Let’s say you manufacture metal enclosures for electrical equipment. It’s easy to focus on dimensions, durability, or pricing in your messaging. But what if you learned that many of your customers are under pressure to improve compliance and reduce downtime? That’s a completely different conversation. You could run a campaign around “Zero Downtime Starts with the Right Enclosure,” sharing tips, real-world examples, or even launching a contest for the most creative or efficient use of your product in the field. That’s the kind of targeted insight that grabs attention—and keeps it.
Understanding your audience this deeply also improves how you design your offerings. It informs everything from product specs to packaging to after-sale support. For example, if your customers value quick turnaround above all else, highlight your lead times in every quote and email. If they care about regulatory compliance, invest in content or resources that help them stay ahead of audits. It’s all about showing customers that you get their world—and that you’re here to help them win in it.
The insight here is simple but powerful: the more you know your customers’ daily pressures, motivations, and success metrics, the better you can position your business as the go-to solution. You’re not selling parts. You’re solving problems. And that’s what builds lasting relationships and loyalty in any market, including manufacturing.
2. Build a Community, Not Just a Customer List
Gymshark didn’t just sell workout gear—they built a culture. Their “Gymshark66” challenge invites followers to commit to 66 days of better habits, like exercising and eating well. It’s more than a campaign—it’s a shared journey. And here’s the key insight: that sense of belonging keeps people coming back. They’re not just buying leggings or tank tops. They’re part of something bigger.
Now picture this: you’re a manufacturer of packaging machinery for food processors. What if you created a 30-day “Line Efficiency Challenge,” where your customers log their daily throughput, downtime, or scrap reduction goals? You could offer recognition, small prizes, or even spotlight their results in your newsletter or LinkedIn. It’s a simple idea with big upside. People love a challenge—especially when it helps them look good in front of their boss or team.
Even if you don’t sell directly to consumers, you can still build a strong network around your product. Feature customer success stories. Share how someone used your machine to cut changeover time in half. Show what other businesses are doing. Most importantly, invite participation. When people feel seen and supported, they become your best advocates—and they start selling your product for you, through word-of-mouth and referrals.
The takeaway here is that community creates stickiness. Customers who feel like they’re part of something are far less likely to switch to a competitor. They’re also more likely to open your emails, attend your webinars, and respond to your sales team. It doesn’t take a huge budget to make this happen—just a bit of initiative and an understanding of what makes your customers tick.
3. Use Contests and Challenges to Drive Real Engagement
Why do contests work? Because they tap into emotion, energy, and momentum. Gymshark’s fitness challenges have sky-high conversion rates—sometimes 30% or more. They’re not doing anything overly complex. They’re simply giving people a reason to act now and something to strive toward.
Manufacturing companies can do this too. Say you build dust collection systems for furniture makers. You could launch a “Clean Shop Challenge,” asking customers to submit photos of their workshop before and after installing your system. The prize could be a toolset, a discount on a future order, or even just bragging rights on your site and socials.
These kinds of campaigns are fun, low-cost, and create content you can reuse. Plus, they show your products in real-world use—something your prospects love to see. And remember: when people engage with your challenge, they’re not just interacting with your product. They’re associating your brand with progress, improvement, and results.
Another benefit is the data. Running a challenge gives you insights into how customers use your products, where they’re getting stuck, and what features they care about. That feedback loop helps you improve your offerings and your messaging over time.
Contests and challenges aren’t gimmicks. When done right, they’re smart business tools that increase customer retention, activate word-of-mouth, and generate new demand.
4. Turn Customers Into Your Best Marketing Team
One of Gymshark’s smartest moves was getting customers to share their journey. When people posted about their Gymshark66 challenge on social media, it became free advertising for the brand. That’s what marketers call “earned media”—exposure you don’t have to pay for.
Now imagine this in your world. You manufacture safety gear for factories. A customer posts a LinkedIn video showing how your gloves helped reduce hand injuries by 40%. That kind of story builds trust way faster than a polished brochure ever could.
You don’t have to wait for it to happen by chance. You can ask for it. Encourage customers to share photos or stories of your product in use. Feature them in your emails. Reshare their posts. Offer incentives if needed, but often a little recognition is enough. People love being seen and celebrated—especially in industries where they’re rarely in the spotlight.
The insight here is that your marketing doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. When your customers start telling your story for you, everything changes. Prospects trust peer recommendations far more than sales pitches. And nothing beats the authenticity of a real user’s voice.
5. Go Beyond the Product—Offer Real, Practical Value
What makes Gymshark stand out isn’t just their clothes. It’s the way they support their customers’ fitness goals. They offer workout plans, inspirational content, and tools for self-improvement. That extra layer of value turns casual buyers into lifelong fans.
This is a huge opportunity for manufacturers. If your business only talks about SKUs, pricing, and lead times, you’re missing out. What else can you offer to help your customers succeed?
Let’s say you manufacture automated labeling systems. Could you provide a short guide to help production teams reduce mislabeling errors? Maybe a calculator that shows the ROI of switching from manual to automated? Or a video series on best practices for line integration?
Value-add content doesn’t have to be flashy. It just has to be useful. The more you help your customers hit their KPIs, the more they’ll turn to you—because you’re showing up with solutions, not just sales pitches.
And when customers start viewing you as a problem solver rather than a parts supplier, the entire relationship shifts. You move from being a vendor to a trusted partner—and that’s where long-term growth lives.
3 Clear, Actionable Takeaways
1. Launch a simple customer challenge this quarter. Make it fun, relevant, and tied to your product. Offer recognition or small prizes. Focus on engagement over perfection—momentum matters more than polish.
2. Ask your customers to share how they use your product. Use email, social, or even packaging inserts. Share their stories. Celebrate their wins. The more you amplify their voices, the more new customers will trust you.
3. Create one piece of practical content that helps your customer do their job better. A checklist. A short guide. A how-to video. Something that shows you understand their world and are here to help—not just sell.
The bottom line? You don’t have to be a D2C fitness brand to apply these lessons. Manufacturing businesses can create challenges, build communities, and generate word-of-mouth just as powerfully. It starts with knowing your customers deeply—and showing them you’re in it with them. That’s how great brands, in any industry, win.