Picture two jars of cookies. One has ten cookies. The other has two. The cookies are exactly the same. Which ones would you rate as more tasty, and more worth having?
In 1975, a group of psychologists asked students that very question. The cookies from the nearly empty jar won. Same cookie, same bakery, same taste. The only difference was how many were left.
This old experiment is one of the best arguments for something small clothing brands often feel shy about: a short production run. If you are about to order 100 pieces and you worry that it looks small next to brands that order 1,000, this post is for you.
The cookie jar test
The study was run by Stephen Worchel, Jerry Lee and Akanbi Adewole. Students looked at a jar with either 10 or 2 cookies and rated them. The cookies from the jar with 2 were rated as more desirable than the ones from the jar with 10 (Worchel, Lee & Adewole, 1975).
The researchers also changed the story in some groups. In one group the jar started with 10 cookies and went down to 2. In another it started with 2 and went up to 10. Two things stood out:
- Cookies that went from plenty to few were rated highest of all, higher than cookies that were always few.
- Cookies that were few because other people wanted them were rated higher than cookies that were few by accident.
So it was not only about the number. It was about the reason, and about the change. Remember these two points, because they matter when you plan a clothing drop.
Is this a one-off result?
No, but it has limits, and we want to be fair about them. A review of the research on this idea, often called commodity theory, found that the effect shows up across many studies (Lynn, 1991). Still, many of these experiments are small lab tasks with students. They show that scarcity can raise how much people want something. They do not promise that your hoodie will sell out.
One more finding is useful for clothing. Heribert Gierl and Verena Huettl compared two kinds of scarcity messages. “Limited supply” worked better for products people use to show status to others. “High demand” worked better for products that are not about status (Gierl & Huettl, 2010). Clothes are worn in public, so they sit close to the first group. This is our reading of the study, not a claim the authors made about fashion. But it suggests that “only 100 made” is a good message for a garment.
Why a small run is not a weaker run
When people hear “minimum order of 100”, many think of it as a limit they have to accept. It can also be a design choice.
Fewer pieces means fewer risks. A big run needs more money up front and more storage, and you may be left with boxes of a colour that did not sell. A small run lets you test the market with real products. If the first batch works, you order again, with sizes and colours based on what people bought. We wrote about the point where small and large runs change places in print-on-demand vs bulk manufacturing.
A short run can feel like an event. A drop of 100 pieces, announced once, with a date, gives your audience a reason to act now. A pile of 1,000 on a shelf gives them a reason to wait.
You can learn your real demand. If 100 pieces are gone in a week, that is useful information. You can see which sizes went first and plan the next batch with facts instead of hopes.
How to use scarcity without being unfair
Scarcity only works when it is true. If a brand says “last 20 pieces!” every week, people notice. And in the EU, there are rules about this. The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive lists, among banned practices, falsely stating that a product will only be available for a very limited time in order to push people into a quick decision (Directive 2005/29/EC, Annex I, point 7). This is general information, not legal advice, so check your own country’s rules before you write your campaign.
Here is a simple way to stay on the right side.
- Make the limit real. If you made 100 pieces, say 100. If you plan to restock next month in the same design, do not say “never again”.
- Say why it is limited. “Made in one small batch in Istanbul” is a true reason. It matches the finding that people value the reason behind scarcity, not only the number.
- Show the number going down. If you keep a live count of what is left, keep it honest. Watching a stock count fall from plenty to few is the pattern that did best in the cookie study.
- Use a new colour or a new design for the next drop. You keep the limit real and you give your buyers a reason to return.
- Do not hide behind scarcity. If the fabric feels cheap or the print cracks after a wash, a small number will not save you. Sampling still matters. See why sampling matters before bulk production.
What this means for different buyers
Creators and small brands. A first drop of 100 pieces is a good way to find out who your real fans are. Use the number as part of the story, and keep the sizes balanced so that the first buyers do not find their size gone on day one.
Event organisers and companies. For a conference, a team or a launch, a limited run makes the shirt something people want to be seen in, not something every guest receives. A staff shirt that only 100 people own feels different from one that is handed out by the thousand.
Sports clubs. Limited supporter editions, such as a one-season design, work in the same way. Fans like to own something that not everybody has.
If you are not sure how many pieces to order, our guide to why a minimum order is never just one number explains how factories think about it.
Quick Questions
Does a smaller order really make clothing sell better? It can help, but it is not automatic. Lab studies show that people rate scarce items as more desirable (Worchel, Lee & Adewole, 1975; Lynn, 1991). Real sales also depend on the design, the quality, the price and who sees it.
What is the scarcity effect in simple words? It is the habit of valuing something more when there is less of it, or when it may disappear soon.
Is it okay to say “limited edition” on a t-shirt? Only if it is true. If you say a product is available for a very short time just to rush people, EU rules can treat that as an unfair practice. Check the rules where you sell, and ask a lawyer if you are unsure.
What is a good first order size for a new clothing brand? There is no single answer. It depends on your audience, your designs and your budget. A small first batch lets you test before you commit to more. Our team can help you plan sizes and colours.
Can I reorder the same design after it sells out? Yes, but do not promise “never again” if you plan to. Many brands bring a design back in a new colour, which keeps each drop honest.
Sources
- Worchel, S., Lee, J., & Adewole, A. (1975). Effects of supply and demand on ratings of object value. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32(5), 906–914.
- Lynn, M. (1991). Scarcity effects on value: A quantitative review of the commodity theory literature. Psychology & Marketing, 8(1), 43–57.
- Gierl, H., & Huettl, V. (2010). Are scarce products always more attractive? The interaction of different types of scarcity signals with products’ suitability for conspicuous consumption. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 27(3), 225–235.
- Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market, Annex I, point 7. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2005/29/oj
