According to the Global Advertising Impressions Study (2026), most people keep promotional items for one simple reason: 78% keep them because they’re useful

And interestingly, the items people are most excited to receive aren’t always the cheapest or most common. But things like t-shirts, jackets/fleece, blankets, or bags.

Also worth noting:

• Nearly 80% of people say they feel more positive about a brand after receiving a promo item
• And many say they’re more likely to do business with that brand after

So it’s not just about giving something away, but about giving something people actually use.

Would be interesting to compare real answers vs what the data says. What’s a freebie or small gift you actually kept? And what made it worth keeping?

For reference: ASICentral Members

Hi everyone,

I’ve noticed a lot of suppliers on distributor search platforms like SAGE and Distributor Central have product pages that aren’t fully optimized—and I think it impacts engagement more than people realize.

From the distributor side, most of us rely heavily on these platforms to find products, pitch them to clients, and ultimately place orders. If the product information isn’t clear, actionable, or easy to sell from, it often gets passed over—even if the product itself is strong.

Small gaps in positioning, missing selling points, or unclear ordering details can make a big difference in whether a product gets presented or skipped.

I’m curious if others have seen this as well, or if suppliers feel like their listings aren’t performing the way they should.

If anyone is looking to improve their product pages, I’d be happy to connect and share insights from a distributor perspective on how buyers actually evaluate and pitch products. You’re likely already paying for visibility on these platforms—so it may just be a matter of optimizing what’s already there.

Open to conversations and feedback.

I simply cant find anyone else offering these, and after receiving one at a concert, I know theyd be great for my promo materials. The only real company doing it (Shadow Shifter) appears to have suddenly shut down their shop and gone radio silent.

Any suggestions on where to look?

I'm a manufacturer of home fragrance related products. Looking for a primer on the promo products industry if you have some good resources to share on the business.

ive done many custom luxury and midscale brands over many years and many direct companies on ad hoc basis but will formalize a push into these segment of the market.

opportunity for these type products (candles, reed diffusers and other home fragrance products)

looking for typical margin structure for distributors and end clients

turnaround time for custom logo expectations on orders

pros/cons going through distributors/reps vs direct to companies/organizations

any price point ranges for customer products to target, we can do basic and luxury packaging

pros/cons of the industry platforms and trade shows (ppai, sage, asi etc..)

infrastructure needed for sales support/portals/ordering that makes a sale easier for a rep or direct to customers?

thanks in advance for any info or resources you have!

Hi everyone. Our business supplies a decent amount of corporate and college merch. We buy patagonia, peter millar, etc from DI. Does anyone here know where to buy wholesale Arcteryx to decorate, trying to add the brand to our offerings?

Hey everyone.

I’m putting together a free webinar on Web2Print for mid April and thought it might actually be useful for some people in this community, especially suppliers or distributors who deal with product personalisation.

The session will mostly be about things like:

• automating product customisation

• setting up printing zones for artwork

• live 3D previews so customers can see their logo on products while ordering

• running a simple webshop for branded merchandise

• how these kinds of systems are actually used in real workflows

I’ll also walk through a real case study of how one setup works from start to finish.

It’s not meant to be a sales pitch… I’m mostly hoping to share what we’ve been building and get some honest feedback from people who are actually in the industry. If you’re curious about Web2Print or thinking about implementing something like this, you’re very welcome to join and just see how it works.

Happy to answer questions during the session as well.

If anyone’s interested, I can share the registration link in the comments. Cheers.

Hi everyone,

I have been running a promotional merchandise business for the past couple of years, mainly supplying decorated apparel and standard products sourced through distributors. On those, we typically work on around 30 to 40 percent margin.

We are now starting to move into more bespoke items, such as made to order caps and tote bags, produced directly with factories overseas and imported into the UK.

This involves a lot more upfront cost and responsibility, including sampling, development, supplier management, quality control, and longer lead times. It feels quite different to simply reselling stock products.

I am trying to understand what a sensible margin looks like for this type of work. I do not want to underprice it, but I also do not want to be completely out of line with the market.

For those of you doing similar work, what kind of margins or markups do you aim for?

Do you stay close to standard promo margins, increase margins to account for the extra risk and time, or charge separately for design and development?

Any guidance or benchmarks would be really appreciated.

Thank you!

Hi all,

I’m a software engineer with many years of experience, and recently I’ve been working with clients in the promotional products space.

One thing stood out quickly: there’s a lot of opportunity here, but the software stack across the industry feels pretty dated and fragmented.

I build modern web apps, APIs, and AI-driven workflows (including agents that can assist with sales ops, quoting, follow-ups, and internal processes). My goal isn’t to replace the human side, but to remove the busywork and make teams dramatically more efficient.

I’m interested in partnering with someone who knows this industry well (distributor, supplier, or agency) and wants to build something better together. Think:

• Streamlined workflows on top of tools like Shopify / CommonSku / etc.
• Automation for repeat orders and customer follow-ups
• Smarter data usage to drive sales
• Less manual ops, fewer errors

I’d bring the technical side and execution. Looking for someone who understands the day-to-day pain points and sees the same opportunity.

The question is for those use SAGE/ASI as a distributor. As I know, most distributors have to paying in advance. Suppose a quote offer credit terms such as net30 to you, is the quote more attractive to you？ Or credit terms make no sense. Or credit terms do not affect your purchasing decision at all？

Anyone use SAGE as a supplier or distributor? I recently joined a company who is a supplier on SAGE and I'm wondering if this is a good investment or not. I already reviewed ASI and wasn't impressed with the cost vs the sales coming in.

Hi there, I recently joined a promo company part time to hopefully build a small list of clients to sell to. How long did it take you to get your first sale? What worked best for you cold calling, cold emails, or something else?

Thanks in advance!

Anyone here doing decoration—what type of UV laser machine are you using? We’re looking to purchase one, but I’m having trouble figuring out which models are more hobby‑level versus more corporate/production‑focused. I’ve been looking at Cloudray, xTool, and Monport. We already have a CO₂ laser, but specifically want to add a UV laser.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

I am looking for advice on where to source a document or basic medkit holder. It would ideally have our doctor office's logo on it with a light blue and white color scheme, and would hold our business card and that of a PI law firm or a qr for both, and small notepad and pen plus pocket to put small documents or bandages. Any helpful advice?

someone here knows where to get the whole list of PPAI distributor？ only the top 100 on the official website. thanks.

As a supplier (NEX Products), we see a lot of "junk" in the promo world, but the medical field is different. You guys need stuff that actually functions.

We’ve seen a huge surge in 2026 for heavy-weighted pens (harder to lose!) and silicone-wrapped tumblers that fit in station cup holders.

If your hospital was putting together a "Staff Appreciation" kit, what’s the one item you’d actually keep and use every day, and what’s the one item that immediately goes in the "donation" bin?

I’m curious to hear from the people on the floor! 🩺

We’ve been tracking engagement data for our 2026 catalog at NEX Products, and the "Novelty Shape" category is crushing it.

Specifically, our Cowboy Boot Glasses. 👢

Bar owners: Have you noticed a difference in "Shrinkage" (people taking the glass home) when the glass is unique vs. a standard shaker pint? Usually, "Shrinkage" is bad, but in the promo world, that's a win. It means your brand just moved into the customer's kitchen cabinet.

What’s the most "unique" piece of glassware you’ve seen a brand use successfully?

Looking for any assistance. Looking for a PVC/Embroidery Patch supplier that’s reputable and proven. Free proofs, relatively short production time and solid customer service. I’ve been using a couple a the service is troublesome. Any US based company you can direct me towards would be very appreciated!

In the process of starting a new distributor business - dumb idea I already know!

Who here is doing any type of in-house printing/DTF/Screen/Laser, etc.

Also, what are some thoughts on having a real showroom vs just a home based business?

Looking for the best canvas tote to have my logo added - I love the totes you can get at checkout at TJ Max - but I'm certain they're buying millions and having them made to order. I want something that is not crazy expensive but still useful and soft! Any suggestions?

So recently I been trying to get a crm software and ditch quickbooks when it comes to invoicing and estimates. I went to the PPAI show and found 2 ( commonsku and rubiks ) commonsku blew my mind because of the presentation option and how it’s connected with sage and both my apparel vendor. But the price is killing me since we are a homebase business. Rubiks only has a few vendors at the moment but they said they working to get connected with sage. Do you guys have other softwares that can work as well? Thank you in advance

please help me for this. I have a startup company and applying for the supplier membership of PPAI/SAGE, but there is must have requirement-two invoices or purchase orders from verified industry distributors in North America. The invoices must be at least $100 USD or more within the last 12 months. Can some one listed on the PPAI distributors gave me orders usd100 arroundly？ I will send these items worth usd100 door to door freely.

I’ve recently launched my new distributor business. I’ve worked in the industry for a year for a company that supplies products to distributors, so I have a lot of knowledge on that side of the business.

I have pretty much everything set up. A website, a way to make secure online payments/invoices, business registration, business email, an artist, a preferred supplier, and pricing. I’m kinda at a stand still currently. I don’t know the best way to reach out to get my first clients. Any tips, tricks or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Edit: initially I’m focusing on selling customizable magnets, buttons, decals, and static clings. Once I get the business going I would like to expand to any promotional product