How do you go about selecting winning writing instruments that customers and end-users will love? We asked four supplier experts about what end-users are looking for in their writing instruments, updated trends and products, sales challenges and more...
Sarah Semple
Drinkware is one of the most diverse categories in promo, with a huge variety of products and applications. We asked a trio of promotional drinkware pros about additional trends to look out for, popular decoration techniques and much more. Here, they shared their expertise...
We recently covered the topic of LinkedIn—specifically, how a handful of promo pros are using the platform and how you can get the most out of it for your own promo business. But with so much to know and learn about LinkedIn, there's always more to cover. So we created this list of LinkedIn do's and don'ts...
In January, CNN reported that the number of rounds of golf played in the U.S. declined by 42.2% during the initial coronavirus lockdowns, but rebounded to finish 2020 up 6.2% year over year. So, yeah: Golf had a pretty big year—and another could be in store. Here's what to know if you're selling golf apparel...
There’s plenty to know about LinkedIn, including how to best utilize it to connect with new customers. Here, we’ll look at different approaches for using LinkedIn and learn from three promo distributor experts how to get the most out of your business efforts on the platform—whether you’re a new user or a pro...
As we say often around here, a good strategy for standing out in a heavily commoditized market is providing value beyond price. One way to do that? Exceptional creativity that elevates an otherwise basic product to build a real connection between customers and their target audiences. Here's how one top distributor is doing that...
By now, salespeople have picked up a few tricks to make virtual interactions successful. Still, there are always lessons to learn. Here, three distributors discuss how COVID-19 has impacted their businesses and share their best tips for overcoming obstacles and making connections remotely...
Some suppliers have seen an increase in athletic apparel as distributors have pivoted to work-from-home kits and employee wellness-outside-of-the-office programs for their end-user customers. Here are some leading trends in athletic and performance apparel and tips for increasing order value in this category...
Last year went a lot differently than planned, but one thing we can count on is that a new year brings new goals. As we get into 2021, let’s look back at some of the major fitness, health and wellness trends we saw last year and consider how those will apply in the promotional products space...
Hopefully, most of your holiday orders are already taken care of to beat the shipping crunch from the surge in online shopping. But we all know there's going to be rush orders from customers getting a late start. And, this year especially, these holiday and seasonal promotions will need to be effective and memorable...
With so many channels for prospecting and reaching customers—like cold calling, emailing, texting and now even social media—sales strategies change depending on who’s selling and who they’re trying to reach. But, one thing is for sure: Knowing your prospects’ age demographic can certainly help in figuring out what method works best...
While we’re patiently counting down the days until top suppliers and distributors get together for our Back to Business Virtual Power Meeting: Fall Edition, we wanted to highlight five top products from suppliers who will be at the event. This is just a small sampling of the promotional solutions that will be on display...
This season, Starbucks launched a few different Halloween drinkware options—like tumblers for cold drinks and regular mugs for warmer beverages—and if you’ve been keeping up with our previous Starbucks merch coverage, you’ll know just how hard it is to find these items in-store. Here are a couple of highlights from the collection...
The pandemic is still going strong, which means people are going to start needing outerwear and jackets if they want to stay outdoors in the colder months. With that in mind, we caught up with three industry outerwear experts about what styles to look out for this year, what’s changed in the market and what to know about promotional outerwear and jackets...
There's a longstanding debate over which fast food french fries are the best. But there's one thing we think everyone can agree on, and that’s that the Travis Scott x McDonald’s merchandise collab is one of the best—and most interesting ones—we’ve seen. It's also taken over the internet...
