Key Takeaways
• Distributors are narrowing their supplier networks in favor of trusted partners that consistently deliver quality, speed and reliability.
• Strong supplier relationships built on transparency and mutual trust help distributors meet rising client expectations.
End-buyer expectations for promo are at an all-time high. They want quality, unforgettable items, and a seamless, lightning-fast sales process.
That raises the stakes for distributors, who’ve come to rely heavily on suppliers that understand them and their customers’ needs while offering quick and easy fulfillment. So when they’ve identified those suppliers who deliver time and time again, they tend to stick with them.
The numbers bear this out. Counselor State of the Industry data shows that the percentage of distributors who report increasing the number of suppliers in their network continues to tick down – from 53% in 2022 to 42% last year. On average, distributors purchase from 20 different suppliers, with the numbers ranging from 10 for the smallest distributors to 75 for distributors with $5M and more in revenue.
What lands a vendor on that coveted list? For Evo3 Marketing (asi/190628), trustworthiness, reliability, quality and speed are four key attributes. The Seattle-based distributor has seen an increase in overseas business over the past few years, and requires reliable partners to make magic happen amid a complicated supply chain and customs policy changes.
“They have to be able to ship across the U.K. and EU, as well as North America,” says Amy Wolf, owner and CEO. “Can they drop-ship to India for our tech clients? A successful project journey is so important for brand integrity, so we need to mitigate hiccups whenever possible. We’ve spent years cultivating client relationships. Even if we trust a supplier 95% of the time, the 5% is too much risk. It has to be perfect.”
“We’re not trying to build the widest network,” says Mike Fossano, president of Premier Communications Group (asi/298496) in Royal Oak, MI. “We want to build the right one. Reliability is more valuable than endless options. We prioritize suppliers who understand us and our clients. We want suppliers to solve a problem, not just fulfill an order.”
Read this full article here, and catch up on all of the stories from the Counselor 2026 State of the Industry.
