In many ways, 2025 has been a tumultuous year for the print and promo industries, with ever-changing tariffs and ensuing economic headwinds keeping everyone on their toes. As we head into 2026, it’s worth taking a moment to pause and reflect on the year that was – and ruminate on how the new year will unfold. With that in mind, here are five trends I believe will influence the converging worlds of print and promotional products in the months to come.
1. Corporate AI Initiatives Will Grow More Sophisticated
AI and automation have been huge trends over the last few years, as more companies infuse AI tools into their products, and corporations scramble to train their employees on the efficiencies and ethics of using said tools. For many, 2025 has been about experimentation and exploration; next year, I’m expecting more companies to formalize their AI policies and measure their impact in earnest.
A recent survey of ASI Power Summit attendees found that 40% use AI sparingly, while 46% of promo distributors and 34% of promo suppliers don’t measure the impact of their initiatives. As my colleague Nate Kucsma, senior executive director of research, said at the ASI Power Summit: “That number will have to go up over the next few years. Companies will have to use data to justify their spend on these tools.”
We’re also likely to see more developments in so-called agentic AI, where AI bots are given basic instructions and are then empowered to make decisions and execute them.
Still, tech futurists like Sam Maule warn that we can’t lose sight of the human aspect. In an episode of Promo Insiders, Maule stressed that overreliance on generative models trained on AI-produced content risks losing creativity and authenticity. A company’s data, employees and intellectual property are the true “moats” protecting and differentiating a brand.
2. Print on Demand Is Poised for Growth
Print on demand (POD) represents the shift from “analog to digital manufacturing,” according to Rusty Pepper, head of global markets and partnerships at Taylor OnDemand. He elaborated: “You’re basically providing print-ready art files and letting them flow directly into production without any manual manipulation, no prepress, no back-and-forth, pure automation.”
It’s a business model that’s been around for a while but really began to take root in the promotional products world in 2025. According to ASI Research, 54% of promo distributors provide POD services, with 78% of those who offer POD saying it’s an add-on to traditional bulk ordering of promo, rather than a replacement.
Going into 2026, I expect the industry to embrace the trend even further, especially as distributors latch on to the ways that POD can remove a lot of the friction that’s existed in traditional print and promo ordering, freeing them up to focus on building relationships and increasing sales.
Read the rest of this story on Printing Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
