Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), the not-for-profit association for more than 10,500 members of the $17.7 billion promotional products industry based in Irving, Texas, released the results of its annual sales volume study. The report revealed that distributor sales of promotional products in the U.S. climbed 7.02 percent in 2011 to $17,721,945,690, according to PPAI’s annual estimate of promotional products sales. In comparison, sales in 2010 were $16.56 billion. This marks the second consecutive year of positive growth following declines in 2008 and 2009. The industry experienced its highest level of sales in 2007 at 19.7 billion.
“The year-over-year increase is consistent with the reports I’m hearing at the PPAI Town Hall meetings and company visits since the first of the year,” said Paul Bellantone, CAE, president and CEO of PPAI. “I’ve been encouraged by the positive uptick in sales that many of our distributor members have been reporting. Throughout the year, we had solid indicators that sales were heading in the right direction, including PPAI’s quarterly sales barometer which tracks supplier and distributor sales as reported by our members. In December, our distributor members were reporting an average sales increase of 6.67 percent over 2010 so the annual increase is very consistent with that trend. This is more proof that our members are moving ahead-and that’s great news for the promotional products industry.”
The full report with top product and program categories, plus distributor analysis will be published later in May.
PPAI’s annual distributor sales study is the most comprehensive of its kind in the industry and is conducted by independent researchers based on actual sales reported by promotional consultant companies. PPAI has researched and released industry sales data since 1965. Its figures are considered the most definitive and unbiased in the industry, employing time-tested research methodology and utilizing an objective outside source to conduct the research and compile the statistics. The annual independent study, conducted by Dr. Richard Alan Nelson, at The University of Nevada – Las Vegas for PPAI, comprises the official distributor sales estimate for the promotional products industry.
For more information, visit www.ppai.org.
