Wandering around the show floor and taking it all in is one of our favorite parts of the PPAI Expo. And as much as it might seem like aimless strolling, there’s actually a great deal of learning involved. Here are some of the biggest promotional products trends we saw at the show this year…
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On Wednesday, Jan. 16, promo industry consultant Paul Kiewiet, MAS+, shared his experiences in landing big accounts like Kellogg’s, and gave distributors advice on the steps they should take to make their business dreams a reality…
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Obviously, business owners, principals or businesspeople in general want to create a loyal customer base. That’s how their businesses stay afloat. But, how do you go beyond that? How do you create a customer base that can’t get enough of your products or services?…
Read MoreQuality Certification Alliance, Chicago, announced a newly restructured participation model and tiered fee structure to further engage and include distributors and end-buyers, along with providing more access for suppliers and distributors of varying sizes. The new model will have four categories: End-Buyer Supporters, Distributor Advocates, Certified Distributors and Decorators, and Accredited Suppliers. “What we’ve done…
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In a deal finalized on Dec. 21, 2018, HandStands, Salt Lake City, Utah, joined HUB Promotional Group, which is now made up of eight suppliers. Established in 1983, HandStands was one of the first companies to bring mouse pads to the promotional marketplace. Today, HandStands offers a wide variety of products, from phone and tablet accessories…
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HALO Branded Solutions, Sterling, Ill., announced this morning that it has acquired Boost Promotional Branding, Richmond, Va. It’s HALO’s third acquisition within the last six months, with the company acquiring Sunrise Identity in August and Chamberlain Marketing Group in September. “Jeff [Hall, president of Boost] and Teki Hall have built a successful business by focusing…
Read MoreThe financial market is certainly appealing for promo distributors. The obvious reason is, well, the money, and not just the kind in the bank vaults. There are seemingly countless numbers of banks (with numerous branches all over the country), lending institutions, credit unions, you name it—and if you approach them the right way, it could…
Read MorePlastic bags with a big smiley face or a repeated message of…
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ALStyle, the merchandise brand purchased by Gildan from Ennis Inc., will now be sold through a select number of wholesale companies within the promotional products space. ALStyle was previously only a retail product sold via licensing agreements, but will now be sold by alphabroder (California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia and Florida), American T-shirt Company (Hawaii), The…
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eBay seems to have angered some of its sellers, as the e-commerce company partnered with Teespring to beef up T-shirt listings during the holiday period, allegedly at the expense of smaller merchants. Some of those sellers theorized that eBay bent its own rules to allow Teespring to have as much of a presence as it…
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