Welcome to Market Tracker. This is an updating resource compiling the latest news on coronavirus impacts and economic recovery for top vertical markets promotional products distributors sell into. The Promo Marketing team will update this post regularly with new information from each market as it becomes available. Here are this week’s updates…
Read MoreCollection: Trending Stories
How a Distributor Helped Raise $11,000 for Local Businesses Through Fundraising Stores
Seeing communities rally around local businesses affected by the pandemic has been nothing short of inspiring. A lot of these campaigns have involved selling merch to raise money, as was the case for Kelley Rice, owner of Imagination Print & Design, who got to be a part of the effort to raise money for local businesses through promotional products…
Read MoreA Guide to Face Shields: Promotional Viability, Proper Use and What Experts Are Saying
With COVID-19 cases spiking in several parts of the U.S., health officials as well as government authorities have continued to stress the importance of face coverings when it comes to stopping and slowing the spread of the virus. Face shields are one option, with growing potential for a variety of applications…
Read MoreShake Shack’s Branded ‘Camp Box’ Rescues Summer With More Than Two Dozen Promo Products
Shake Shack is the latest brand to go the merch-by-mail route, giving fans an opportunity to still enjoy the great outdoors (while maintaining social distancing) and boost its own brand simultaneously with its Shack Camp Box. The “curated box of supplies” comes with gear for classic summertime activities and is bursting with promo products staples…
Read MoreLos Angeles Apparel Remains Shut Down After 300 COVID-19 Cases and 4 Deaths
Los Angeles County health officials have ordered Los Angeles Apparel to remain shut down after more than 300 employees tested positive for COVID-19 and four died over the last month. County officials started investigating Los Angeles Apparel on June 19, after three workers from the plant died and a “concerned health care provider” tipped off authorities…
Read MoreFDA Expands List of Dangerous Hand Sanitizer Products to 50
In mid-June, the FDA listed nine hand sanitizer products from the Mexican company Eskbiochem SA de CV as harmful to consumers, then added five more this week. It also announced that 14 hand sanitizers manufactured in Mexico contain the toxic chemical methanol. The list includes..
Read MoreAmerica’s PPE Supply Is Running Short, Again
In the early weeks and months of the pandemic, PPE shortages were a major concern. Eventually, supply caught up as industries mobilized to ramp up PPE production and infection rates began falling in the hardest-hit areas of the country. Stockpiles stabilized. The PPE shortage appeared to be behind us. That may no longer be the case…
Read MoreThose Smart Rings NBA Players Will Wear Could Be Huge for Preventing COVID Spread in General Public
Remember the wearable tech NBA players will use inside their Disney bubble when the season starts again? A group of researchers at the University of California is studying data from the rings in use by the general public as well as more than 3,000 health care employees, to spot patterns that might help mitigate the spread of COVID-19…
Read MoreHow the Pandemic Will Change the Promotional Products Industry (Short Term and Long)
As we head toward the summer, industry professionals know that many variables exist. What, then, should expectations be for the state of business as the economy reopens? And what about further out—what will the promotional products industry look like after the pandemic?…
Read MoreYouTube Sent Extremely Cool Promo Boxes to Attendees for Virtual Event
For this year’s “Brandcast Delivered” virtual event, the YouTube team leaned into the “delivered” theme by delivering promo boxes for viewers to enjoy the broadcast from home. The personalized packages consisted of three separate sub-boxes labeled “Take,” “Make” and “Bake,” with ingredients for DIY pizzas and various promotional gifts…
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