PM Longform

For promotional products businesses, normalcy means trade shows. We talked to promo insiders, an analyst at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an executive at the International Association of Events and Exhibitions to find out what the industry is doing without shows and events, when they might return and what they'll look like when they do...

After shortages early in the coronavirus pandemic, America’s PPE supply seems to have caught up. But why do so many hospitals and frontline health workers say they still don’t have enough? In this story, we look at the disconnect between supply and demand, plus revisit PPE in the promotional products industry to see how the market has changed and where it might go...

The industry’s regional associations are helping promo professionals grow business, make connections and build community—one member at a time. We talked to representatives from a few of them to find out how. Plus, we explore what the pandemic means for industry regionals...

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, has been a lifeline for industry companies savvy enough to get in early and adapt quickly. PPE sales have helped promo businesses partially offset the drop in other orders and, in some cases, actually increase revenue despite widespread economic fallout. But selling PPE has been anything but easy...

Private equity's continued and increasing involvement in the promo industry has led to major growth for some companies and uncertainty for others. With private equity a fact of life for promo, we take a look at the pros, cons and gray areas for the industry...

The number of reported coronavirus cases and death in China are rising. While China has worked consistently to contain the spread, uncertainty and a dwindling workforce has hamstrung some promotional products businesses that source from China. Here are the latest projections and info on industry impacts...

The promo industry thrives on its people, but good people aren’t always easy to find. Here’s how the industry is dealing with staffing issues ranging from lack of skilled labor and aging out of veterans to filling leadership roles and developing exit strategies...

Amazon launched Merch Collab, its latest on-demand merchandise service, in 2018. What is it? And what does it tell us about Amazon’s future plans for promotional products?

Much has been written and said about why distributors need to be marketing partners for their clients, rather than order takers. But what can you do when so many customers want to buy on price? We got some answers on what to do about price-buyers and how to win more long-term business...

As the promo industry continues to consolidate, the one-stop-shop supplier model appears to be the future. What does it mean for distributors—and for everyone else? We talked to suppliers on both sides of the model to see how it's reshaping the way they do business, and checked in with a few distributors for their thoughts...