Best Promotional Product Suppliers For 2024

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are Promotional Products?

Promotional products are customized items, usually featuring a company’s name and/or logo. They are a low-cost marketing tool with the potential to raise brand awareness beyond the scope of other traditional marketing methods.

Common promotional products include stationery, business cards, and apparel. Not only do they reinforce your brand to the wearer/user through continual and unobtrusive exposure, but they also introduce new customers to your brand.

Promotional products are commonly given away for free at trade fairs, to new employees, and general members of the public.

Why Use Promotional Products?

The promotional product industry is huge. So big that it generates $23 billion in sales every year in the United States. Yet, it can sometimes be overlooked as an analog marketing solution in an increasingly digital world. Do not underestimate the power of a physical object bearing your company’s branding.

Advertisements, billboards, flyers, and the like may serve their own purpose but they can all feel a little impersonal. The likelihood of a flyer being thrown out without much of a second thought is high.

On the other hand, promotional products are kept for a surprisingly long time. A recent survey found that 81% of promotional products are kept for over a year, with 18% kept for more than ten years. That’s ten years of advertisement for the price of a pen or a bag. This is a long-lasting, cost-effective approach to marketing, achieving considerably more impressions than other forms.

What do I Look for When Purchasing Promotional Products?

With promotional products being such a large business, it is no surprise that there is a wealth of suppliers to choose from. To help you make the right decision, here are some important factors to consider:

Products Offered - You’re not going to struggle to find a supplier of customized pens and mousemats. However, if you’re thinking outside the box - customized lip balm or dog name tags maybe - look for a supplier with a broad range of customizable goods.

Free samples - Several suppliers will offer a free sample of your branded product upon request. This may be important if you intend to place a large bulk order and want to verify the quality beforehand.

Minimum quantity - Are you ordering 10 products for your small team or 1000 products for a trade show? Be aware that many suppliers require a minimum quantity to be ordered at one time. Also note, if you are making a large order, many suppliers will offer an additional discount.

Design interface - Most suppliers will offer a design interface of some description. The quality of these can vary. Before committing to a supplier it is a good idea to trial their design software and ensure you can create the product you envision.

Delivery times - As every product is made to order, delivery times can be protracted. Standard delivery rates vary from a couple of days to a matter of weeks. If you find yourself in a bit of a rush, check the delivery guarantee.

What are Examples of Successful Promotional Products?

We have all seen the standard promotional products: stationery, apparel, drinkware, etc. These have always been amongst the most successful products; they are functional, cost-effective, and provide excellent brand exposure. For instance, a single tote bag will result in approximately 3300 impressions during its lifetime. Considerable success can also come from spotting and utilizing trends. For example, during the pandemic, it was found that 39% of people owned a company-branded facemask.

Disclaimer

The aim of this website is to help you find the perfect software for your needs in an easy-to-view comparison list. You can read more about how we review and about our background in the About Us section of this website. Software.fish does not feature all of the software available in the market, we cherry-pick what we consider to be the leaders in each vertical. We try to keep this site updated and fresh, but cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information as well as the prices featured at all times. All prices quoted on this site are based on USD so there could be slight discrepancies due to currency fluctuations. Although the site is free to use, we do earn commissions from the software companies that we have partnered with. If you click on one of our links and then make a purchase, we will get paid by that company. This has an impact on the ranking, score, and order in which the software is presented in our list and elsewhere throughout the site. Software listings on this page DO NOT imply endorsement.