A Look Inside the Promotional Products Industry Offerings

Whether it’s getting a cup of coffee or selecting a supplier of promotional products, everyone has their preference. Personally, I prefer a medium iced coffee with cream and sugar from Dunkin’ Donuts. Like ordering your coffee, when selecting your promotional products supplier you want to be sure that you know exactly what you are in store for. The Promotional Products Industry maintains large, medium and small-scale firms who offer a wide-range of products. However, what differentiates many of these firms is their varying service capabilities and levels of branding expertise. It is important to understand the pro’s and con’s that working with each one of these segments presents and so provided below is a breakdown of each individual segment.

LARGE:

There are a handful of large companies in the industry who command tremendous purchasing power when it comes to delivering product in large quantities. These companies can provide access to a variety of product offerings while keeping their cost per-unit low. In some cases, this is exactly what a client is looking for and so it fits the bill, however, what these companies often lack is branding strategy and customer service offerings as their primary focus is moving the most product at the lowest price while increasing margins. It is easy to get lost in the fold when working with such large corporations as in some instances, promotional products only make up a small portion of their overall business operation. While this may work for companies who need no additional creative consultation, this becomes increasingly problematic for organizations who require a more flexible, hands-on marketing and branding approach. If you are looking for a more personalized approach with meticulous attention to detail and access to experienced branding strategists, then large suppliers are likely not for you.

MEDIUM:

Mid-sized promotional products suppliers are a tremendous hybrid option for consumers who seek brand management assistance and unparalleled customer service offerings. This select group of suppliers maintains nearly identical purchasing power as the large firms while offering a wide-variety of complimentary branding services. Additionally, this group maintains state-of-the-art technological solutions to equip consumers with simple and convenient purchasing solutions. Stran falls into this category as a mid-sized supplier of promotional products who offers branding consultation, strategy and innovative solutions to compliment an extensive offering of promotional products. As branding experts, Stran is able to recommend the most current and trendy products that the industry has to offer as employees are continuously briefed on changing industry trends. Stran is able to educate employees on changing trends in the industry due to the size of the company as there is adequate opportunity to collaborate in a team setting in order to provide the greatest customer experience imaginable. Clients notice the personal touch that Stran is able to provide compared to that of larger industry suppliers.

The approach that many medium-sized firms take is one based on the premise of propelling clients ideas into fruition rather than simply providing them with the requested product offerings in a more reactive manner. This strategy makes for a much more client-focused experience as program management services ensure that the program operates smoothly with calculated branding goals in mind.

SMALL:

Throughout the industry there are thousands of small-scale suppliers. These operations are sound solutions for small-scale, low-budget projects. Additionally, utilizing these mom and pop suppliers is a great way to stimulate the local economy and show community pride while getting a personal touch with every order placed. However, these firms tend to lack sophistication, resources and reliability which can put both your program and brand at risk. With this segment especially, it is crucial to do your due-diligence to ensure that they have a reliable track record and a reputable product offering.

It is important to remember that with your choice of promotional products supplier that you are putting your brand reputation in the hands of your selected vendor. With that in mind, it is critical to select a trusted partner who keeps your brand top-of-mind at all times. Now that you have an idea of the different types of firms that the industry has to offer, we hope that you are able to use this knowledge to your advantage in order to find the perfect fit when choosing your next supplier of promotional products. However, with more than 24 years of branding and promotional marketing experience, the team here at Stran is confident that we can fulfill your every need and we welcome the opportunity to speak with you about satisfying your promotional product needs!