Introducing OS 2.0.0, the Updated Endpoint
OS, which stands for Order Status, is among the most widely adopted PromoStandards endpoints. It’s often one of the first pieces of information that suppliers integrate. When suppliers integrate OS, distributors can easily see how far along the order is and when they should expect it to be delivered. This means distributors no longer have to call or email them to know where the order stands! PromoStandards is excited to share that it has released OS 2.0.0. In this article, we’re sharing the changes this updated version brings and what this means for you! The Changes Made With OS 2.0.0 OS 2.0.0 was co-authored by Stephen Luisser and Raj Mukherjee from Hit Promotional Products under the collaboration and oversight of the Standards Committee in 2023. OS 1.0.0, the second standard PromoStandards released in 2015, was co-authored by Jon Norris and Eric Shonebarger. The upgrade came about to effectively communicate different issues that can occur throughout the lifecycle of an order. Its key features enhance order processing, streamline issue resolution, and improve communication with suppliers. OS 2.0.0 Fields Here are the 8 fields it contains! What This Means for You There are several noticeable enhancements this upgrade brings. People can: What People Are Saying “The ability to communicate and resolve issues between distributors and suppliers is the next evolution of the standards,” said Steven Stanley, CTO at ePromos Promotional Products and PromoStandards board member. Raj Mukherjee, CIO at Hit Promotional Products, said, “Order Status 2.0.0 will push the boundaries of communication between suppliers, distributors, and service providers.” Make Your Business Better With PromoStandards Industries cannot rely on email threads and phone-tag to complete simple tasks and get the answers they need. That’s where PromoStandards comes in! We have a proven vision of optimizing our supply chain and transforming it through open standards and digital integration. Our endpoints can be and are utilized by the promotional products industry and other industries around the world. There are endpoints for Inventory, Invoices, Media, Order Status, Product Compliance, Product Configuration, Product Data, Purchase Orders, and Ship Notices. To get started, simply join PromoStandards to access all the information you need!
Member Spotlight – Geiger
PromoStandards is a community, and those who become members have access to important information and proven service providers. In this member spotlight, we’ll cover Geiger, the world’s largest privately held and family-owned promotional products distributor. Here’s an in-depth look into who Geiger is and how adopting PromoStandards integration helped move their transactions forward. Geiger Geiger is a fifth-generation business founded in 1878 when brothers Andrew and Jacob took over their father’s print shop in Newark, New Jersey. Over 140 years later, the family still serves on the Board of Directors, while Jo-an Lantz became the first non-family President and CEO in 2019. Geiger has been headquartered in Lewiston, Maine since 1955. In 2018, the company acquired BTC Group in London. As GeigerBTC Group, the two firms strengthened their global reach by reducing shipping time and costs for their customers in North America and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Today, Geiger has offices throughout the US and Europe and is affiliated with more than 450 independent sales representatives. PromoStandards’ Impact Before integrating PromoStandards, Geiger faced industry-specific challenges, primarily the cumbersome process of obtaining order updates and product data from suppliers. This involved manual efforts, which led to individual phone calls, extended response times, and error-prone interactions. There had to be a better way, and as such, Geiger became one of the founders of PromoStandards. PromoStandards has significantly transformed Geiger, enabling them to deliver more value quickly and focus more on enhancing customer service and providing brand inspiration. Geiger is in the process of modernizing its tech stack and is well into its digital transformation journey. Automation plays a huge part in this, and PromoStandards will have a big role in the company’s future state. “The concept of PromoStandards is truly outstanding!” said Becci Cayer, Corporate e-Commerce Manager at Geiger. “It offers tremendous benefits to both suppliers and distributors through seamless electronic data exchange. The remarkable progress that PromoStandards has already made is a testament to these advantages.” Cayer continued, “While there is still much ground to cover in terms of data standardization, PromoStandards is at the forefront, diligently pioneering efforts to enhance and simplify the promotional products industry.” Become a PromoStandards Member! At PromoStandards, we make it easy to communicate with others in your industry. Find suppliers, distributors, and decorators and send and receive information to them in real time. With four membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you. Join PromoStandards and start your journey!
Unleashing the Power of Technology: Enjoying the Trip – Letter from the Chair
In last month’s Letter From the Chair, PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi shared the age-old saying, “It’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey.” It is a philosophy hundreds of companies follow, creating an enjoyable trip by aiming to make each step they take toward their end goals successful. PromoStandards specializes in offering the services your organization needs to enjoy its journey. Read on to learn more! What Makes a Trip Enjoyable? As a supplier, enjoyment comes from meeting our customer’s needs while reducing transactional friction and costs. Implementing proper communication protocols enhances digital integration, allowing suppliers to mitigate time-consuming and costly obstacles for trading partners throughout the procure-to-pay lifecycle. Both the supplier and trading partners benefit from accurate data and pricing with: • Lightning-Fast Processing Time and• Fewer Wasted Resources,• Reduced Labor Costs and• Without Unwelcome Surprises. How would we describe this journey? One word: “Enjoyable.” PromoStandards & Mapping Journeys for Suppliers and Trading Partners Exciting developments are happening in the custom products arena, especially when you throw service providers into the mix!From an integration perspective, suppliers are learning that their market is opening to smaller trading partners. In the past, there was no way a supplier would consider integrating with a small transactional customer. They simply were unable to justify the cost and labor. Even if the costs and labor were justifiable, the reality was that the distributor needed more resources to implement and maintain integration with the supplier. But PromoStandards has changed all of that! We offer an ecosystem that levels the playing field for all industry professionals in the most productive ways, improving individual businesses while doing the same for our industry. Suppliers, their trading partners, and service providers can experience enjoyable journeys and have fun watching their colleagues’ own as we all work to take the custom products industry to the next level. Now that’s a trip! PromoStandards Is Your Travel Guide! Think of PromoStandards as your reliable travel agent and state-of-the-art navigation system. When you start your journey with us, you start and stay on the right path. If you are ready to answer the call but need help figuring out where to start, you are right where you need to be. Do not hold yourself back by thinking you are too small or cannot afford to take your organization to the next level. PromoStandards has the path forward. We all have to start our digital journey somewhere. And there is no time like the present! To view the perks of non-members and the various PromoStandards membership levels and to access their applications, please visit https://promostandards.org/membership-application. Are you ready for a trip? Make it a point to travel to the 2024 Tech Summit.
The Milestones on Your Journey – Letter From the Chair
We’re continuing with the digital transformation journey, which is not just about the destination. PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi said, “When I was a boy, my family took lots of road trips. My parents loved to explore new places, experience new things, and learn a little bit more about the incredible places and people in North America. Driving could have been a boring slog, but my parents made it fun. As we’ve all heard, it’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey. In practice, it’s both.” Every Standard Every standard we’ve drafted is part of the journey. In the September Education Webinar, Jon Norris shared a quote from Eric Shonebarger. Eric stated at the PromoStandards 2023 Tech Summit that standards in development are forward-looking, projecting what we need 5 years out. In other words, PromoStandards provides organizations with milestones and destinations that go well into the future. Each Milestone Each milestone brings you closer to your digital destination. PromoStandards provides the tools, through standards, education sessions, and service providers, to guide your digital transformation journey. Each milestone, starting with Inventory Availability, brings tangible benefits and contributes to your transformation. Make the Journey Fun Similar to parents, PromoStandards has taken on the role of a supportive leader, ensuring you have fun along the way. In addition to implementing the standards, you can get involved with the PromoStandards community and attend events. Hundreds of companies have embraced this approach, and their companies, trading partners, and industries are all better for it. Also, mark your calendar for the highly anticipated 2024 Tech Summit! This will be a road trip worth taking. We look forward to seeing you there!
Member Spotlight: SnugZ USA
PromoStandards is a community, and those who become members have access to important information and proven service providers. In this member spotlight, we’ll cover SnugZ USA, the award-winning supplier. Here’s an in-depth look into who SnugZ USA is and how adopting PromoStandards integration helped move their transactions forward. Snugz USA Since 1989, SnugZ has always been committed to providing an exceptional customer experience and producing high-quality products for their customers. The business in West Jordan, Utah, started in a dusty, cramped attic with 5 friends crafting eyewear retainers. Now, they have over 1,000 employees and have a wide range of promotional products, including op-selling lanyards, GMP-certified personal care items, hand-crafted Traverse leather goods, and exclusive Thermos® brand gear. Before Promostandards Before implementing PromoStandards, SnugZ USA was facing what they thought were normal everyday issues. There were crazy costs associated with order entry, and the company experienced difficulty in: Providing accuracy in order entry, Having accurate inventory numbers, Communicating product changes to partners in a timely manner, and Communicating tracking and other status information to partners in a timely manner. PromoStandards’ Impact PromoStandards gave them the necessary tools to overcome these issues and others. In March 2015, SnugZ USA was approached by a large distributor who wanted them to use the Inventory endpoint. Since implementing PromoStandards, SnugZ USA has seen an increase in orders, and they are faster at entering orders and communicating with partners. PromoStandards also inspired them to step back and look at their own processes, procedures, and ways they stored and used data. This cleanup of data has proven to be beneficial to their business. “PromoStandards has changed the entire way we think about and manage our product data,” said Rosanne Webster, CIO of SnugZ USA. “Before PromoStandards, we managed product data through spreadsheets, manually updating information for search engines, our website, and customer data. Now, we’ve built an entire module within our ERP system to house this.” Become a PromoStandards Member! At PromoStandards, we make it easy to communicate with others in your industry. Find suppliers, distributors, and decorators and send and receive information to them in real-time. With four membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you. Join PromoStandards and start your journey!
2023 Virtual Hack-A-Thon
This was an online event. Promo Bot came in first place. Team members consisted of:
August Educational Webinar – Committee Chair Round Table
Online To register, click here:
On Your Journey – Letter From the Chair
Let’s continue with your digital transformation journey. The previous letter talked about how PromoStandards, the sole publisher of open industry standards, is a diverse community of industry organizations. What PromoStandards is and means to you depends on your needs. Now, PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi is sharing how, unlike the past, technology is core to every company. Technology Makes All the Difference If your company is not leveraging technology, it needs to be. Technology makes you competitive and is expected by just about every customer. The difference between connecting with your prospects, landing the customer, and keeping the customer satisfied comes down to technology. The popularity of consumer-focused online ordering systems and the importance of improving supply-chain efficiencies means integration is more important now than ever. Be Well on Your Way If you use email and have a website, you’re heading in the right direction. And if you configure and price products online, you’re well on your way. Implementing technology is a journey, not a destination. You’ll always be on the path of implementing technologies that make your business and life more efficient. PromoStandards Is Your Guide No matter where you are in your digital transformation journey, PromoStandards is your guide. We’ll help you harness the power of technology and make the most of your digital journey. Join our community to have access to members-only resources. You can also join events, chat with the entire PromoStandards community through our Slack channel, have full access to our directory of service providers, and more. With different membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you!
PromoStandards Happy Hour-Drinks, Food & Networking at ASI Show Chicago
At Flo & Santos! 1310 South Wabash Avenue Chicago, IL 60605 To register, click here.
Start Your Journey – Letter From the Chair
Every organization is on a digital journey. The previous letter covered how new technologies are redefining industries, and the promotional products industry is no exception. This month, PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi is sharing how to start your digital transformation journey. Make sure you’re in control of where your organization is going and are not just along for the ride. PromoStandards is here to help, no matter your needs. Your Guide PromoStandards means different things to different people. Some people think that PromoStandards is a software provider. Others see us as service providers. Many know us as an open standards body that defines integration standards, the blueprints for creating communication protocols that organizations can use to tightly integrate with trading partners. Others know us as a community of thought leaders and implementors that are raising the level of business automation for everyone in the industry; this is especially true for attendees of our 2023 Tech Summit. Through our membership, we’re all of this and so much more, making us unique and uniquely qualified to be your guide through your unique digital journey. Our PromoStandards Members PromoStandards doesn’t directly publish software, but through service provider members, we are the #1 source for locating industry-specific business management software and the #1 source for PromoStandards endpoint hosting providers. Through our members, we’re systems integrators that are experts in industry data. Through our dedicated volunteers, which range from startups to industry titans, we are the sole publisher of open industry standards that addresses the entire procure-to-pay (P2P) lifecycle. And, perhaps most importantly, we’re a diverse community of industry organizations on the journey to integrate, leverage data, and transform our business and the industry. Our Education Webinar David Shultz, Chair of the Service Provider Committee, led the July 18, 2023 education webinar. He shared how, through service provider members, PromoStandards has everything a company needs to implement: These are all here to help you through your journey. Click here for service provider members that can assist, and watch the webinar here! Become a Member Today! PromoStandards is your guide to help you harness the power of technology and make the most of your digital journey. Join our community to have access to members-only resources, like events, the directory, and our Slack channel. With different membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you!
