PromoStandards had a great kickoff to the new year. During the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, PromoStandards had a Member's Lounge room on Monday, January 9, from 9 am to 5 pm PST and held January’s education session, The Power of PromoStandards, from 1 pm to 2 pm PST.

In this month’s session, they dove into how PromoStandards isn’t just a standard; it’s a transformational way of conducting business within our supply chain.

Eric Alessi, President & CEO of Essent Corporation, is also the Chairman of PromoStandards. He said, “It’s always exciting to see the turnout and interest in PromoStandards along with the opportunity for trading partners to meet face-to-face.”

Progress and Membership

Jon Norris, Chief Operating Officer at Starline Inc. and Immediate Past Chair of PromoStandards, started his presentation by stating PromoStandards is the only open standard for the promotional products industry. There are:

• 2,112 supplier endpoints, a 131% growth in 2022.
• 443 suppliers hosting endpoints, a 74% growth.
• 1,000+ distributors using PromoStandards.

PromoStandards standardizes the transfer of vital information to move transactions forward, and companies that start using PromoStandards enter a movement that’s bringing integration, automation, and efficiency to the supply chain.

Distributor Benefits

Catherine Graham, Co-Founder and CEO at commonsku, is also a Current Board Member and Committee Chair for PromoStandards’ Service Provider Committee. She went over how PromoStandards creates a new, better way of working.

Key benefits for distributors include:

• accurate orders, so there’s no back and forth;
• automated order status, so there’s no time spent chasing and following up;
• and dramatically faster quoting and ordering, so there’s more time for selling.

Graham said after the event, “It was wonderful to see such a range of distributors, suppliers, and service providers show up at the PromoStandards education event at the PPAI Expo. There were great questions and engagement, with the attendees keen to see how we can continue to progress and drive implementation of digital transformation across the industry.”

Supplier Benefits

Eric Shonebarger, President at HIT Promotional Products, Inc. and Standards Committee Chair at PromoStandards, explained why distributors and suppliers in the promotional products industry should integrate their ordering platform. Shonebarger said, “It’s great to see how widely supported PromoStandards has become across suppliers, distributors, and service providers in the industry.”

Distributors and suppliers benefit from the following.

1. Enhanced accuracy – By automating the ordering process, distributors and suppliers can reduce the risk of errors or misunderstandings that can occur when orders are placed manually. This can improve the accuracy of orders and reduce the risk of costly mistakes.
2. Improved efficiency – Integrating the ordering platform allows distributors and suppliers in the promotional products industry to streamline their processes, reducing the time and effort required to place and track orders. This can improve the accuracy of orders and reduce the risk of costly mistakes.
3. Increased visibility – Integrating the ordering platform can provide greater visibility into the supply chain, allowing distributors and suppliers to track the status of orders in real time and identify any potential issues or bottlenecks. This can improve communication and coordination within the supply chain.

Suppliers specifically should use PromoStandards because:

• PromoStandards is the only open and free standard in the industry.
• PromoStandards has a large existing distributor market.
• PromoStandards is designed to be point-to-point. You stay in control with your trading partners.

Know What’s Going On

It’s 2023; customers are going to demand you know what is going on with your supply chain. What can you do? You can attend our educational events and renew or become a member today!

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