We live in an age of digital transformation, an ultra-connected world where the power of the Internet, communication protocols, and application programming interfaces (API) systems can communicate with one another at the speed of light to work as an integrated system. Throughout the world, systems leverage these technologies to transform how we work and play, allowing us and our systems to do more in less time.

The phrase “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts” applies to digital integration, where layers of open standards are fundamentally transforming how industries, marketplaces, businesses, and even users interact with the supply chain. A number of industries have already been radically transformed.

Industries are waking up to the inefficiencies of the supply chain. Moving forward, we cannot rely on email threads and phone-tag to complete simple tasks and get the answers we need.

The promotional products industry is unique in many ways, and mainstream solutions didn’t quite fit. The standards for the retail supply chain don’t work for us, and for a long time, many in the industry couldn’t see how we could get there. The industry wasn’t ready, even just 10 years ago.

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. Continue reading for ways to make your business better!

PromoStandards Makes Software Better

PromoStandards makes promotional product business software better through open standards that enable digital integration, specifically designed for the industry.

Leveraging the power of PromoStandards is straightforward. Use software that utilizes PromoStandards integration protocols, or have your software developers use the published standards to implement the protocols themselves.

In making your software better, you improve your business for the entire supply chain, including your trading partners, employees, and customers. However you work, PromoStandards has a way for you to reach your goals.

PromoStandards Protocols

PromoStandards doesn’t write software; we develop the communication protocols and publish the communication specifications and application programming interfaces (API) that allow disparate systems to integrate. In a sense, PromoStandards wrote the book on how companies in the industry can electronically communicate.

PromoStandards protocols are organized into three major document sets.

The Status Document Set includes:

• PS-IA PromoStandards Inventory Availability,
• PS-OS PromoStandards Order Status,
• and PS-OSN PromoStandards Order Ship Notice.

The Data Document Set includes:

• PS-PD PromoStandards Product Detail,
• PS-PC PromoStandards Product Compliance,
• PS-PPC PromoStandards Product Price & Configuration,
• and PS-MC PromoStandards Media Content.

The Transaction Document Set includes:

• PS-PO PromoStandards Purchase Order,
• PS-OM PromoStandards Order Management,
• and PS-INV PromoStandards Invoice.

Why Integrate?

PromoStandards integration provides businesses with several advantages.

PromoStandards Makes It Easier for Buyers to Buy and Sellers to Sell

• Suppliers can immediately and accurately communicate customer-specific prices and availability.
• Distributors can look in their system in real-time to see what’s available from a supplier purchase and at what price.
• Customers can see inventory in real-time, increasing confidence, reducing backorders, and eliminating dissatisfaction.

PromoStandards Leads to Reduced Time and Labor

• Emails and phone calls take time and labor. Customer service calls are reduced for everyone throughout the entire order lifecycle.
• Custom orders can be entered with accuracy.
• Having to manually enter custom orders each day is eliminated.

PromoStandards Helps Everyone Be Happier

• Modern commerce is fast-paced. Labor and delay are reduced throughout the entire order lifecycle.
• Today people expect digital integration, real-time data, and customer portals — all possible at every level of the supply chain through PromoStandards protocols.
• Accuracy is critical. Information comes right from the source, untouched by people, making it as accurate as possible.

PromoStandards Adoption Is Growing

PromoStandards is an open standard, built on open standards. The mature, proven technology suite was first introduced in 2015. More than 1,300 companies are using PromoStandards and representing tens of thousands of integrations. These numbers are growing every day!

Use PromoStandards in Any Industry

While PromoStandards comes from the promotional products industry, the standards were written for custom product transactions in general. PromoStandards protocols are relatively lightweight and easy to implement, leveraging open standards and modern programming patterns. As a result, PromoStandards can be and is utilized by other industries throughout the world.

The PromoStandards Community

PromoStandards isn’t just a bunch of great standards that companies happen to standardize on, it’s a community for trading partners – suppliers, distributors, decorators, and service providers – to come together and collaborate on making business better through systems integration that enables digital transformation.

PromoStandards Is Inclusive

PromoStandards is truly inclusive. Members and adopters include:

• companies of all sizes,
• end-customers that consume the data,
• and the manufacturers, suppliers, decorators, distributors, and service providers representing the entire supply chain.

Adoption ranges from notable industry suppliers (like alphabroder, Hit Promotional Products, Koozie Group, PCNA, SanMar, and Starline) to large distributors (like Geiger, HALO Branded Solutions, and Staples) along with thousands of users through service providers (like commonsku, Essent Corporation, and Facilisgroup).

Whether you are in the industry, outside of the industry, or somewhere in between, PromoStandards welcomes you to our community and invites you to get involved and adopt the standards.

Organizations throughout the industry see the value and are proud to state, “We standardize on PromoStandards.”

Implement PromoStandards Today

Transform the way you work alongside your trading partners, vendors, and customers by implementing PromoStandards.

With four membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you. Become a member today and see what the future of your business can hold!