Promo products have become a $17 Billion dollar industry. Learn what is hot this year and how you can benefit. No longer are promotional products viewed as toys or gadgets. They are now used for public relations and branding.
Following my recent visit to the Las Vegas largest Promotional Product Show, I have compiled this list of 5 of my favorite items that I believe will be a hit in the coming year.
1) Gift Cards. Ringtone cards. Game cards. Music download cards.
This can be an inexpensive way to express appreciation for your customers. Content is now king with MP3 and IPOD players selling like hot cakes. They need to be able to sell their products and give them 3 or 5 songs for free. You can also use these cards to soothe a customer who is unhappy. It is always more efficient to help an unhappy customer than to find a new one.
The trend for gift cards was very popular in 2005. It will be a hot trend in 2006. Nowadays, gift cards are only advertised by stores. They no longer promote products. Customers can decide which product they would like. These cards are a huge cash-grab for those who sell them. 25% of balances have never been claimed. The cards come in 1000 pieces and can now be bought by all businesses, not just those at Costco or Walmart. The best thing about gift cards is the ability to guarantee future sales at your shop or business.
2) Apparel
Promo products were often associated with low-quality tshirts back when people used to be interested in apparel. Each manufacturer is vying for a slice of the market. It’s a huge business to make corporate apparel. There are many companies involved, including Liz Claiborne and American Apparel, Ping, Ashworth, Old Navy, Nike. Products include pants, sweat pants and jackets as well as t-shirts, pants and pants.
3)Lanyards:
These items are available everywhere. Lanyards were once the exclusive domain of trade shows. But they are now used in hundreds of other industries. Over the years, the quality of both the material and the printing have improved tremendously. Special plastic designs have had to be produced in smaller quantities from China. These lanyards can be found everywhere from hospitals to customer service to store salespeople to everyday people using them to keep their water bottles in place while they walk. There are many attachment options available, making them a must-have in many companies.
4. USB Drives
They were considered a novelty just a few decades ago. These are essential items for executives, who often carry files everywhere. These items will be appreciated hundreds of times and your branding is certain to get noticed. This useful product can automatically link people to your website. There are many storage sizes available so you can find the right one for your budget.
5)Dog Tags:
They have replaced the awareness bracelet trend of recent years. You can personalize these items with bar codes and consecutive numbers. You can use these items as admission tickets, raffle tickets, and incentives to encourage people to go to your website.
One piece of advice I would give to anyone considering using promotional products is: “IT DOESN’T COST MORE TO DO IT RIGHT!”You can. Bad products can do more harm to your reputation than the extra money you save on a cheaper product. Your goal shouldn’t be to spend less but to get more for what you have spent. Send me an email if you have questions. For ideas you can visit my site http://www.solutionsink4u.com with over 600,000 different items or just Google promotional products. We wish you all the best with your next endeavor.