The coronavirus pandemic has upended the promotional products industry, especially for suppliers.

Many have expanded their product line to include personal protective equipment (PPE), some even sidestepping the traditional supply chain and selling directly to end-users. Sourcing has diversified as reliance on Chinese production has been reduced. With shutdowns throughout the United States, workforces went remote and their communication went virtual.

“It’s more challenging developing new products while working remotely,” says Gerry Herson, national accounts sales manager at Piscataway, NJ-based Tingley Rubber Corporation (asi/91222). “Decisions on new products that could be decided in a meeting room full of samples now take several days just to review samples as they are passed from decision maker to decision maker via overnight mail.”

Suppliers have been forced to adapt to new technologies and strategies to stay viable, adjusting their client presentations and product releases for social distancing. Newark, CA-based Scalable Press (asi/87178) has worked closely with distributor partners to produce engaging digital content, such as educational and solution-based webinars. With its interactive demonstrations, Scalable Press is able to put functional software in front of customers to let them see what the consumer experience would be like to shop one of the company’s online stores or to have a purchase order automatically generate a decoration order following a sales order in an ERP.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity for us to position ourselves as consultants to distributors that may be a bit behind the technology curve, much like the entire industry,” says Joe Orminski, general manager of Scalable Press. “Between the well-documented surge in online sales activity and uncertainty of event-based business, there is definitely a sense of urgency to integrate e-commerce now in a more significant way than ever before.”

Mankato, MN-based Navitor (asi/81500) has launched a comprehensive education series of e-booklets, webinars, videos and social toolkits to help businesses plan amid the pandemic. Webinar topics thus far include profitable growth with print, selling tips, labels and packaging, business identity and technology and targeting the cannabis market. Most materials are offered for free to distributors on Navitor.com.

“In the beginning of the pandemic, distributors were struggling because so many of them had a huge focus on promo, which was hit extremely hard with 90% to 95% decreases in business,” says Stephanie Drago, director of marketing at Navitor. “We wanted to help them find new opportunities. We started offering the first materials and ideas in March and now have had thousands and thousands of hits, views, downloads and general usage of these valuable and useful materials to supplement their business and allow them to continue to sell.”

BRING NEW BRANDS TO MARKET
With this new industry, new brands are entering the market daily. Product Recommendations: stitched insert folders, enhanced finishes for sample cards, info cards#cannabisculture #cannabispackaging #CBDbenefits pic.twitter.com/lOjcD8kHMa

— Navitor (@Navitor) September 14, 2020

Some suppliers are also moving away from traditional catalogs for their distributor clients. In order to cut costs during the pandemic (physical catalogs cost a fortune to produce) and take an eco-friendly approach, several have transitioned to digital catalogs. Top 40 supplier alphabroder (asi/34063) has provided a bevy of selling tools to distributors right within the pages of its 2021 digital catalog, which includes 360-degree views of products and educational videos that can be used for client presentations, as well as social media posts.

For example, if your client wanted to order new shirts for its employees to welcome them back to the office, you and your client can watch videos showing the features of the choices, see front, back and side product views, see available companion styles and learn more about the brand. Every style links to another website, which shows more details about the catalog products.

More fun with 2021 digital #catalog video: @BellaCanvasLA collection vibe. (ICYMI, we launched our 2021 USA digitally enhanced catalog), Canada has also premiered. Watch us transform the world of digital catalogs: https://t.co/uGHElIgBjx#promotionalproducts #silkscreen pic.twitter.com/Sg1pot2RaA

— alphabroder (@alphabroder) August 27, 2020

“Today’s customer wants to be able to do research on their own,” says Steven Valeri, vice president of marketing at alphabroder. “Providing them with the tools they want in a platform they are used to shopping with can increase the positive customer experience of your brand and lead to more sales. We feel this is the most powerful selling tool we have ever delivered to our customers and it will give them, and their end-users, the ability to make the best buying decisions.”

Top 40 supplier Charles River Apparel (asi/44620) wanted to do something different with its fall 2020 collection. Each of the models featured in its latest catalog and social media marketing is a “local hero” – a teacher, nurse or other worker on the front lines during the fight against COVID-19. Sharon, MA-based Charles River revealed its fall line and “Celebrating Our Everyday Heroes” campaign during a virtual press event this month.

The supplier is also launching a brand ambassador program, looking for social media influencers and everyday heroes with a love of New England, adventure and clothing to rep their latest styles online. “These are people that are out there every single day,” says Rich Corvalan, vice president of sales at Charles River Apparel. “I hope it resonates in the industry. We want this to be replicated; we want others to recognize their own heroes. There’s a bigger message here than selling product.”

The Manchester rain jacket (5161) features color-blocking and mimics the look of a ski jacket. The jacket is being modeled by Jennifer, a critical care nurse who works in a post-anesthesia care unit.

Shortly after the initial impact of the pandemic, Mosinee, WI-based Maple Ridge Farms (asi/68680) developed a program which allowed for a significant discount on its products, free drop shipments and free greeting cards on gourmet gifts. New products and marketing strategies were created, including healthcare worker and Zoom meeting survival kits, as well as cinnamon walnut coffee cakes for Zoom meetings in the morning. Capitalizing on the demand for work-from-home gifts, the supplier has seen a sales increase of 75% since mid-March.

Maple Ridge Farms created work-from-home gifts and other new products to meet customers’ needs during the pandemic.

“As a team, we discussed a ‘no hesitation to call’ approach,” says Jamie Johnson, national sales executive at Maple Ridge Farms. “Just because one may be having a tough time, it doesn’t mean they want to be forgotten. We adjusted our method of sharing ideas, product information and inquiring what current projects we could help service, but our intentions remained the same: to provide our customers with outstanding service by listening to the situation, asking appropriate and thoughtful questions and delivering a solution built specifically for their needs. I experienced many beautiful conversations in which we both shed some personal layers of vulnerability, permitting us to cut through some layers and get down to business.”