In an industry where 90% of suppliers import their products from overseas, the days of the American manufacturing machine powering the entire promo industry are long gone. However, a key switch has occurred with the pandemic: distributors are expressing a much stronger preference to purchase U.S.-made goods. In the 2020 Counselor SOI report (fielded before COVID), 60% of distributors professed a desire to purchase Made-in-the-USA promotional products. In 2021, that figure went up to 76%. And lest you think it was a one-time phenomenon, the numbers increased again to 80% this year. It seems like that preference is slowly turning into action. Suppliers reported that more than half of their distributor clients (54%) asked for Made-in-America products than the previous year. Likewise, surveyed distributors said 41% of their end-buyers asked more for American-made products as well. Price has historically been the greatest hurdle to purchasing more Made-in-the-USA products. But if American manufacturers can compete amid a sea of rising costs, and deliver on inventory while overseas importing is beset with disruption, then perhaps the tide can turn back a little to American shores.