{"id":2002,"date":"2019-01-31T14:09:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T14:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asi2.wpenginepowered.com\/uncategorized\/asi-reports-2018-distributor-sales-of-promo-products-hits-record-24-7-billion\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T13:54:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T17:54:54","slug":"asi-reports-2018-distributor-sales-of-promo-products-hits-record-24-7-billion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asicentral.com\/press-releases\/asi-reports-2018-distributor-sales-of-promo-products-hits-record-24-7-billion\/","title":{"rendered":"ASI Reports 2018 Distributor Sales Of Promo Products Hits Record $24.7 billion"},"content":{"rendered":"

North American sales leap 4.9%, breaking record for 9th consecutive year<\/em><\/p>\n

TREVOSE, PA \u2013 January 29, 2019 \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The\u00a0Advertising Specialty Institute\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0(ASI) today announced North American sales of promotional products hit a record $24.7 billion in 2018, up 4.9% from 2017 and breaking a distributor sales record for the ninth consecutive year.<\/p>\n

The growth was fueled by sales of branded items like T-shirts, caps and pens that companies typically give away to promote their business, brand or event. ASI\u2019s most recent\u00a0Global Advertising Specialties Impressions Study\u00a0on ROI shows promotional products consistently rank among the most influential, enduring and cost-effective advertising mediums available.<\/p>\n

\u201cDistributors in our industry are responding to monumental changes in today\u2019s business world, rising to the digital challenge and clearly convincing more and more clients of the power of promotional products,\u201d\u00a0<\/a>said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI, the largest membership organization in the promotional industry, with a network of over 23,500 distributors and suppliers throughout North America. \u201cI\u2019m bullish on our industry and optimistic that smart brands will continue investing in affordable promo products, which hold their currency through good times and bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the fourth quarter of 2018, nearly 40% of distributors reported a sales surge over the prior year\u2019s Q4.
\nAt the same time, the Counselor\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0Confidence Index, which measures the health of distributor companies, dipped amid import tariffs, stock market instability and growing concern over domestic and global economies.<\/p>\n

Still, distributors consistently used words like \u201chopeful,\u201d \u201coptimistic,\u201d \u201cbetter\u201d and \u201cgrowth\u201d when asked for their outlook on 2019, according to ASI research. The Index scored 115 in the fourth quarter \u2013 just two points down from Q3\u2019s 117, which was a record high. The 115 score was also spot-on Counselor\u2019s rolling six-quarter average reading for the Index, while also being above Q4 2017\u2019s reading of 114.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2018, we saw organic growth across all aspects of our business as well as new opportunities in programs and acquisitions that resulted in a double-digit increase,\u201d said Jo-an Lantz, president of Top 40 distributor Geiger (asi\/202900). \u201cThe global economy was strong, and businesses capitalized upon this.\u00a0 The good news is that same strength is continuing into this year. We are positive and anticipate similar results in 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

In all, nearly half of distributors (48%) increased revenue last year, while 30% held steady on sales. The industry\u2019s bigger firms performed best overall: 70% of distributors with revenue of $1 million or more reported a 2018 year-over-year sales rise.<\/p>\n

Nathaniel Kucsma, ASI\u2019s executive director of research and corporate marketing, authored ASI\u2019s 2018 sales report and said, \u201cThere\u2019s no question that 2018 was a very strong year for promo, with a sales surge that outpaced 2017\u2019s growth, which was 3.2%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consolidation within the promotional products sector continues to impact sales, with ASI\u2019s Counselor magazine reporting that larger distributors are gaining market share through organic growth and acquisition. Top 40 firms like AIA Corporation (asi\/109480) reported an 11% gain in 2018, while 4imprint\u2019s (asi\/197045) preliminary full-year sales results indicate an 18% rise.<\/p>\n

That said, many smaller distributors held their own in 2018. About four in 10 firms with revenue of $250,000 or less recorded an annual increase, while 48% of distributors with sales between $250,001 and $1 million also made gains, ASI data shows.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\u201cI had record sales in 2018, partly due to winning large bids, with repeat customers making up a huge part as well,\u201d said Kelly Moore, owner of Moore Promotions. \u201cThese loyal customers have all referred me so many times that my small business is booming. I am worried about tariffs, but as of now my overseas bids are holding firm until after the Chinese New Year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

North American sales leap 4.9%, breaking record for 9th consecutive year TREVOSE, PA \u2013 January 29, 2019 \u2013\u00a0The\u00a0Advertising Specialty Institute\u00ae\u00a0(ASI)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":1482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nASI Reports 2018 Distributor Sales Of Promo Products Hits Record $24.7 billion • ASI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asicentral.com\/press-releases\/asi-reports-2018-distributor-sales-of-promo-products-hits-record-24-7-billion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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