{"id":2051,"date":"2018-05-03T12:23:08","date_gmt":"2018-05-03T12:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asi2.wpenginepowered.com\/uncategorized\/counselors-state-of-the-industry-reports-e-commerce-rising\/"},"modified":"2018-05-03T12:23:08","modified_gmt":"2018-05-03T12:23:08","slug":"counselors-state-of-the-industry-reports-e-commerce-rising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asicentral.com\/press-releases\/counselors-state-of-the-industry-reports-e-commerce-rising\/","title":{"rendered":"Counselor’s \u201cState of the Industry\u201d Reports E-Commerce Rising"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/header>\n<\/article>\n

Education remains largest market, with $3.28 billion in distributor sales<\/em><\/p>\n

TREVOSE, PA \u2013 July 28, 2017 \u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Counselor\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0<\/span>magazine\u2019s annual \u201cState of the Industry<\/a>\u201d reports half of the top 10 largest distributors in the $23 billion promotional products industry are now actively leveraging e-commerce for business, with an increasing number of clients expected to buy logoed items with a click insteaad of a call.<\/p>\n

The report also shows education continued to dominate as the top industry market, accounting for $3.28 billion, or 14.3%, of 2016 distributor revenue.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>Advertising Specialty Institute<\/a>\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0(ASI) publishes Counselor magazine, which annually surveys the buyers and sellers of logoed and branded promotional products for its special \u201cState of the Industry\u201d issue, available in print and online each July. The report, considered the most important and influential in the promotional products industry, analyzes key sales, marketing and operational metrics used throughout the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be successful, brands of all types need to be where their customers are \u2013 and today, they\u2019re no doubt on digital platforms,\u201d said Counselor Editor-in-Chief Dave Vagnoni (@VagnoniASI). \u201cLuckily, ASI\u2019s data shows industry companies are serious about investing in technology, have a stronger understanding of customer buying habits and are offering more revenue-generating services to supplement advertising campaigns \u2013 all positive signs that they\u2019re motivated to enter a new and better age of selling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report is divided into 10 topical sections, exploring current business trends like mobile-friendly websites, prospecting and the need for speed.<\/p>\n

The 142-page issue offers winning tips, tactics and growth strategies along with profiles and videos of the\u00a0<\/span>2017 Counselor Award winners<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 including Boundless CEO Henrik Johansson as Person of the Year and PFConcept CEO Ralf Oster as International Person of the Year, as well as the exclusive revenue ranking of the\u00a0<\/span>top 40 distributor<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>supplier<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>companies.<\/p>\n

In 2016, the $550.2 million revenue spread between the first and last distributor company on the annual top 40 list represents the largest difference ever. Among suppliers, alphabroder (asi\/34063) was number one, setting another industry record with $1.14 billion in North American sales<\/p>\n

Of the top 40 suppliers, five are headed by female chief executives, with four women heading top 40 distributor companies.<\/p>\n

In 2016, distributors reported their average profit margin was 34.3%, up for the second year in a row. While online competitors exist \u2013 with many distributors considering them their biggest threat \u2013 promotional products companies aren\u2019t cutting their prices to match the lowest offer on every order.<\/p>\n

Highlights from Counselor\u2019s 2017 survey include:<\/p>\n