On Your Journey – Letter From the Chair
Let’s continue with your digital transformation journey. The previous letter talked about how PromoStandards, the sole publisher of open industry standards, is a diverse community of industry organizations. What PromoStandards is and means to you depends on your needs. Now, PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi is sharing how, unlike the past, technology is core to every company. Technology Makes All the Difference If your company is not leveraging technology, it needs to be. Technology makes you competitive and is expected by just about every customer. The difference between connecting with your prospects, landing the customer, and keeping the customer satisfied comes down to technology. The popularity of consumer-focused online ordering systems and the importance of improving supply-chain efficiencies means integration is more important now than ever. Be Well on Your Way If you use email and have a website, you’re heading in the right direction. And if you configure and price products online, you’re well on your way. Implementing technology is a journey, not a destination. You’ll always be on the path of implementing technologies that make your business and life more efficient. PromoStandards Is Your Guide No matter where you are in your digital transformation journey, PromoStandards is your guide. We’ll help you harness the power of technology and make the most of your digital journey. Join our community to have access to members-only resources. You can also join events, chat with the entire PromoStandards community through our Slack channel, have full access to our directory of service providers, and more. With different membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you!
The Milestones on Your Journey – Letter From the Chair
We’re continuing with the digital transformation journey, which is not just about the destination. PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi said, “When I was a boy, my family took lots of road trips. My parents loved to explore new places, experience new things, and learn a little bit more about the incredible places and people in North America. Driving could have been a boring slog, but my parents made it fun. As we’ve all heard, it’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey. In practice, it’s both.” Every Standard Every standard we’ve drafted is part of the journey. In the September Education Webinar, Jon Norris shared a quote from Eric Shonebarger. Eric stated at the PromoStandards 2023 Tech Summit that standards in development are forward-looking, projecting what we need 5 years out. In other words, PromoStandards provides organizations with milestones and destinations that go well into the future. Each Milestone Each milestone brings you closer to your digital destination. PromoStandards provides the tools, through standards, education sessions, and service providers, to guide your digital transformation journey. Each milestone, starting with Inventory Availability, brings tangible benefits and contributes to your transformation. Make the Journey Fun Similar to parents, PromoStandards has taken on the role of a supportive leader, ensuring you have fun along the way. In addition to implementing the standards, you can get involved with the PromoStandards community and attend events. Hundreds of companies have embraced this approach, and their companies, trading partners, and industries are all better for it. Also, mark your calendar for the highly anticipated 2024 Tech Summit! This will be a road trip worth taking. We look forward to seeing you there!
Unleashing the Power of Technology: Enjoying the Trip – Letter from the Chair
In last month’s Letter From the Chair, PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi shared the age-old saying, “It’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey.” It is a philosophy hundreds of companies follow, creating an enjoyable trip by aiming to make each step they take toward their end goals successful. PromoStandards specializes in offering the services your organization needs to enjoy its journey. Read on to learn more! What Makes a Trip Enjoyable? As a supplier, enjoyment comes from meeting our customer’s needs while reducing transactional friction and costs. Implementing proper communication protocols enhances digital integration, allowing suppliers to mitigate time-consuming and costly obstacles for trading partners throughout the procure-to-pay lifecycle. Both the supplier and trading partners benefit from accurate data and pricing with: • Lightning-Fast Processing Time and• Fewer Wasted Resources,• Reduced Labor Costs and• Without Unwelcome Surprises. How would we describe this journey? One word: “Enjoyable.” PromoStandards & Mapping Journeys for Suppliers and Trading Partners Exciting developments are happening in the custom products arena, especially when you throw service providers into the mix!From an integration perspective, suppliers are learning that their market is opening to smaller trading partners. In the past, there was no way a supplier would consider integrating with a small transactional customer. They simply were unable to justify the cost and labor. Even if the costs and labor were justifiable, the reality was that the distributor needed more resources to implement and maintain integration with the supplier. But PromoStandards has changed all of that! We offer an ecosystem that levels the playing field for all industry professionals in the most productive ways, improving individual businesses while doing the same for our industry. Suppliers, their trading partners, and service providers can experience enjoyable journeys and have fun watching their colleagues’ own as we all work to take the custom products industry to the next level. Now that’s a trip! PromoStandards Is Your Travel Guide! Think of PromoStandards as your reliable travel agent and state-of-the-art navigation system. When you start your journey with us, you start and stay on the right path. If you are ready to answer the call but need help figuring out where to start, you are right where you need to be. Do not hold yourself back by thinking you are too small or cannot afford to take your organization to the next level. PromoStandards has the path forward. We all have to start our digital journey somewhere. And there is no time like the present! To view the perks of non-members and the various PromoStandards membership levels and to access their applications, please visit https://promostandards.org/membership-application. Are you ready for a trip? Make it a point to travel to the 2024 Tech Summit.
Introducing OS 2.0.0, the Updated Endpoint
OS, which stands for Order Status, is among the most widely adopted PromoStandards endpoints. It’s often one of the first pieces of information that suppliers integrate. When suppliers integrate OS, distributors can easily see how far along the order is and when they should expect it to be delivered. This means distributors no longer have to call or email them to know where the order stands! PromoStandards is excited to share that it has released OS 2.0.0. In this article, we’re sharing the changes this updated version brings and what this means for you! The Changes Made With OS 2.0.0 OS 2.0.0 was co-authored by Stephen Luisser and Raj Mukherjee from Hit Promotional Products under the collaboration and oversight of the Standards Committee in 2023. OS 1.0.0, the second standard PromoStandards released in 2015, was co-authored by Jon Norris and Eric Shonebarger. The upgrade came about to effectively communicate different issues that can occur throughout the lifecycle of an order. Its key features enhance order processing, streamline issue resolution, and improve communication with suppliers. OS 2.0.0 Fields Here are the 8 fields it contains! What This Means for You There are several noticeable enhancements this upgrade brings. People can: What People Are Saying “The ability to communicate and resolve issues between distributors and suppliers is the next evolution of the standards,” said Steven Stanley, CTO at ePromos Promotional Products and PromoStandards board member. Raj Mukherjee, CIO at Hit Promotional Products, said, “Order Status 2.0.0 will push the boundaries of communication between suppliers, distributors, and service providers.” Make Your Business Better With PromoStandards Industries cannot rely on email threads and phone-tag to complete simple tasks and get the answers they need. That’s where PromoStandards comes in! We have a proven vision of optimizing our supply chain and transforming it through open standards and digital integration. Our endpoints can be and are utilized by the promotional products industry and other industries around the world. There are endpoints for Inventory, Invoices, Media, Order Status, Product Compliance, Product Configuration, Product Data, Purchase Orders, and Ship Notices. To get started, simply join PromoStandards to access all the information you need!
Looking Forward – Letter From the Chair
PromoStandards is inherently forward-thinking. With a commitment to leveraging established open standards and developing new technologies, the organization actively strives to enhance the efficiency of the promotional products industry. Our proven success serves as a testament to our mission and approach. This month, PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi reflects on how PromoStandards understands and meets industry needs. PromoStandards’ Survey To better understand the top needs of the industry, PromoStandards surveyed its members in the summer of 2023. Amongst its members are the most progressive and successful companies in the industry. Survey results did not disappoint. The data, full of valuable insights, is indispensable in confirming our success and determining what we need to do to move forward. Our Progress In November 2023, the analysis of the survey served as a foundation for discussions at the Board’s Annual Planning Meeting in Tampa, Florida. It provided clarity for our path moving forward. The meeting kicked off with a timeline illustrating our progress. PromoStandards started in 2015 as a group of progressive companies committed to the industry, became a nonprofit in 2019, and held its first official in-person board meeting and membership meeting in 2020. Like the standards developed, PromoStandards has iterated and grown. The organization went from a version 1.0 organization at its inception to version 2.0 with official meetings. Now, PromoStandards is at the cusp of 3.0 as it continues to refine and expand its standards based on industry feedback. Know Your Starting Point Anyone who’s traveled knows that to understand where you are going, you need to understand where you’ve been. Otherwise, it’s difficult to determine if you’re on the right track. The starting point serves as a reference throughout your journey, allowing you to gauge the distance covered so far and forecast the time it will take to reach the next milestone. Looking back, it’s amazing what PromoStandards has accomplished. It’s been a remarkable journey. Our future looks equally amazing. There are more great things to come. Travel to the Tech Summit Make it a point to travel to the 2024 Tech Summit. It features three days of education tracts. Attendees will learn about PromoStandards integrations and industry-relevant technology, and have ample opportunity to network with industry peers. We look forward to seeing you there!
Member Spotlight – Antera Software USA, Inc.
PromoStandards is a community, and those who become members have access to important information and proven service providers. In this member spotlight, we’ll cover Antera Software USA, Inc., a service provider that runs promotional product software for distributors, suppliers, and printers. Here’s an in-depth look into who Antera Software is and how adopting PromoStandards integration helped move their transactions forward. Antera Software Antera Software, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Plano, Texas, specializes in creating and implementing custom software solutions that target challenges faced by promotional products and print industries. Its flagship cloud-based software, Advance, is used by industry professionals worldwide to automate their workflows and manage businesses effectively. Advance offers a comprehensive suite of operational and financial management capabilities, incorporating cutting-edge CRM technology and integrated modules. One of its key features is its Open API technology, which allows for seamless integration with third-party products and common accounting systems, such as QuickBooks. PromoStandards’ Impact Before integrating PromoStandards, Antera Software faced the industry-specific challenge of inconsistent information. Many of their customers were unhappy with the out-of-date data. To come up with a common way to integrate, employees of Antera Software talked with promotional product suppliers and distributors to come up with a common way to integrate. It was these people who mentioned PromoStandards. Antera Software utilizes all PromoStandards endpoints in Advance. This allows customers to collaborate effectively on orders and exchange data, documents, and information in real-time, resulting in tremendous time savings. What’s more, distributors have the ability to see live inventory levels and place orders electronically. Changes made automatically update on the platform. “PromoStandards has allowed our customers to grow exponentially. The accuracy and speed of information from PromoStandards have allowed them to increase their volume of business with fewer employees,” said Rick Peters, CEO of Antera Software USA, Inc. Become a PromoStandards Member! At PromoStandards, we make it easy to communicate with others in your industry. Find suppliers, distributors, and decorators and send and receive information to them in real-time. With four membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you. Join PromoStandards and start your journey!
Looking Back and Looking Forward – Letter From the Chair
PromoStandards started back in 2014 when a group of highly committed industry technology leaders rolled up their sleeves to create the first set of industry standards from the ground up. “Working in a cramped conference room with fellow executives from the industry’s most prominent companies was an exhilarating and incredibly productive experience,” said PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi. “These are some of my fondest memories of collaborating in the industry.” The industry, what we expect from technology, and PromoStandards have changed over the course of a decade. As 2023 comes to a close, Alessi reflects on how PromoStandards has evolved. Our Volunteers While many board members maintain a hands-on approach, there has been a notable increase in dedicated volunteers who generously contribute their time and expertise for the betterment of the industry. This influx lightens the load for board members and fosters a more united and cooperative approach toward achieving progress. Our Focus The board is still laser-focused on our mission to facilitate the development and adoption of open interoperability standards. We continue to create new standards, and now we’re at a place where we can update these standards. Order Status 2.0.0 and Order Shipment Notification 2.0.0 are new versions of standards that were released in 2023. Our Future PromoStandards has firmly established itself as the industry standard for digital integration. We’re looking to the future to prepare for what’s next and continue to care for the standards and community we’ve built. We are ready to journey into the next decade and hope you join us. Here’s to a great year in 2024 and the years that lie ahead!
Member Spotlight – Hit Promotional Products
Distributors, suppliers, service providers, and decorators drive the success and growth of the promotional product industry. PromoStandards is an organization where those entities can collaborate to create and integrate industry-changing order communication and management standards. In this member spotlight, we highlight Hit Promotional Products, a top industry supplier that provides premier design services with your favorite in-demand brands. Please keep reading for more on Hit and how PromoStandards has helped its business. About Hit Promotional Products Hit Promotional Products (Hit) is a family-owned business—a leader in the promotional products industry for over 50 years and ranks among the top five suppliers in the U.S. As a PromoStandards Advisory Supplier member, the company holds two spots on our 2024 Board of Directors and a spot as a 2024 Executive Committee member-at-large. The supplier is headquartered in Largo, Florida, and operates production facilities across four states: Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Hit’s collective production space, totaling 1.4 million sq. ft., and 3,000 team members allow the company to produce more than 3,500 orders daily, with about $200 million worth of inventory on the ground, water, or on order at any given time. Throughout its years of operation, Hit has continuously evolved to meet the demands of changing times and customer needs. Today, customers can expect a supplier that: PromoStandards’ Impact “PromoStandards has changed the way we do business internally. Serving up data for order status, tracking, invoice, (etc.), nearly in real-time and at scale has allowed Hit to upgrade systems and build robust internal business processes,” said Raj Mukherjee, CIO at Hit Promotional Products. “It [PromoStandards] has become key to our customer sales cycle.” Before adopting PromoStandards’ industry standards, Hit faced the challenge of integrating with distributors on a case-by-case basis to communicate and manage inventory, invoices, orders, and products. As any supplier in the industry will confirm, specializing their communications systems for each distributor is tedious, time-consuming, and increases the risk of clerical errors and miscommunication. Hit Promotional Products sits among the list of fellow distributors, suppliers, and service providers collaborating to create the first industry standards before PromoStandards’ official founding in 2019. Since then, the company has maintained its leading position in PromoStandards development and integration. Benefits that Hit has observed with PromoStandards integration include: Drive the Industry as a PromoStandards Member! At PromoStandards, we aim to develop, improve, drive the adoption of, and facilitate the integration of promotional product industry communication standards. Our members comprise an extensive community of distributors, suppliers, service providers, and decorators who, by integrating our standards, can send and receive order information in real time. Join PromoStandards today by selecting one of our four membership levels so you can streamline your operations and scale your business.
Member Spotlight – HALO Branded Solutions
PromoStandards is committed to improving supply chain and transactional efficiencies in the promotional products industry. The business was created in 2014 when a dedicated group of distributors, suppliers, and service providers created the first set of industry standards. Over the years, the number of standards grew, and PromoStandards became a nonprofit in 2019. In this member spotlight, we’re highlighting HALO Branded Solutions, one of the founding organizations of PromoStandards. HALO Branded Solutions is the largest promotional product distributor in the United States and has purchasing agreements with more than 250 of the world’s largest suppliers. This robust supplier network allows them to provide excellent pricing and value to their clients. Continue reading to learn more about HALO and how adopting PromoStandards integration helped move their transactions forward. HALO Branded Solutions Established in 1952 and headquartered in Sterling, Illinois, HALO Branded Solutions is the global leader in branded merchandise, company uniforms, and employee recognition and incentive solutions. With a team of over 1,800 members spread across 42 offices worldwide, HALO serves businesses of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to thousands of mid and small-size organizations. PromoStandards’ Impact Before integrating PromoStandards, HALO team members had frequent and repeated follow-up calls and emails with suppliers about order status and shipping information. With PromoStandards, this was significantly reduced, and the company experienced more timely communication between account executives and customers on order progress and shipment tracking information. “PromoStandards is a foundational element to our data integration strategy,” said Kevin Pollack, COO of HALO Branded Solutions. “We continue to build around and upon PromoStandards to streamline and standardize a wide variety of order-related processes. We see great value in expanding the use of PromoStandards in the future.” Make Your Business Even Better With PromoStandards PromoStandards makes it easy to communicate with others in the industry. Your business can also reduce the number of phone calls and emails received, thereby saving time and labor. With four membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you. Join PromoStandards and start your journey!
Member Spotlight – Kotis Design
We are excited to dedicate our member spotlight to the designer and distributor Kotis Design, a promotional products company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Kotis Design CEO and Founder Jeff Becker launched the company in 2003 after he graduated from the University of Washington. However, Kotis Design’s origins date back to 2001 when Becker started a student-run, custom-design T-shirt business. Today, the company’s operations have grown larger than life. About Kotis Design Kotis Design is a full-spectrum, custom swag-management platform. Much like PromoStandards, Kotis Design aims to advance the industry’s traditional practices by owning the end-to-end workflow of product and design ideation and implementing services, including (but not limited to): The Swag Platform & Portals The swag platform and portals allow consumers to manage and ship their swag quickly and offer various solutions to enable organizations to distribute their swag. Providing Premier Swag Organizations will find that there are many ways they can create their swag. Kotis Design offers phenomenal options for fully-custom designs to swag guides for specific products or kits you’d like to curate. The design and fulfillment-management platform utilizes a creative agency approach and its in-house workshop to control its clients’ branded swag from start to finish. The platform is committed to elevating an organization’s brand through merch and swag. That includes partnering with trusted retail brands for anything an organization may need, such as: Brands that help run and scale Kotis Design’s swag programs include the following: PromoStandards’ Impact “Innovation is a key part of our company, thinking outside the box and anticipating how tomorrow’s needs will differ from today,” says Kotis Design CTO Daniel Becker. “People these days expect everyone’s systems to work seamlessly with each other, and PromoStandards makes that possible. It allows our employees to spend less time on data management and more time working on creative ideas for clients, providing better and faster services.” How Did Kotis Design Discover PromoStandards? We started using PromoStandards in 2016 after hearing about it from supplier partners and industry newsletters. We were immediately eager to jump at the chance to streamline our operations. At that time, we already had custom integrations with multiple apparel suppliers and wanted to add more. But integrating separately with each of the many suppliers was impractical on a large scale. Universal integration for suppliers was a game changer for us. How Has PromoStandards Helped Kotis Design? Tedious data entry tasks are such a problem. No one likes doing them. They’re too slow and susceptible to human error. Yet, computers love these tasks and work 24/7 – a match made in heaven! Getting order status, tracking, and invoice data back from suppliers automatically saves us a ton of data entry. The info gets into our system faster, and we have more data points. For example, the invoices via PromoStandards include line-item details that we don’t even bother entering for non-PromoStandards invoices. That lack of data has cascading impacts down the line. What Improvements Have You Seen in the Company’s Workflow? While we still have (a lot) more to do to take advantage of PomoStandards’ resources, the non-profit has already helped us, providing a viable path to improving our workflow. Even when we haven’t implemented specific standards, we’ve inevitably altered how our teams work to anticipate the coming changes. It’s like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Become A PromoStandards Member! We simplify communication between suppliers, decorators, distributors, and service providers. Streamlining product development and management in the custom products industries is necessary to keep up with growing demands and a complicated supply chain. That’s why our standards are free for anyone who needs to use them. However, we also offer extra resources that can create even more positive change for your business. View our Membership Application today to learn more about our three membership levels.If you have questions about PromoStandards or want to get involved with our organization, please contact us at https://promostandards.org/membership-application.
