Intro to PromoStandards
Siloed communication lines are inefficient for any industry. They waste time, resources, and labor. They also manage to leave room for confusion and inaccurate information distribution simultaneously. PromoStandards is a nonprofit organization that develops and implements practical electronic communication standards for custom products industries. PromoStandards is growing in membership, increasing the number of standards, and expanding the standards’ adoption to more organizations to help solve industry pain points, like: As of January 2023, PromoStandards has over 200 member organizations and thousands of adopters in multiple industries worldwide, enabling the transmission of billions of dollars in transactions. Please keep reading to learn more about our organization’s operations, history, and leadership! What is PromoStandards? We are member-driven and volunteer-run. Membership is open to any organization wishing to utilize or contribute to developing open standards that benefit all industry professionals. PromoStandards does not provide business software. Instead, we publish technical specifications businesses can incorporate to improve their existing software. Our organization has three main goals: The educational events are valuable resources that assist other organizations in implementing integration protocols, providing a level playing field for everyone in the industry. How Do We Develop Standards? PromoStandards is dedicated to developing open standards by leveraging the Open-Source Initiative. Open Standards mutually benefit all parties that utilize them, mirroring PromoStandards’ drive to improve communication efficiency and resolve pain points for industry professionals. PromoStandards’ Standard-Development Process: *Eligible PromoStandards Members may serve on committees, participate in workgroups, provide feedback, and ratify a drafted standard. PromoStandards’ Origins In 2015, leading industry veteran organizations formed PromoStandards. These organizations were: The collaboration between these organizations offered a diverse group of distributors, suppliers, and service providers that shared the same vision: to make digital integration and interoperability open and standardized between industry trading partners. By 2018 PromoStandards was incorporated as a Pennsylvania corporation and registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(6) non-profit business league, allowing us to strategize more effectively to achieve our initial goals and planning for future endeavors. Leadership PromoStandards’ founders established our active Board of Directors, which is currently transitioning into a board of advisory members voted in to fill one of the 12 Director seats. The Board’s primary role is to preside over the Standards Committee’s formation of workgroups tasked with drafting standards that align with the Board of Directors and our organization’s strategic goals. As of 2023, the following industry professionals hold seats on the Board of Directors: PromoStandards Is Here to Help! We simplify communication between suppliers, decorators, distributors, and service providers to streamline product development and management in the custom products industries. Our standards are free for anyone who wishes to utilize them. However, we recommend viewing our Membership Application to learn more about our three membership levels and the benefits associated with each one. If you have questions about PromoStandards or want to get involved with our organization, please contact us at https://promostandards.org/membership-application.
A Recap of PromoStandards’ 2023 Tech Summit
The inaugural 2023 PromoStandards Tech Summit was the largest event in the promotional products industry. This sold-out event featured two days of education tracts focusing on industry-relevant technology and PromoStandards integrations. More than 150 participants representing 75 companies attended, thereby connecting technology and business leaders across the supply chain. Here’s an overview of the speakers and the topics they discussed! Monday, February 20, 2023 Eric Alessi, Chair of PromoStandards and President & CEO at Essent Corporation, welcomed attendees and set the stage for what to expect! Generating Value from Data: Building a Data Science Practice Then Dr. Tom Stablein, Director of the Global Master of Science in Business Analytics & Information Systems Program at the USF Muma College of Business, took the stage as the keynote speaker. His topic, Generating Value from Data: Building a Data Science Practice, defined data science and went over modeling, identifying business needs, designing a roadmap, and more. Executing Digital Transformation Michael Conway, Managing Director of Digital Transformation at Aspirant, spoke about Executing Digital Transformation. This session educated professionals on how to align customer experiences to strategic business goals. Digital Transformation on the Factory Floor Catherine Graham, Co-Founder and CEO at commonsku, was the leader of the panel discussion on Digital Transformation on the Factory Floor. Other panelists were Donough Deutsch, VP of IT Systems and Operations at alphabroder, Philip Gergen, Senior VP of Technology at Koozie Group, and Jon Norris, COO at Starline Inc. This discussion investigated the impact of digital transformation on factory floors and warehouses across the promotional products landscape. “The Tech Summit is a place to get together, learn, and rekindle old friendships and make new ones. It’s an opportunity to keep the momentum going for overall technology adoption,” said Graham. Roundtable Discussions Participants then engaged in roundtable discussions, with Rebekah Ellis, Information Technology Analyst at SanMar, as the session leader. Topics varied from promotional product-specific to technology in general. People met others with the same interests or who were trying to solve the same problems. Breakout Sessions There were four breakout sessions. My Worst Day in Tech Jon Norris then had an open-mic discussion on My Worst Day in Tech. Audience members chimed in on a lighthearted recanting of tech transformation horror stories. After all, not every day in technology is glamorous. Tuesday, February 21, 2023 Philip Gergen kicked off day two of the Tech Summit! Network Security: Cyber Incident in Progress Mike Pfeiffer, VP of Technology at American Solutions for Business, was up next. He showed attendees what it’s like to experience a cyberattack. They walked through the timeline, what protective measures are effective, and how proper response strategies are deployed. Exclusive Launch of PromoStandards Order Management Service Day two featured a detailed launch and walkthrough of PromoStandards’ latest standard! Eric Shonebarger, President at Hit Promotional Products, Inc., showed live demos of the industry-altering Order Management Service, the nonprofit’s most significant release in three years. “The Tech Summit is the best opportunity to engage a community of forward-thinking technology professionals who are driving digital transformation in the promotional products industry,” said Shonebarger. Identifying and Solving Industry Pain Points Eric Alessi, President & CEO at Essent Corporation, was the leader of the panel discussion on Identifying and Solving Industry Pain Points. Other panelists were Daniel Hodges, Senior VP of Engineering at OrderMyGear, Mike Pfeiffer, and Eric Shonebarger. This panel explored the pain points of the industry from order processing, supply chain, and technology standpoints, helping to develop the roadmap for PromoStandards and our community. Winners Announced An awards ceremony during the event recognized Hack-A-Thon winners and individual achievements within the industry. Proforma CTO Brian Carothers was named Distributor Person of the Year, ZOOMcatalog Co-founder Bryony Zasman was named Service Provider Person of the Year, and Hit Promotional Products, Inc. CIO Raj Mukherjee was named Supplier Person of the Year. Join PromoStandards Today! “Everyone should join the PromoStandards community, where industry technology is developed and advanced,” said Alessi. “The world is being digitally transformed before our eyes, and PromoStandards is the vehicle for being part of that transformation.” Are you ready to join the PromoStandards community and make a difference? To become a member, sign up today!
Member Spotlight – DistributorCentral
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 DistributorCentral, an award-winning technology service provider for the promotional products industry. Here’s an in-depth look into who DistributorCentral is and how adopting PromoStandards integration helped move their transactions forward. DistributorCentral Founded in Gardner, Kansas, in 1999, DistributorCentral has developed a suite of technology tools. Its platform has product data tools to make managing data easy, business management tools to help manage and run your business, and a responsive and mobile-friendly e-commerce website builder. These are all free to distributors and service providers. They are especially known for OneSource, the product data tool built to make PromoStandards attainable for every company in the promotional products industry, regardless of the company’s technical expertise or size. By using OneSource, suppliers, distributors, and service providers can become PromoStandards compliant. The company converts product data from 450+ suppliers (83% of PromoStandards’ suppliers) into PromoStandards-compliant data which in turn reaches 15,000 distributors. What’s more, they: PromoStandards’ Impact Before PromoStandards, the biggest challenge they faced was getting suppliers to provide the correct data. DistributorCentral attended the first PromoStandards technology summit and immediately took steps to implement this service for their customers, becoming one of PromoStandards’ first adopters. PromoStandards gave DistributorCentral the ability to get top suppliers’ product data in a consistent way. As such, DistributorCentral’s company pivoted and completely rewrote its platform around PromoStandards, providing customers with a fast, stable, and modern platform. “Innovation fueled by collaboration with industry leaders, PromoStandards has been the catalyst to propel DistributorCentral’s latest growth while massively accelerating the industry’s digital transformation,” said Chris Schlemmer, VP of Technology at DistributorCentral. “We are extremely excited to be a strong supporter of PromoStandards, and we look forward to being involved in its growth for years to come.” 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!
Unleashing the Power of Technology – Letter From the Chair
Data is the lifeblood of the digital age. New technologies, including artificial intelligence, are redefining industries. The promotional products industry is no exception. In a previous letter, PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi shared how data is at the heart of everything we do. Businesses are waking up to the inadequacies of the old ways of doing business and looking to transform to meet the digital realities of today. With the rise in technology comes the increasing generation and availability of data. This presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses. Knowing how to leverage this data effectively is crucial for success in this competitive landscape. With emerging technologies, PromoStandards is evolving and revolutionizing how the promotional products industry operates. Capable software and tight integration are the most critical tools for doing more with less labor and error. The First Step We all have cell phones and yet most of us don’t understand all its capabilities. That doesn’t stop us from being extremely effective users of this technology. The same can be said for the promotional products industry. While not everyone completely understands PromoStandards protocols, we can absolutely leverage this technology to our advantage with the help of a service provider or a software development team. The journey doesn’t have to be daunting; just take the first step. The Journey Suppliers, distributors, decorators, and service providers work with rich, relevant data to perform accurate transitions and make strong decisions. The first step to making this a reality is understanding and utilizing PromoStandards. In upcoming letters, we’ll walk through this journey, helping you to understand PromoStandards, what our technologies do, what the future looks like, and ways to get involved. Join the PromoStandards Community Stay up-to-date with the latest news from PromoStandards. Our blog features letters from the Chair, PromoStandards member spotlights, recaps of PromoStandards events, case studies, and more. You can also follow us on social media on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube! And if you’re not already a PromoStandards member, be sure to sign up today!
Start Your Journey – Letter From the Chair
Every organization is on a digital journey. The previous letter covered how new technologies are redefining industries, and the promotional products industry is no exception. This month, PromoStandards Chair Eric Alessi is sharing how to start your digital transformation journey. Make sure you’re in control of where your organization is going and are not just along for the ride. PromoStandards is here to help, no matter your needs. Your Guide PromoStandards means different things to different people. Some people think that PromoStandards is a software provider. Others see us as service providers. Many know us as an open standards body that defines integration standards, the blueprints for creating communication protocols that organizations can use to tightly integrate with trading partners. Others know us as a community of thought leaders and implementors that are raising the level of business automation for everyone in the industry; this is especially true for attendees of our 2023 Tech Summit. Through our membership, we’re all of this and so much more, making us unique and uniquely qualified to be your guide through your unique digital journey. Our PromoStandards Members PromoStandards doesn’t directly publish software, but through service provider members, we are the #1 source for locating industry-specific business management software and the #1 source for PromoStandards endpoint hosting providers. Through our members, we’re systems integrators that are experts in industry data. Through our dedicated volunteers, which range from startups to industry titans, we are the sole publisher of open industry standards that addresses the entire procure-to-pay (P2P) lifecycle. And, perhaps most importantly, we’re a diverse community of industry organizations on the journey to integrate, leverage data, and transform our business and the industry. Our Education Webinar David Shultz, Chair of the Service Provider Committee, led the July 18, 2023 education webinar. He shared how, through service provider members, PromoStandards has everything a company needs to implement: These are all here to help you through your journey. Click here for service provider members that can assist, and watch the webinar here! Become a Member Today! PromoStandards is your guide to 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, like events, the directory, and our Slack channel. With different membership levels, you can choose the one that works best for you!
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!
