Promotional items are gifts printed with a company logo and distributed (most of the time for free) to customers. Promotional gifts are a vehicle for expressing emotions between companies and consumers. To build an emotional bridge with consumers, companies will invest more energy in purchasing and using promotional gifts. Compared with the high price of advertising media, and even maintaining the upward trend, promotional gifts are low cost, good effect, fast and easy to calculate the promotional impact, and one of the most cost-effective promotional measures. The increase in demand for advertising promotional gifts has become an inevitable trend.
1.Promotional gifts industry overviews
China is the largest producer of promotional gifts in the world, accounting for more than 80% of the world’s giveaway items. The United States, the European Union, and Japan are the most important export markets for promotional gifts in China. Coastal Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian are the most important production centers of promotional gifts in terms of export volume at present. Jiangsu is China’s main cotton products processing place. Relying on regional advantages, Jiangsu mainly produces mid-range caps and T-shirts, and other wearable promotional gifts. The mainland is mainly steel and plastic, with Anhui’s plastic cups and tempered cups selling relatively well.
There are about 1,000 manufacturers of wearable promotional gifts in Guangdong, whose products are mainly mid-to-high-end promotional T-shirts and polo shirts, including promotional umbrellas, key chains, and promotional USB accessories. Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, is home to 1,500 suppliers of promotional bags and exports 800 million promotional bags annually, accounting for 70% of China’s total exports. Tonglu in Zhejiang is a major producer of promotional pens, exporting about 6 billion promotional pens annually, accounting for 40% of China’s total exports. Fujian is a major production center for footwear products in China, and suppliers can offer a wide range of promotional shoes with innovative designs.
However, Yiwu international trade city– as the largest wholesale market for small commodities in the world, has a significant share of exports of promotional products and gifts in the country.
2. Types of promotional gifts
Generally speaking, promotional gifts include the following categories.
- Business gifts: This refers to the company promoting products or letting customers know more about the company’s brand, products, the latest news, in some special days to give some promotional gifts, such as video promotional cards.
- Staff incentive program: The use of gifts to reward staff who work actively and achieve good results can increase their loyalty to the company. This is the most used in the human resources department.
- Premium with the purchase of products. (It can be bought big and given small, buy the main product to send peripheral gifts, send a small gift with special novelty, etc.); buy the product and participate in the lottery, the winner can get a great value gift.
Promotional gifts need to have expressive or persuasive power, can fully and accurately show the brand concept, and make the target consumers identify and potential consumers favor. Have shocking power, novelty and not ordinary Have good emotion and consistency.
3. Why China is the best place for buying promotional gifts?
Importing exceptional promotional gifts in China is relatively easy if you know where to source from. No matter you are an event’s organizer, corporate manager, or sourcing for y our customers. There are tons of quality promo items you can source from China to boost your business.
There are several reasons why China has attracted so many overseas buyers for importing promotional items.
- Competitive price
China is the biggest manufacturing country. China’s local giftware industry is backed by a strong network of competent ancillary sectors covering the entire supply chain. Raw materials for various kinds of promotional gifts can be easily obtained. Most promotional gifts are labor-intensive products, and China has a large labor force and well-trained workers. It makes the prices have obvious advantages in the international arena.
- High Production capacity
China’s giftware industry features extensive production capacity, established supply chains, customized product designs, and cost-effective production costs. Capable of manufacturing at high volumes for mass manufacturing. High labor resources allow more manufacturing activities. Enable efficient delivery for high-volume orders.
- Creative designs
Innovation in design is more competitive and irreplaceable. There are also many companies currently using high-grade materials and new technologies to innovate and deliver product quality. The future trend of products is to emphasize a multi-function and low carbon environment, for example, two-in-one or three-in-one function key chains, multifunctional calendars with radio and USB accessories. At the same time, the safety and environmental standards of gifts will be improved to strengthen the ability of independent innovation. Promotional gifts with the latest design will be welcomed by more corporate buyers with a high-value image.
4. How to import promotional gifts from China?
There are many channels for sourcing promotional gifts from China. Here are the most common ways how you can start with:
4.1. Fairs/Exhibitions
Except for the comprehensive exhibitions, such as Canton Fair. Gift industry professional exhibitions you can not miss are the Hong Kong International Gifts &Premiums Fair, Shanghai International Gifts & Home Products Expo, and Shenzhen Gift Fair.
- Hong Kong International Gifts &Premiums Fair
The Hong Kong Gifts and Premium Fair (Gifts Premium) has a long history and is the largest gift fair in the world, with record-breaking exhibitors year after year. During the exhibition, the Hong Kong Exporters’ Association organizes various corporate services and creative activities, and outstanding products showcase local creativity and design to the world buyers. The show is the most famous one in the series of brand exhibitions of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
Last year, Hong Kong Gifts & Premium had a total exhibition area of 67,000 square meters with 1,435 exhibitors from China, Taiwan, India, Russia, USA, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Italy, Singapore, etc. The number of exhibitors reached 51,000.
Hong Kong Gifts Premium has 11 pavilions with a wide scope. Including promotional gifts & premiums, baby gifts, corporate gifts, fashion jewelry & accessories, small decorations & ornaments, general gifts, green gifts
Other Products: luggage & travel goods, premium gifts, packaging products, party & festive Goods, personal &health gifts, picture frames & photo frames, stationery & paper products, technology gifts, toys & sporting goods, umbrellas & outdoor products…
- Shanghai International Gifts & Home Products Expo
Shanghai Gift Fair is rooted in Shanghai and radiates to East China, integrating advantageous resources and digging deep into the market demand to successfully build East China’s gift, promotional products, and household products exhibition. Shanghai Gift Fair brings together suppliers and manufacturers of gifts, promotional products, conference gifts, welfare and business gifts, handicrafts, and many other categories. Providing a platform for nearly 60,000 visitors and buyers from gift companies, wholesalers, and retailers from many provinces in East China to observe samples and negotiate cooperation.
The exhibition provides wholesalers, distributors, traditional retailers, and corporate customers from domestic China and overseas with products and brands selected by the market from across the country, effectively assisting buyers to trend, draw inspiration, plan product lines, find brands, creative designs, strong factories, and suppliers, establish contacts, develop cooperation and customize procurement.
- Shenzhen Gift Fair
Since its inception in 1993, Shenzhen Gift Fair has been successfully held for 28 sessions. In 2005, it passed the UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) certification, known as “China’s flagship gift and home show”.
As China’s leading and longest-running trade show for gifts and housewares. Shenzhen Gift Fair became the preferred platform for professional sourcing business gifts, promotional gifts, annual welfare gifts, and membership gifts in China and overseas. Creating a platform for manufacturers and traders to display, trade, and communicate, helping to optimize the industry and lead the industry’s development.
4.2. Wholesale market
As the world’s largest small commodity wholesale market, Yiwu international trade city is the heaven of purchasing promotional gifts and premiums. It covers every category you can think of about promotional gifts and premium.
Small to needle and thread, fine ornaments, large to household appliances, furniture products … as the world’s largest distribution center for small commodities, Yiwu Commodity Market gathered about 2.1 million kinds of products from around the world, attracting 500,000 foreigners to purchase every year. Commodities are boxed here, sailing from Ningbo Zhoushan Port across the ocean, on the “Yi-Xin-Europe” train whistling to the “Belt and Road” line, from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport to fly around the world. Every year, the Yiwu market exports more than 500,000 standard containers.
Yiwu, the country’s largest distribution center for small commodities. Yiwu International Trade City has more than 70,000 commercial spaces, employing more than 210,000 people, operating 16 major categories, 4,202 types, 3,317 sub-categories, and 1.7 million individual products. It is an international distribution, information, and exhibition center for small commodities.
It is no exaggeration to say that Yiwu has gradually become the source of the global supply chain. The booth is open 365 days(close only for Chinese New Year) to meet customers’ purchasing needs at any time. The Yiwu market gathers gift manufacturers from all over the country, which has become the most famous one-stop international sourcing platform for promotional gifts.
4.3.B2B marketplace
Sourcing promotional gifts from B2B platforms are also the most common way for most importers. Especially because of the Covid-19 epidemic, buyers cannot come to China in person. Just type in the keywords of the gifts you want to buy. The countless products and suppliers will appear in front of your eyes in seconds.
Below are the leading B2B marketplace you can try to search from
Alibaba
Global Source
Made-in-China
DHgate
Aliexpress
Yiwugo.com
1688.com
Suggested reading:
Best B2B marketplace for sourcing from China
How to Find a Reliable supplier on Alibaba
If your promotional item purchasing plan includes items from different categories, you can choose to work with a wholesaler or purchasing agent. They can provide a comprehensive sourcing service without you having to go to a separate manufacturer for each item. If your purchase is for a single promotional item, you can find the corresponding professional manufacturer, which will be more advantageous in terms of price. You will find not only wholesalers but also direct manufacturers on the B2B product platform. Find the most suitable supplier according to your needs.
4.4. Industry organization
If you are a promotional product buyer from North America, you must hear ASI, ASGE, PPAI, and DistrubutorCentral.ASI, SAGE, PPA, and DC. are all promotional products membership organizations in the U.S.Their purpose is to bring these participants together by providing directories, directory information, newsletters, impurities, networks, and databases, and interactive e-commerce, marketing, and small manual tools to drive deals to be made.
ASI is similar to Alibaba, except that ASI is a U.S.-based company that receives strong government support and is the largest trading platform for promotional gift items in North America, with a membership of over 27,000 suppliers and distributors, mostly from North American companies.
ASI is similar to other suppliers in the industry in that it sells its services, while PPAI functions as a trade association charged with serving its members. ASI is a member of PPAI and exhibits at PPAI-sponsored trade shows. PPAI, on the other hand, has a presence at most shows, primarily to provide information and services to its members.
The biggest difference between ASI, Sage, and PPAI verse DistributorCentral is a new entry into the promotional products field. It offers FREE services to distributors seeking information and help. As a place for distributors to find everything they need. That includes product searches, a place to enter orders, do color proofing, and customer invoicing. Once the new kid on the block, DistributorCentral has caught on, and its popularity grows every day.
Although the terms of admission to these institutions are North American-based companies, more and more Chinese, especially Yiwu suppliers, have been moving in these platforms in recent years by registering companies in the United States.
5. What Are the Most Popular Promotional Items in 2021?
While in-person events and trade shows are far and few between right now, branded gifts can still play an important role in your marketing efforts. Promo items can keep your business on people’s minds. Promotional products are ranked the most effective form of advertising across all generations.
So, mailing or delivering useful branded promo products to extend your reach and surprise your customers could be a great way to put your brand front.
There are the top 10 popular promotional products for 2021:
1. Personal Protection Items
Many business owners are doing what they can to help cut down on the spread of germs. Logo face masks, mini hand sanitizer bottles, and other personal care items like wet tissue, face shield, and mask extender have been best-selling promotional items since the pandemic in 2020.
2. Drinkware
Ceramic mugs, coffee cups, water bottles, and tumblers are always effective premiums that customers will keep and possibly use every day.
3. Custom Bags
Visit a promotional products website, you will find hundreds of shopping bags, tote bags, backpacks in front of your eyes. It is all because of the trends and what people need. Bags are convenient to have on hand at any event, and high frequency of usage.
4. Office Supplies
Pen, notebooks are also some of the most popular promotional items. They are cheap, and everyone uses them. Although the paperless office is becoming a trend, the pen and notebook are still irreplaceable. Writing by hand connects you with the words and allows your brain to understand them better.
5. T-shirt
Logoed T-shirt is always one of the best promotional items stands as exclusive apparel. They are walking advertisements and are considered long-lasting promotional items.
6. Multi-Tools
To attract the mass market, promotional products become amazingly successful when integrating multiple features into a single product. Multi-tools such as tool card, pliers, hammer, flashlight, and knife combination are very practical in daily life and is liked by most people will be a big hit with the crowd.
7. Electronic Accessories
Nowadays, people’s life has been inseparable from all kinds of electronic products. We spend an average of 3.5-4 hours on our phones every single day. So the related accessories of electronic products, such as pop sockets, phone cases, earphone cases, chargers, and other 3C accessories, will always be hot from the rest.
8. Hat and Cap
Hat and cap are a powerhouse in the promotional industry thanks to their longevity and optimum brand exposure. Headwear is one of the most popular promotions because it is affordable and easily customizable. There are endless possibilities of designs that you can come up with to match your marketing strategy.
10. Fidget Toy
Currently, most people are under great pressure from work and study. Promotional fidget toys are great handheld accessories that will get people talking about your business. With bright colors and unique shapes, these gadgets provide plenty of entertainment and stress relief throughout the day. Having your logo printed on fidget toys is a great way to show off your brand’s fun side. They’re the perfect object that gets noticed by others, passed around, and talked about.
10. Desk Accessories & Decoration
Give someone a useful desk item with your logo, and they see it every day. Items like post-it notes, paper clip dispenser, letter opener, storage box, and more.
