The Promo Column Trouble ahead


There’s only one story in town as I write this column – the worrying, and accelerating spread of coronavirus. Beyond the anxiety it is causing in the population in general, it is bringing up particular challenges for the promotional merchandise industry. Promotional products commentator, Stuart Derrick, reports.


T


Chinese New Year, there have been additional problems. Traditionally this is a time for Chinese manufacturers to close down their factories, and sourcing companies factor this into their plans. However, this year saw holidays extended, travel bans implemented, and many people becoming too ill to return to work, which has had a knock-on effect for business ordering from the Far East.


Savvy distributors will have alternative suppliers of goods and some items are held in stock, but there is no getting around the fact that the UK and Europe generally is very reliant on the Far East for merchandise. The effect may not be felt initially because of items already in the supply chain, but there could be a trickle through effect in the coming months that suppliers would do well to monitor.


Just how quickly things can get out of hand can be seen with consumer panic buying of items such as soap, toilet paper, and hand sanitiser. With the prospect of self-isolation very real, there have been those who have felt compelled to stock up on certain items.


Predictable or not


The merchandise industry has also been affected in predictable and less predictable ways.


Supermarket sales of hand sanitisers have rocketed – shooting up 255% in February according to Kantar data. Consequently, they have also become the hottest promotional product since the fidget spinner, albeit more of a distress purchase.


Merchandise


companies have seen an upsurge in demand and have also been


marketing products that cater to coronavirus concerns. Impamark is promoting a push clean antibacterial bamboo hand towel. The single use item comes in a discreet dispenser that can be fully branded from just 200 items. ‘Available while stocks last’, it warns. Firebrand Promotions is promoting branded screen cleaners to keep phones and tablets more hygienic, while Everything Branded has announced it took a substantial order for branded forehead thermometers. The client will use them to test staff rather than sending them all home.


Brandelity has an aluminium bottle hand sanitiser, the packaging of which can be infinitely recycled without introducing new raw materials, making it more eco-friendly than those in plastic bottles. All bottles come printed with a logo and are made in the UK. They are available in 30ml, 50ml or 100ml sizes.


www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk


he virus was first being identified in Wuhan, China and escalated rapidly at the start of the year. Because the outbreak coincided with


These products are all very timely, if you can get your, hopefully clean, hands on them. BioLabs, a supplier of branded hand sanitiser to the industry, issued an announcement that it was cleared out of the product and would have to alert customers when more supplies were available. Another distributor, ProAd recently tweeted that it would be receiving supplies in mid-April, more than a month after the tweet. Other products have also been drawn into coronavirus developments. Reusable coffee cups have been some of the most popular merchandise items in recent years as people have looked to do their bit in cutting down on single use cups. Cafes and coffee shops have encouraged this by offering discounts for those who bring along their own drinking vessels. However, in the US, some chains have started refusing reusable cups. Both Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks have pressed the pause button on the use of cups due to health concerns around the virus. Confusingly Starbucks will still offer a 10c discount to those who bring along a cup – they just won’t fill it.


On the coffee front On a slightly different coffee front, Goldstar has launched a new pen made from recycled coffee grounds. The eco-friendly Espresso pen from Goldstar is ‘stimulating, inspiring and makes you feel good – just like coffee’ claims Goldstar. We could all do with a bit of that just now. 30% of the material used to create this plastic ballpoint pen is made from post-consumer


Goldstar’s Espresso pen


recycled coffee grounds, reducing the overall plastic required for manufacturing. The cappuccino colour of the barrel also stirs thoughts of the warmth of coffee, while the textured pattern on its barrel is reminiscent of a pinecone. Full colour logos are applied using the ColourJet technique on the wide pocket clip to show which eco-minded brand or company is giving this stylish and engaging gift.


Impamark’s push clean antibacterial bamboo hand towel


At these times of containment and restriction, it’s worth focusing on the fact that things will get back to normal. Trade will resume more seamlessly, and shortages will abate. In that spirit, it’s worth remember the role of the humble shipping container in all of this. These metal boxes revolutionised trade and are the way that many goods arrive here from overseas. Promotions company, Speedbird Promotions has been appointed European representative for promotional products based on these iconic shipping containers. Available in various sizes, the faithfully rendered miniature containers come in a variety of sizes and can be branded according to need. Among the designs available are desk tidies, handkerchief boxes, and powerbanks, all of which can be branded up for an


Brandelity’s


aluminium bottle hand sanitiser


eye-catching reminder of your business.


Until next month, stay safe.


Speedbird Promotions’s shipping container boxes


April 2020 |67 |


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