PPB May 2018

PPAI Exclusive Research: 2017 Distributor Sales Volume Estimate | FEATURE I ndividually, many distributors knew their 2017 sales were strong, but collectively, the year was a powerhouse. It’s been four years since the industry has seen the kind of sales increase experienced in 2017. Overall, significant growth among large distributors led the increase as this group captured nearly 58 percent of the industry’s total sales volume, according to PPAI’s 2017 Sales Volume Study, an annual estimate of U.S. distributor promotional products sales. The results of the industry-wide survey show distributor sales volume rose by 9.3 percent in 2017 to a whopping $23.3 billion, with growth driven mainly by large distributors with annual sales over $2.5 million. Among this group, sales were up by 16.3 percent in 2017 over 2016, while smaller companies (those with sales under $2.5 million) saw only a 0.89 percent uptick. Since 1965, PPAI has been measuring and analyzing the industry’s annual growth based on reported distributor sales. The 2017 sales volume increase is the highest since 2000, when industry sales grew by 19.5 percent. In 2016, sales were up by only 2.4 percent (see Figure 1). | MAY 2018 | 43