PPB June 2021

I n 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered staggering economic woes for most businesses around the world, and sales in the promotional products industry were hit hard as well. For the year, distributor sales volume dropped by 19 percent to $19.6 billion—falling under $20 billion for the first time since 2013, according to PPAI’s annual Distributor Sales Volume Estimate (see Figure 1 ). The Year Of The Pivot But Sales Still Plunged Despite extraordinary efforts to find new markets, products and clients, 2020 promotional products sales fell 19 percent from the year before, with large distributors reporting the steepest decline. by Michaela Mora FEATURE | PPAI Exclusive Research: 2020 Distributor Sales Volume Estimate 38 | JUNE 2021 |