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Author: wycombe

Categories
Warehousing and Storage

What Are The Most Popular Promotional Products Ordered?

What’s one of the best ways to get your business’s name in front of potential customers and keep it there? Sure, you can use digital marketing or go old school with billboards or direct mail campaigns, but the single best performer across most industries might surprise you: promotional products.

Don’t take our word for it, though.

Of course, not all promotional products are worth your time and money. Apparel and drinkware continue to be some of the most popular promotional products, with hats/caps and bags also consistently ranking among the best sellers. Here are the most popular promotional products ordered.

Branded Apparel

T-shirts are among the most popular promotional products because they are simple, visible, and easy to size for big groups. However, pay attention to quality, fit, and branding method (silk screening vs. vinyl applique, for instance).

  • Best for: events, employee kits, brand ambassadors, and customer loyalty programs.

Drinkware

Drinkware keeps selling because it follows people around. Tumblers, water bottles, and mugs are daily-use items, meaning your logo gets daily impressions. Pick a style your audience already loves (think commuter tumblers, gym-friendly bottles, or office mugs), then keep the imprint clean and durable.

  • Best for: corporate gifting, wellness campaigns, conferences, and subscription box inserts.

Bags of All Kinds

Tote bags, backpacks, and drawstring bags are popular promotional items because they’re both useful and visible. If you choose a bag with a sturdy handle, a decent fabric weight, and a design that doesn’t scream “freebie,” it’ll stay in circulation longer.

  • Best for: trade shows, retail promos, community events, campus marketing.

Hats And Caps

Hats and caps are always among the most popular promotional items. Give someone a hat that looks like a real brand, and they’ll wear it even when they forget where it came from (which is kind of the point).

  • Best for: outdoor events, sports sponsorships, field teams, and influencer-style merch.

Pens And Small Desk Items

Pens might not be the trendiest, but they remain one of the most popular promo items in consumer-facing surveys. If your audience is office-heavy, add notebooks or desk accessories to the mix.

  • Best for: banks, clinics, service businesses, front desks, and direct mail.

Finding the Most Popular Promotional Products for You

If you’re planning your next campaign and want the most popular promotional products picked for your audience (then stored, kitted, and shipped without headaches), JM Field can help. Get in touch and tell us your budget, your timeline, and who you’re trying to reach, and we’ll recommend items that people will actually keep (and get your fulfillment dialed in from day one).

Categories
Trade Shows

Tips on How to Stand Out This Trade Show Season

Tradeshow season is upon us once again. While attending shows definitely involves a lot of work and planning, they remain one of the most effective ways to reach your audience.

That said, there’s no shortage of competing messages that you’ll need to get around if you want to do that. Showing up is just part of the equation. Here are some of the most effective tips on how to stand out this trade show season.

Make Your Message Ridiculously Clear

Before you worry about giveaways or booth flair, ask yourself: if someone walked by and glanced at your booth for two seconds, would they understand what you do?

A simple test:

  • What problem do you solve?
  • Who do you solve it for?
  • What outcome do they get?

Then turn that into one clean headline for your booth signage.

Pro tip: Big, readable booth graphics matter more than people think. If your banner looks fuzzy or cramped with text, you lose credibility fast. Invest in crisp, high-resolution prints with strong contrast, and keep the core message at eye level.

Use Printed Materials That People Actually Keep

Most attendees don’t want a thick packet. They want something useful and easy to carry.

Better alternatives:

  • A one-page “cheat sheet” (what you do, who it’s for, your differentiator)
  • A short product/service menu
  • A case study one-pager with a real result
  • A postcard-style offer with a QR code

Pro printing tip: Ask for finishes that feel premium without being flashy, like thicker stock or matte coatings to make it feel good in people’s hands.

Give Away Items with a Job to Do

A giveaway is a tool that does one of these things:

  • Gets used daily (and keeps your brand visible)
  • Sparks a conversation (“What’s this?”)
  • Reinforces your positioning (eco, luxury, fun, technical)

Instead of ordering “whatever’s cheap,” match the item to your audience. A mid-level, highly useful item can beat a bag of random trinkets every time.

Pro tip: Tie the giveaway to a simple action, like scanning a QR code, booking a demo, or answering a question.

Make Follow-Up Easy

Trade shows don’t pay off in the booth. It’s in the follow-up.

Do this:

  • Use a QR code that leads to a dedicated landing page (not your homepage)
  • Offer something worth claiming
  • Send a follow-up within 48 hours while the memory is warm

Want to stand out at a trade show this season? We can help you show up polished and prepared with professional printing, branded event materials, and kitting/fulfillment so everything arrives organized and ready to go. Get in touch to learn more.

 

https://www.tradeshowlabs.com/blog/44-creative-trade-show-ideas

 

https://engagestar.com/insights/ways-to-make-your-trade-show-booth-unforgettable-with-strategy-and-creative/

Categories
Amazon Fulfillment

How to Choose the Right Promotional Products for Different Events

Promotional products are incredibly popular with just about every audience out there. However, not all products are created equal. What’s more, different events usually call for different promotional products. Trying to take a one-size-fits-all approach here doesn’t end well. So, how do you choose the right promotional products for different events?

Start With These 3 Filters No Matter The Event

Before you choose an item, make sure that it hits these three benchmarks:

  1. Usefulness: Will they use it within a week?
  2. Portability: Can they carry it home without cursing you?
  3. Brand alignment: Does it feel like your company, not a generic giveaway?

If it fails two out of three, it’s probably not worth ordering.

Trade Shows: Go For “Grab-And-Go” + One Standout

Trade shows are high-volume, high-distraction environments. People collect a lot, but they also toss a lot.

Best picks:

  • Tote bags (durable, comfortable straps)
  • Drinkware (commuter tumblers, slim bottles)
  • Small tech (phone stand, cable organizer)
  • A single “hero” item for qualified leads (premium notebook, higher-end bottle)

Conferences: Think “Desk Life” And Learning Support

At conferences, attendees sit, take notes, charge devices, and network between sessions, so make sure your promotional products support those needs.

Best picks:

  • Notebooks + good pens (still useful, still popular)
  • Branded sticky notes or desk pads
  • Charging cables or power banks (if budget allows)
  • Coffee mugs (for office-heavy audiences)

Corporate Events: Keep It Polished And Giftable

For client appreciation nights, executive roundtables, or partner events, you want something that feels like you chose it specifically for that purpose.

Best picks:

  • Higher-quality drinkware
  • Embroidered caps or subtle apparel
  • Curated gift sets (snack box + branded item)
  • Desk accessories

Employee Events & Onboarding: Build A “Belonging Kit”

Internal events and onboarding kits make people feel part of something.

Best picks:

  • Apparel (soft tees, hoodies, polos)
  • Water bottle + sticker pack
  • Notebook + welcome letter
  • Team-specific items (laptop sleeve, badge holder)

Nonprofits & Fundraisers: Choose Items People Wear In Public

Fundraiser promotional items work best when they communicate “I support this.”

Best picks:

  • T-shirts and caps (the classics for a reason)
  • Wristbands or stickers for mass distribution
  • Tote bags for community events
  • Yard signs (if the fundraiser is local)

How JM Field Helps You Pull It Off

Choosing the right items is just half the job. The other half is getting them ordered, stored, kitted, and delivered on time, especially when you’ve got multiple events or locations.

At JM Field, we can help you:

  • Source and store promo inventory
  • Kit event packs and mailers
  • Handle pick/pack and shipping
  • Add printed inserts, postcards, labels, and event collateral

If you’re planning events this year and want promotional products for different events that people actually keep (and a fulfillment plan that doesn’t stress you out), get in touch. Tell us your event type, audience, and budget, and we’ll help you build a smart promo lineup with printing and fulfillment handled end to end.

 

 

Categories
Amazon Fulfillment

Graphic Design Does More For Your Brand Than You Think (Here’s What It Really Includes)

When you think of branding, what comes to mind first? Chances are that you immediately think of your logo and maybe the colors you use in your marketing materials. While those are certainly central to your brand identity, there’s a lot more you need to consider, and graphic design services can help.

Graphic Design Starts With Your Brand Identity (Not A Flyer)

Brand identity tells people “this is you” before they read a word. That usually includes:

  • Logo design (and variations): full logo, icon, horizontal/stacked versions
  • Color palette: primary and secondary colors used consistently
  • Typography: fonts for headlines, body text, and digital use
  • Visual style: shapes, patterns, photo style, illustration style
  • Brand voice cues: not copywriting, but how your visuals support your tone

Design Is How You Build a Brand People Want to Trust

People make snap judgments. If your materials look outdated, inconsistent, amateurish, or messy, customers don’t think you need a new designer. They think you’re not detail-oriented or, worse, that you’re not legitimate.

Graphic Design Includes Print Design (And Print Has Rules That Digital Doesn’t)

A lot of brands design for screens, then try to “make it printable” at the last minute. Sadly, that usually means fuzzy logos, brand colors that aren’t quite right, and other issues.

Professional print design often includes:

  • Proper file setup (bleed, trim, safe zones)
  • High-resolution assets and correct color formats
  • Layouts that read well from a distance (trade shows) or up close (brochures)
  • Paper/finish choices that match your brand

Packaging And Label Design (Which Is Branding In Your Customer’s Hands)

Product packaging is important for protection. However, it’s also part of your brand and the overall customer experience.

Good packaging design helps customers:

  • Identify what they received (and what version/variant it is)
  • Understand how to use it quickly
  • Feel confident that they bought from a professional brand

Even small things like a well-designed label or a QR code card to a setup video can boost your product experience without doing a lot to increase costs.

Promotional Product Design (And “Print-Ready” Matters)

Promo items are tricky because your artwork has to work across different imprint methods (screen print, embroidery, engraving, heat transfer, and more). What looks great on a website doesn’t always stitch well on a hat or engrave on metal.

Good design considers:

  • Simplified one-color versions of your logo
  • Legibility at small sizes
  • Placement and spacing
  • Consistency across item types (shirt + tote + tumbler)

If you want your brand to look consistent online, in print, on packaging, and on promotional products, JM Field can help. From professional graphic design services to high-quality printing and fulfillment, we can offer everything from logo design to custom packaging that’s ready for the real world. Get in touch to learn more.

Categories
Amazon Fulfillment

Are There Major Changes Coming With Amazon Fulfillment in 2026?
Here’s What You Need To Know

Amazon’s fulfillment machine changes pretty regularly, and 2026 isn’t shaping up to be a “small tweaks” year. If you rely on FBA for speed, Prime eligibility, and to simplify your operations, the changes to Amazon Fulfillment in 2026 are worth paying attention to now while you still have time to adjust.

From our side of the warehouse floor at JM Field, we’re watching two shifts that matter most for sellers: (1) prep/label responsibility is moving back to you, and (2) fulfillment fees continue to creep upward. Let’s look at some of the most important changes to Amazon Fulfillment in 2026.

Prep & Labeling Goes Away in the U.S.

Starting January 1, 2026, Amazon says it will no longer offer FBA prep and item labeling services for shipments in the U.S. store. That includes the work many sellers initially chose Amazon for, like applying labels, polybagging, bubble wrapping, bundling, and other things required to make products FBA-ready.

If you’re thinking, “Okay, so I’ll just do it myself,” you absolutely can. However, the real risk isn’t the labor you’ll have to put in, although that’s something to consider. Instead, it’s complying with Amazon inbound requirements. Those don’t leave much room for error, and if your prep or labeling is off, it means delays, rejected inventory, fewer sales, and general chaos for your operations.

Fees That Add Up Fast

Amazon also announced 2026 U.S. fee changes, including an average fulfillment fee increase of about $0.08 per unit. On the surface, that probably doesn’t sound like much. However, multiply it across thousands of products, and it adds up fast.

How You Can Prepare Now for Changes to Amazon Fulfillment in 2026

Here’s the approach we recommend to most brands:

    1. Take a long, hard look at your SKUs to see how complex prep will be on your end. Ask yourself, which items require labeling, polybags, bubble wrap, bundles, inserts, or special carton rules?

    1. Write a prep plan that’s actually repeatable. If a temp can’t follow it, it’s not ready.

    1. Create a simple inbound QC checklist so you can spot problems before Amazon does.

    1. Look at your margin impact from 2026 fees to see which products should stay FBA rather than FBM.

    1. Consider a hybrid strategy. Keep Prime where it matters, but don’t make FBA your single solution.

Where JM Field Fits In

Don’t want to deal with all that hassle? A 3PL can help you deal with changes to Amazon Fulfillment in 2026. We handle FBA-ready prep and labeling and FBM/hybrid fulfillment, so you’re not forced into one method when Amazon policies shift. If you want help building a 2026-ready plan, reach out.