Look for both popular styles and premium retail brands.

The most important consideration when consolidating suppliers is product assortment. After all, if a supplier doesn’t have all the styles and brands your clients request, you’ll be back to shopping around for another who does. When judging a supplier’s product assortment, ask yourself these key questions to determine their versatility:

• Do they offer all the major apparel categories?
• Do they offer apparel that can work with any price point?
• Do they offer standard styles as well as premium retail brands?

Make sure every imprint method is accounted for.

When trying to pare down your promo providers, it’s not only important that your supplier offers in-house decoration, but that they also offer every decoration method. Some suppliers may only offer screen printing or embroidery, for example. Should a client come to you requesting direct-to-garment (DTG) or sublimation, you’ll be back to the drawing board looking for third-party decorators to complete the job. Not ideal!

Answer the high demand for eco-friendly apparel.

Sustainable product offerings are no longer just a perk, they’re expected. Unfortunately, many apparel suppliers are still behind on the times and do not have eco-friendly options in their assortments. Your clients shouldn’t have to compromise on their wish for sustainable apparel, and you shouldn’t have to waste time shopping around to find suppliers who carry what they’re asking for.

Finish the job with kitting, drop-shipping,
special packaging & more.

Now that you’ve secured your client’s favorite apparel and decoration, it’s time to complete the job with specialty fulfillment options. It’s no surprise that kitting remains a popular promo request, so it pays to ask up front if your supplier can bundle items together for you prior to shipment. What’s more, the increase in PR packages and gift bundles has brought renewed interest in custom packaging. Make sure your supplier can offer beyond basic poly bags and brown boxes if you want to avoid bringing in another third-party service.

Make more sales with customizable catalogs, flyers & more.

Did you know some suppliers offer free distributor sales tools? If this is something you’ve been outsourcing or spending hours of your own time putting together, listen up! Many suppliers go the extra mile to make your job easier by offering end-buyer-friendly sales sheets, catalogs, flyers and more that you can send directly to clients or use during client meetings. Don’t sacrifice your own time making these assets when your supplier can simply provide them to you.

You’re never in it alone when you work with experts.

Wouldn't it be nice to have your own support staff at your fingertips? Oftentimes, when distributors want to find out the latest trends, sales tips and decoration techniques for example, they're left researching on their own or seeking out external groups to help them stay on top of all the everchanging best practices. Sometimes, it would simply be easier to speak to someone directly who works with your distributorship and wants to see you succeed.