Promotional Coolers Carry Your Message All Year
When most people think of buying promotional coolers they think of them as a summer item. Truth is they are one of the most widely used promotional items throughout the winter because they are often taken with the end user on vacations. When they are not being used on vacations during the colder seasons they often end up by the pool, next to a beach chair or while camping. These are all ideal locations for someone to discuss the logo or message on the cooler and for people to ask more about where the item was purchased.
Gemline has long been one of the industry leaders in custom coolers. This month they have released a series of new products geared towards the budget minded shopper but also looking for a quality promotional cooler. Starting at the lower end of the cooler spectrum the Catalyst Lunch Cooler has all the benefits of other mainstream corporate coolers but comes in at a lower price and with more colors available. One of the real limitations in past years has been the fact that most coolers were available in black of blue. Gemline was one of the first to market with vibrant colors and has continued that this season. In addition they are one of the first to market kid friendly promotional products that are actually CPSIA certified with PDF certificate files available for download on their site. Like the earlier model the Laguna Lunch Cooler has the same certifications and is also made from people safe non-PVC lining. What I like about all of their coolers is the construction which usually involves heat welded seams which hopes to keep the cold in and more importantly melted ice on the inside so your car or house does not end up soaked.
Gemline has gotten particularly aggressive with the mid-year launch after contracting the number of products heading in 2010. It is possible we will see more items released as the year goes along. Unlike some of the other major manufacturers such as Leeds and Bullet Line which continue to suffer from inventory problems Gemline is poised to deliver products in a timely fashion as we cruise into July and August. When you are comparing coolers and especially coolers that may be given to children the fifty cents you may save on the bargain brand may backfire when your client realizes you saved a few cents and in turn sacrificed their safety. Giving customers a potentially dangerous cooler does not relay a message of caring about their business. When looking for your next promotional cooler give Gemline a good long look.
Promotional Products Industry Plagued By Inventory Problems
One of the major challenges facing the promotional products industry as we head into the middle of 2010 is the absolute lack of inventory available from major ASI suppliers. This is mainly the result of poor planning or inability to see the return of the economy in the first months of the year. But it is also partially attributable to problems with cargo containers leaving Asia. That leaves distributors in the difficult position of not being able to provide new products to customers.
And there are a good amount of new products hitting the market this month. Leeds a division of Polyconcepts has launched an entire umbrella line. One of their newer offerings the 41" Classic Folding Umbrella is the very first custom printed umbrella Leeds has ever offered. This is one of the first major leaps for Polyconcepts into a new market since they launched their technology line several years ago. The umbrellas are scheduled to arrive in the coming days and as of this point there are no reports of difficulties in transit. Meanwhile over at Bullet Line which is another division of the same parent company they have expanded their custom caps line. Do you remember the big foam hats with a mesh back that were so popular thirty years ago? They are back with a vengeance and the Solid Cotton Twill Trucker Cap is one of the additions to the offering this year. Almost all of these hats and caps include custom embroidery in up to 7500 stitches which will cover almost all users. A nice aspect off the foam hat is it presents a large decoration area, almost a billboard for that matter on the front.
It remains to be seen whether or not the big players in the industry will have problems with freight as the year goes along. We should also be clear on another point. It is not that the containers are totally unavailable it is that the prices have gone up so much for immediate shipments as they bring capacity back online that some manufacturers are electing to wait it out. In some ways you cannot blame them if the alternative is shipping products that will eventually result in a loss or diminished profit. Combined with what were some of the higher fuel prices in the past few years once products arrived in the States there is no choice for some producers but to wait it out. Several of the major players have taken the time to write to their distributors explaining the shortages and this has gone a long way to repairing relationships and it also helps distributors maintain honest relationships with their end user clients.
As many of you may have read Google has announced that Caffeine is complete. Like so many others online I have noticed a steady decline in the quality of search results. One can only hope that in the coming weeks and months they fine tune this new product to bring it up to earlier higher standards.