Technology changes everything, and the rate of evolution continues to speed up. But the promotional products industry is still very much built on relationships, creativity and logistics.
Even as new systems come on line and our companies lean into AI-based operation, digital transformation should amplify those strengths rather than replace them.
Shawn Reed
IT Director, Showdown Displays; PPAI Technology Committee
When manufacturers, distributors and decorators invest in modern systems, secure practices and a digitally fluent workforce, they unlock faster lead times, better margins and richer customer experiences while protecting brand reputation.
So amid all the change, what is digital transformation in today’s industry?
A Secure Foundation
Security must be the starting point for any transformation. Begin with a simple, enforceable baseline: strong authentication, uptodate patching and encrypted backups. Treat customer lists, art files, supplier pricing and payment data as crown jewels and limit access to only those who need it. Add multifactor authentication across email, CRM and supplier portals, and schedule quarterly backups with offsite encryption to reduce ransomware exposure.
Create a clear incident playbook that names the decision-maker and lists steps to contain breaches and communication templates for customers and partners. Small teams can rely on an external security consultant or a company for a oneday assessment and prioritized remediation list.
The industry wins when vendors share threat information and demand basic security guarantees from each other.
Modern Systems & Workflows
Legacy systems slow response times and create avoidable errors. Prioritize replacing or augmenting outdated software with cloudfriendly, modular solutions that integrate via APIs. Start with highimpact areas: order management, inventory tracking and proof approval flows. Automating artwork approvals with timestamped records and digital signatures reduces misprints and disputes costs.
Try adopting a phased approach. Pilot a modern order management system with one product category, measure cycle time and error reduction, then expand. Keep integrations pragmatic – an ERP that talks to your CRM and your partner’s portal is more valuable than an allinone monolith.
Budget for regular maintenance, not just the initial purchase, and designate a systems owner responsible for updates and vendor relationships.
Trained & Engaged Employees
Transformation succeeds or fails on adoption. Invest in short, rolespecific training that shows staff how new tools make their day easier. Use handson sessions, short video walkthroughs and quick reference cards for common tasks like uploading art files, checking proofs or escalating customer issues.
Create a feedback loop where employees can report workflow pain points and wins. Reward suggestions that lead to measurable improvements. Appoint internal champions or subject matter experts for each function – sales, operations, design – to accelerate adoption and keep standards consistent.
And remember, a modern company doesn’t rely on any one or two indispensable people. Crosstrain staff on digital skills so small teams can cover issues without bottlenecks.
Practical AI Usage
Apply AI where it reduces repetitive work and speeds decisions while keeping humans in control.
Start with the lowrisk, highvalue implementations. You can automate response drafting for common customer questions or character recognition for extracting order details from faxed or scanned forms. Another common, practical use is simple demand forecasting for highvolume SKUs.
Always require human review for customer facing outputs such as quotes, proofs and fulfillment exceptions. Track performance metrics like time saved, errors reduced and customer satisfaction with the end product to justify scaling. When evaluating vendors, ask how models are trained, whether training data is retained and whether there are controls for biased or incorrect outputs.
Preparing For The Future
What qualifies as digital transformation continues to change, and so must you be. Imagine you’ve been in business a good while and never adapted with technology. That dial-up connection probably isn’t serving you well anymore, right?
Be prepared for what’s next. Build transformation plans that are adaptable, not prescriptive. Maintain a rolling 12-to-24-month roadmap focused on incremental gains: Digitize proofs, standardize SKUs across catalogs, introduce esignatures and expand analytics for supplier performance. Invest in flexible APIs and modular tooling so you can swap components as needs evolve.
There are opportunities to enhance industry collaboration by sharing anonymized supply chain performance data and common integration standards. Jointly developed APIs or shared artwork validation tools reduce friction for everyone and elevate the industry’s service level.
Digital transformation for our industry is not a single project but the continuous upgrade of tools, habits and partnerships. Focus on secure, practical changes that deliver measurable gains today while creating resiliency and flexibility for tomorrow.
When companies move together – modernizing systems, training people, using AI responsibly and sharing standards – the entire industry becomes faster, safer and more profitable.
In short, it transforms.
