Chipply (PPAI 810551) has announced the appointment of Elle Carstens as senior vice president of revenue.

Carstens brings more than 16 years of SaaS sales experience, including seven years in leadership and sales development.

“Chipply has always been a company that puts people first; as we grow, that commitment remains unwavering,” says Senior Vice President of Sales Grace Schettler. “Elle’s leadership will help us scale thoughtfully while continuing to deliver the exceptional customer experience our partners expect.”

commonsku (PPAI 552077) hosted its annual “What’s New in commonsku” webinar, showcasing more than 42 platform features shipped in 2025 and previewing a 2026 roadmap that includes AI mockup generation, an intelligent opportunity-discovery bot, print-on-demand fulfillment and connected supplier auto-billing.

The webinar opened with a look at the milestones commonsku users achieved in 2025: More than 12,000 shops created, over 320,000 presentations built and more than one million purchase orders submitted through the platform.

The first half of 2026 roadmap is anchored by several major initiatives:

• Connected supplier auto-billing
• The new Potential Repeat Order report – already live – helps sales teams systematically capture repeat business by surfacing historical orders for follow-up.

Among the most anticipated features is skubot, commonsku’s AI-powered opportunity bot. Slated for beta in Q2, skubot connects securely to a distributor’s commonsku data to perform quantitative and qualitative analysis, uncover cross-sell and upsell opportunities, and eventually take action directly within the platform.

commonsku also announced a print-on-demand offering in partnership with Stahls’ Fulfill Engine, launching in the first half of 2026. The deeply integrated solution will allow distributors to offer on-demand fulfillment at any scale with full visibility, reporting and commission tracking within the commonsku platform.

On the AI front, commonsku’s AI Mockup Generator is entering beta this month, generating decoration-aware product mockups directly from presentation and shop configurations.

• Additional AI tools on the horizon include a description rewriter, automated art configuration, and long-term plans for skubot to build complete presentations and shops autonomously.
• Rounding out the roadmap, commonsku’s enterprise team is building robust API tools that enable full sales order creation through code, a ShipStation export for inventory fulfillment operations rolling out in the coming weeks and expanded shop integrations for large-scale e-commerce customers.

TBF Bags (PPAI 669282, Standard-Plus) has officially earned vegan certification from Vegan Action for most of its tote bag styles.

The newly certified totes include a range of TBF’s core styles, from everyday shopping bags to print-ready options used by merch brands, promotional product distributors, and print shops. Each certified bag is made without any animal-derived materials and uses vegan, biodegradable components.

Alongside its newly acquired vegan certification, TBF also holds certifications such as OEKO-TEX, the Global Recycled Standard and the Organic Content Standard.

Hempty’s Golf & Gift (892209) has announced that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has officially issued U.S. Patent No. D1,113,083 for its TURF CAPS design. The patent, granted on Feb. 17, protects the company’s distinctive concept of incorporating artificial turf into the brim of a cap.

TURF CAPS were formally introduced to the branded merchandise industry at The PPAI Expo 2026.

“The excitement on the show floor was undeniable,” says Rich Butler, managing director of Hempty’s Golf & Gift. “Distributors quickly saw how TURF CAPS align naturally with grass-played sports, especially golf and the more than 140,000 annual charity golf events held nationwide. Corporate sponsors are constantly searching for something premium and memorable that stands out from standard headwear. TURF CAPS deliver exactly that.”

S&S Activewear (PPAI 256121, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 2 supplier, is seeking your input on the future of the promotional industry and how it can be the best partner possible for businesses that buy and sell apparel.

As a thank you for completing the online questionnaire, your company will receive 20% off the first $500 on S&S brands, and you personally will be entered to win a $1,000 VISA gift card.

Please click here to get started.