Sauerbach Branded Solutions | Promotional Products NY

Tariffs, One Year Later:

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:44:17 -0700

A year ago, tariffs upended pricing and sourcing across the promotional products industry. With a major trade deadline approaching on November 10, 2026, here's an updated look at where things stand, and what it means if you're planning an order.

A Quick Refresher

Tariffs on Chinese imports have technically existed since 2018, sitting at a relatively stable average of around 19% for years. That changed dramatically in 2025, when new tariffs escalated fast, briefly peaking as high as 164% before a series of negotiated truces walked rates back down over the following months. It was the most disruptive stretch the industry had seen in decades.

Where We Are Now

A Supreme Court ruling in February 2026 struck down several of the broadest tariffs, and negotiated deals since then have settled the average rate at around 36%, still nearly double the pre-2025 baseline, but far from last year's peak. Nearly 90% of distributors raised prices in 2025 by about 11% on average as a direct result, and those higher prices have largely stuck even as rate volatility has eased.

Where the Future May Take Us

One of the key relief measures currently in place is set to expire November 10, 2026. What happens after that is genuinely uncertain. Rates could hold steady, get renegotiated lower, or spike again if trade tensions resurface.

Domestic Inventory vs. Overseas Production: Why It Matters for Timing

Not every order is exposed to tariff changes the same way. Much of the promotional products supply chain runs through domestic factories holding blank inventory, goods purchased overseas previously, brought in, warehoused domestically, and decorated on demand. Because of this, tariff impacts on these orders are naturally delayed: existing inventory has to work its way down before a factory needs to place new overseas orders at the prevailing tariff rate. Ordering from...Read More

Three Products From PPAI Expo 2026 Worth Adding to Your Gifting Strategy

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:07:25 -0700

Every year, PPAI Expo surfaces products that push the category forward. This year, three stood out not because they were flashy, but because each one made us stop and think about what branded merchandise can actually do.

NexaTalk AI Earbuds

Real-time AI translation across multiple languages, delivered through a branded earbud. For companies with global clients, international team members, or anyone attending cross-border conferences or trade shows, this is a conversation starter unlike anything else available in the promotional products market right now. The technology has matured to the point where translation is seamless and fast, and the branding opportunity is substantial.

Bloom

Bloom is a branded stainless steel keycard that physically blocks distracting apps and websites when you tap it to your phone. Unlike screen time apps that are trivial to bypass, Bloom requires you to leave the card behind to access your distractions. That physical friction is the point. Workplace distractions cost the U.S. economy an estimated $650 billion per year, and the average knowledge worker loses close to 4 hours daily to interruptions and task switching. A branded gift that helps someone reclaim their focus is meaningful in a way that most promotional products simply are not.

TOPL 360 Tumbler

The TOPL is a 20 oz. double wall vacuum insulated travel cup made from 90% recycled stainless steel. The headline feature is a patented 360 degree lid that lets you sip or fill from any angle without removing it. But what makes it genuinely interesting for branded merchandise is the reprogrammable NFC chip built into the base. Tap your phone to it and it pulls up any URL you program in, your website, a landing page, a campaign, a video. Drinkware already ranks among the highest retention categories in branded merchandise, with most recipients keeping items for a year or more. This one adds a layer...Read More

When the Client Has the Vision, We Make It Real

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:35:37 -0700

There is a version of branded merchandise that most companies never get to experience. It is not the logo'd pen or the company polo. It is the kind of gift that makes someone stop, read every word on the packaging, and then tell a colleague about it the next day.

Last year we got to be part of exactly that kind of project.

A Fortune 100 insurance and financial services company came to us with a vision already formed. They had sourced a boutique spice company, developed a creative concept, and designed four custom labels — each one representing a specific company initiative. What they needed was a partner who could produce it, package it, and get it into the hands of 280 people.

We produced the labels, built a menu card that mapped each spice to a company value or priority, packed everything into a custom branded box, and shipped to all 280 recipients.

The result was a gift that lived on kitchen counters for months. Every time someone reached for one of those spice blends, the brand was there — tied to a memory, a story, and a meaning that a standard logo item never could have created.

The lesson we took from this project is one we come back to often. Sometimes the best ideas come from the client. Our job is to listen carefully, source the right partners, and execute it perfectly.

If you have a concept in mind for an upcoming initiative, event, or recognition moment —...Read More

A US Open Story and What It Taught Us About Branded Merchandise

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:31:52 -0700

The US Open 2026 merch just dropped and as a lifelong tennis fan I always look forward to seeing how they evolve the collection each year.

I have a soft spot for this tournament. In 1994, I was a ball boy at the US Open.

One afternoon I was walking back through the corridor between the stadium and the grandstand when security started clearing people out of the way. I looked to my left and Steffi Graf was right there, shoulder to shoulder with me, security surrounding us both. She glanced over, said hello, and walked into the stadium. I kept walking to the ball boy meeting area like it was a normal Tuesday.

It wasn't.

Thirty years later I run branded merchandise programs for a living, which gives me a different lens when I look at how they've evolved their merch strategy.

A few things caught my eye in the 2026 collection:

🎾 The theme is "Celebrating Our New York Story" — leaning into the NYC identity which feels right for the only Grand Slam played in America

🍹 The Honey Deuce collection is back — if you've been to Flushing in August you know that cocktail is as much a part of the experience as the tennis

👔 Premium lifestyle brands like Read More

Industry Insight: What's Generating 3,300+ Impressions Per Item in 2026

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:22:03 -0700

Soft goods are dominating. Apparel and bags continue to outperform hard goods in retention and daily use. Heavyweight fleece, structured caps, and premium totes with minimalist branding are leading requests. PPAI research shows bags average 3,300+ impressions per item over their lifetime at less than 1/10th of a cent per impression. Logos are getting smaller and placement more intentional. Brands want merchandise that looks like something people would actually buy.

Tech accessories have shifted. The market has moved from charging cables and USB drives toward MagSafe accessories, wireless charging pads, and video call stands. ASI data shows tech promo products are kept an average of 18 months and used multiple times per week making cost per impression exceptionally low relative to unit cost.

On-demand and smaller runs are growing. Digital decoration improvements mean you no longer need 500 units for quality results. Programs as small as 25-50 pieces are now viable for high-value client gifting. With 83% of consumers able to recall the brand on a promo product they've received in the past two years, the ROI case for targeted programs has never been stronger.

A Coffee Tumbler With a Built-In French Press. Yes, Really.

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:49:02 -0700

Three products have been on our radar lately that we think are worth sharing. The kind of items that tend to generate real excitement when clients see them.

The HidrateSpark PRO 2 Bottle is a smart water bottle that tracks hydration in real time, syncs with health apps, and sends light and sound reminders to drink throughout the day. It becomes part of someone's daily routine almost immediately. This means your logo goes everywhere they go. For wellness-focused companies or employee appreciation programs, this one lands differently than a standard tumbler.

The French Presso Stainless Steel Coffee Tumbler is a travel tumbler with a built-in French press. Add grounds and hot water, press the plunger, and you've got a clean cup of coffee without the mess or the trip to the break room. For client gifts or executive audiences, this is the kind of product that makes people stop and ask where it came from.

The Nirvana Gift Set comes in a rustic wooden box engraved with your logo. Inside are bar soap, bath salts, and an essential oil roller, all made domestically. It's a complete unboxing moment in a single package, and it works equally well for client appreciation, employee recognition, or onboarding kits. The presentation does a lot of the work for you.

If you're planning a corporate gifting initiative, employee recognition program, or client appreciation campaign and want to explore any of these products, we'd love to help. [Contact us](link to...Read More

What Decades of Ordering Patterns Taught Us About What Actually Works

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:00:38 -0700

After working with hundreds of B2B clients across industries — from financial services and healthcare to manufacturing and real estate — you start to notice patterns. Not just in what people order, but in why certain programs succeed and others quietly fizzle out. In our experience, the difference almost never comes down to budget. It comes down to intention.

What we've found over the years is that the most effective branded merchandise programs share one thing in common: they're built around the recipient, not the brand. The companies that treat promotional products as a vehicle for the other person's experience — whether that's a new employee, a loyal client, or a trade show visitor — consistently get better results than those focused primarily on logo placement and cost per unit. A mistake we see often is over-indexing on impressions and under-indexing on meaning. A thoughtfully chosen item that someone actually uses creates far more goodwill than a cheaper item ordered in bulk because it fit the budget.

The question we hear most from clients is some version of: "How do we know if this is actually working?" Our answer is usually to reframe the goal. If a gift made someone feel valued, if a new hire wore that jacket on their first day, if a client kept that tumbler on their desk for two years — that's the ROI. It's not always a line item, but it's real, and it compounds.

If you're evaluating your current branded merchandise strategy — or building one from scratch — we'd...Read More

Product Spotlight: You Haven't Seen This One Yet

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:48:51 -0700

🌊 It absorbs 4x its weight in water.

☀️ It dries 4x faster than cotton terry.

🏖️ It repels sand, resists odors, and packs down to the size of a water bottle. UPF 50+. Made from 30 recycled plastic bottles.

🎁 And most of your clients have never received one as a corporate gift.

That's what caught our attention about the Nomadix Original Towel. It's built a cult following in the outdoor and travel world and we think it's the best summer corporate gift most companies aren't thinking about yet.

If you have a company outing, a client appreciation moment, or just want to send something people will actually bring to the beach this summer, this one is worth a conversation.

Need storage and fulfillment for your branded products? See our Warehousing & Fulfillment services.

Heads Up: Sustainability Is Quietly Becoming a Deciding Factor

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:27:21 -0700

We're seeing a real shift in how companies evaluate promotional product vendors, and it's worth paying attention to if you haven't already. Sustainability isn't just a nice-to-have anymore: it's becoming a procurement requirement, especially for companies with ESG commitments or younger workforces who notice these things.

The shift shows up in specific ways: requests for recycled materials, questions about factory labor practices, interest in domestic manufacturing to reduce shipping emissions, and a move away from single-use giveaways toward fewer, better-made items people actually keep.

Here's the practical upside: sustainable doesn't have to mean more expensive or less impressive. Recycled aluminum drinkware, organic cotton apparel, and bamboo-based products have closed the quality gap significantly, and they often come with a built-in story that makes the gift more meaningful to the recipient.

If sustainability is part of your company's values or messaging, your promotional products should reflect that.

Need storage and fulfillment for your branded products? See our Warehousing & Fulfillment services.

The Branded Merchandise Trend Nobody's Talking About: Fulfillment

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:32:17 -0700

Over the past few months, we've noticed a shift in how companies are thinking about branded merchandise: it's not just about what gets ordered anymore. It's about what happens after the order ships.

More of our clients are asking about on-demand fulfillment instead of one-time bulk shipments. Rather than ordering 500 units and figuring out storage themselves, companies are having us warehouse inventory and ship in smaller batches as needed. A kit when a new hire starts, a case of drinkware before a trade show, a handful of gifts before a client meeting.

This is also where company web stores come in. We warehouse the inventory, host the store, and handle fulfillment end to end . Employees or clients log in, select what they need, and we manage everything from storage to individual drop shipment, straight to their home or office. No distribution headaches on your end, and no need to find your own warehouse space.

What's driving this? Flexibility. Hiring isn't always predictable, event schedules shift, and nobody wants a closet full of branded boxes taking up office space. On-demand fulfillment means the right products show up exactly when they're needed, without anyone on your team tracking inventory or playing logistics manager.

If your team has been ordering in bulk and managing storage and shipping internally, it might be worth exploring what a fulfillment partnership could simplify.

Need storage and fulfillment for your branded products? See our