iPROMOTEu (PPAI 218870, Platinum) – ranked the No. 11 distributor in the 2024 PPAI 100 – scored higher than every other PPAI 100 distributor in this year’s Online Presence category.  

  • For this category, PPAI partnered with leading online metrics platform Semrush to investigate and score promo firms for their web prowess.
  • The category also takes into account the ability for customers to easily interact with a company online, access what they need and even engage with content that may enhance their regard for the promo industry as a whole.

With a network of more than 1,100 independent distributor affiliates and salespeople across the United States and Canada, the Wayland, Massachusetts-based company provides its affiliates with back-office support, secure technology tools and ongoing education.

“We offer the best resources, tools and support to help distributors grow their businesses, and having an online presence is important to spreading that message,” says Lori Bauer, CEO of iPROMOTEu and a member of the PPAI Board of Directors.

In the first quarter of 2024, iPROMOTEu launched a social media advertising campaign to inform and educate distributors and salespeople about its services. Bauer says the campaign has resulted in great engagement and driven people back to the company website, which underwent a makeover earlier this year.

  • In 2023, iPROMOTEu ranked among PPAI’s #Online18 for its posts full of useful statistics, resources and story links.
  • Since 2008, the company has also brought the industry together online each March Madness with DunkFest, a friendly competition of filling out brackets for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.


Digital Footprint

Prioritizing online presence also extends to the digital footprint of iPROMOTEu’s affiliate network, Bauer says.

The company provides affiliates with monthly social media assets, infographics, digital catalogs, blog content, exclusive vendor videos, instructions and suggestions for engaging with their audiences online.

Earlier this year, iPROMOTEu collaborated with its affiliates to develop the iSUITE Mobile app, an extension of its iSUITE Order Management System.

  • The fully customized order management system gives affiliates access to SAGE and an inventory management module, allows orders to be placed efficiently and features integrations with e-commerce tools and company store platforms.

“Our affiliates conduct a huge portion of their business online, so we prioritize engaging with them where they are,” says Dave Kneram, senior vice president of technology at iPROMOTEu.

“Our team is also continually improving and adding functionality to iSUITE and iSUITE Mobile based on affiliates’ feedback, so we’re always innovating and supporting their business objectives. Recently, this has included enhanced reporting tools, the ability for affiliates to export and email tracking details and increased information security through multi-factor authentication, among other improvements.”

‘Relationship-Based Business’

iPROMOTEu also runs several highly active Facebook groups for affiliates to connect directly with each other, reach out to vendors and communicate with members of the iPROMOTEu staff.

For example, Nicki Staats, director of merchandising at iPROMOTEu, hosts a video series in the private Affiliates & Vendors group called “Nicki’s Noteworthy Notions,” in which she highlights the capabilities of preferred vendors and introduces affiliates to products and imprint methods they may not have seen before.

“We’re in a relationship-based business, and we embrace the idea that relationships can be built and strengthened online,” Bauer says.

“It’s a lesson everyone learned during the pandemic, but our team is fearless when it comes to trying new approaches and making ideas come to life. iSUITE Mobile is an excellent example of our team running with an idea and developing it into a robust tool that makes it easier for our affiliates to manage orders, access supplier details and conduct business efficiently, right from their phones.”