What it means for your brand – and why it matters more than ever.
At first glance, the promotional products industry may not seem like a natural home for artificial intelligence. But behind the scenes, AI is transforming how we discover, recommend, and deliver branded merchandise—making the process more efficient, personalized, and surprisingly human.
At Extend Marketing, we’re leaning into the tools that help us better serve our clients—without losing the creativity, relationship, and strategic thinking that drive our work. Here’s how AI is helping us (and the industry) level up.
1. Smarter Product Recommendations
With thousands of promotional items to choose from, narrowing down options can be overwhelming. AI tools can quickly analyze your brand preferences, past orders, industry trends, and event type to surface curated, relevant products.
It’s not about replacing expertise—it’s about enhancing it. AI helps us get to the “right-fit” products faster, so we can spend more time fine-tuning the experience to your goals.
2. Faster, More Accurate Quoting
In a fast-moving world where inventory shifts daily and budgets are tight, AI-enhanced platforms are improving how we quote and price projects. These tools can instantly assess current stock, pricing tiers, decoration costs, and delivery timelines—reducing manual errors and speeding up approvals.
Translation: fewer back-and-forth emails and faster turnarounds.
3. Personalized Brand Experiences
AI helps identify what matters to your audience—whether that’s sustainability, tech-forward design, or low-minimum gift ideas. With this insight, we can craft programs and online company stores that are tailored to your brand and culture, not just filled with generic options.
For example, if your internal team favors eco-friendly swag and your event attendees love useful giveaways, AI can help us strike the right balance when building a product mix.
4. Predictive Planning & Campaign Optimization
The best promotional campaigns don’t happen by accident. They’re well-timed, relevant, and backed by data. AI is helping our industry anticipate seasonality, popular gifting trends, and reordering cycles—making it easier to plan ahead (and avoid out-of-stock surprises).
We’re using these tools to guide clients toward smarter decisions based on what’s likely to perform, not just what’s trending.
Staying Human in an AI-Driven Space
While the tech is exciting, what sets Extend apart is still our people-first approach. We use AI as a tool—not a substitute for strategy, relationships, or creativity. Our clients still get hands-on guidance, thoughtfully designed programs, and branded merchandise that tells a story.
AI helps us move faster, recommend smarter, and create with intention. But the heart of what we do hasn’t changed: helping brands connect with people through meaningful, memorable merchandise.
Curious how AI could enhance your next branded merch project?
Let’s talk about how we blend technology with strategy to deliver better results. Contact us here—we’d love to help you work smarter, not harder.