Personalised Pens – How We Aim To Stay ‘Trade Exclusive

I have done a few news items now outlining my thoughts on the direction that the route to market for pens but more specifically promotional and personalised pens is changing, particularly where online trading is concerned. In summary, we are seeing many distributors becoming importers and trade suppliers and there are also strong indicators that seemingly trade-exclusive suppliers are either sponsoring, working hand-in-glove or ‘cloaking’ to secure route to market. What is The Pen Warehouse’s answer to this?  Will we consider going direct at some point in the future?

This is a question I am being asked with increasing regularity by distributors because the more enlightened ones can see what is going on in the war for route to market. Here in the UK we have a long history of being ‘exclusive’ rather than ‘inclusive’ in the way we operate in the promotions industry. Our two trade bodies are not inclusive in any way as membership dictates that it is fundamentally exclusive. We see the same thing with general promotional gift websites and catalogues that are seemingly even-handed but in reality are heavily biased towards one supplier or another. Indeed there are many so-called trade catalogues that exclude some trade suppliers altogether as they see them as a threat to their own overt or covert operation. It is little wonder therefore that some distributors see the writing on the wall for the traditional methods of distribution prevailing, particularly as there seems to be less incentive for trade-exclusive suppliers to remain so.

Here at The Pen Warehouse, we have no intention whatsoever of going direct to the end user by overt or covert means. We have every confidence that a large body of distributors have a  strong preference for dealing with trade exclusive suppliers providing that we deliver great customer service benefits. However, we do not simply want to stop there. The Pen Warehouse has always provided benefits to distributors that are creative and groundbreaking and we intend to continue in this vein. So far we have helped revolutionise the printed pens business by introducing products and services that were industry-firsts, leaving our competitors to simply try and mimic what we are doing. Here are just a few.

• Largest and most comprehensive Pen Catalogue Anywhere in Europe
• The first company to introduce 24 hour service
• The first pen supplier to supply both recycled and biodegradable pens
• The first company to supply pens with recycled refills
• The first to offer an anonymous pen website to the trade
• The first Germ killing Pen with modern technology
• The first to offer low volume orders in full colour
• The first to offer high quality product images in all colour options
• The first and still the only trade supplier to actively support their loyal distributors by passing leads to them.

Really, the list goes on and on and that is not to mention what we have planned for release in the next few months and years. We believe that innovative approach to trade supply keeps us ahead of the competition. Competition, by and large that is bereft of creative ideas; whose best attempt to retaliate is to copy and plagiarise and in doing so are destined to be second-rate forever. We hold great respect for our loyal distributors and in turn they recognise our contribution to the industry by way of our innovative approach that helps stimulate interest with the end-user and ultimately leads to more orders. That is our way forward, it is unique but we have the wherewithal and the determination to ensure we stay on this path into the foreseeable future.

Stay tuned to our news items coming to you on a daily basis – The Pen Warehouse, home of promotional pens.