M&A may be here to stay.

Mergers and acquisitions in the promotional products industry were on the rise again in the early part of 2024. While factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, an uncertain economy and soaring interest rates slowed sales of industry businesses for periods in recent years, the general trend in promo has been toward considerable company buying and selling.

The phenomenon is being driven by a variety of elements. They include: a significant number of more experienced owners looking to exit their companies; increased private equity investment in promo; the fragmented nature of the merch market; and businesses looking to gain capabilities and efficiencies to scale cost-effectively in an era in which the expense and complexity of conducting commerce has increased.

Still, buying or selling a business is no simple task. To help prospective promo buyers and sellers navigate the process, ASI Education teamed up with Jamie Watson for a webinar discussing the ins and outs. That webinar has now been included in full here on the Promo Insiders podcast.

One of the foremost experts on promotional products industry M&A, Watson is a partner at Certified Marketing Consultants, an Indiana-headquartered firm that specializes in advising promo companies on private sales, acquisitions and business valuations.

Her discussion here with ASI Media’s Christopher Ruvo is a “crash course” on the selling and buying process. The strategies and tips shouldn’t serve as a substitute for legal advice from a lawyer and other consultants if you’re looking to buy or sell a business. Nonetheless, they’ll help a prospective seller or buyer get a good sense of what’s involved and how to proceed.