In his annual update to affiliates, preferred suppliers and others in the promotional products industry, Ross Silverstein, founder, president and CEO of distributor iPROMOTEu, reports order volume in 2017 of $174.5 million, an increase of nearly 11 percent from its 2016 total. It also surpassed $1 billion in cumulative promotional products sales since the company’s launch, the report shows.

Last year, 77 distributors affiliated with iPROMOTEu’s network, bringing it up to 623 independent distributor affiliates in the U.S. and Canada. Of these distributors, another 493 salespeople work for them, bringing the sales professional count in iPROMOTEu’s network to 1,116 distributors and salespeople. Only individuals with promotional products industry experience can affiliate with network, and iPROMOTEu’s annual affiliate survey found that 99 percent of its affiliates have more than three years of experience and 79 percent have more than 10.

The affiliate survey also found that 79 percent of iPROMOTEu’s affiliates have been with the organization for three years, and 53 percent have been with it for six years or more.

The update also says iPROMOTEu processed 146,100 orders in 2017, a 13.2 percent increase over the number of orders processed in 2016. The average order size in 2017 was roughly $1,200.