/commonsku-logo-main-blue.svg){kind=logo}
commonsku 2025 RECAP
Dear skummunity,
2025 was a remarkable year for the skummunity.
One of the best parts of our job is visiting with our distributor and supplier customers to see firsthand how they operate in their communities. In 2025, we had the chance to visit customers in every corner of the USA, Canada, as well as parts of Asia, to experience how our industry is making an impact.
Whether it's Storm Creek redefining sustainable, design-forward sourcing in Minneapolis, Hit expanding its supply chain in Vietnam, Imprint Engine chasing global growth across Europe, Team SCG scaling operations in Florida, or Motif and Showpony pushing creative boundaries in Saskatchewan and Georgia, and backed by the energy we saw at skucon and skucamp, this is truly an extraordinary moment for the promotional products industry.
When we reflect on 2025 and the growth our customers have achieved, we're reminded of where commonsku began.
commonsku was born in 2011 as software we built in-house to run our own distributorship, Rightsleeve. At the time, it was just us plus two employees and a clear belief that the promotional products industry deserved a more connected, modern workflow. That was the dream.
Fast forward to the end of 2025, and commonsku is the industry's fastest-growing workflow platform, serving distributors at every stage of growth. We share this not to look back, but to reinforce something important: we have lived the same challenges you face, and we are building commonsku with those realities in mind.
2025 was also marked by plenty of global economic and geopolitical shifts, which created challenges and opportunities for the industry. Over our combined decades in the promotional products industry, we have seen our industry face its share of challenges and consistently find ways to adapt, learn, and come out stronger.
This "year in review" is a celebration of you and your success. We also hope it reflects how far this industry has come, becoming a more sophisticated, creative, and increasingly central part of the modern marketing mix.
Here's to a successful 2026,
Catherine and Mark
Founders, commonsku
Your Milestones in 2025
Companies on commonsku
POs Submitted Through commonsku
Increase in ePOs Submitted
Presentations Created
Shops Created
Of ASI Power 50 lead companies that are part of the skummunity
Of PPAI Top 100 Distributors on commonsku
Attendees at 8 In-Person Events
1. Pop-Up
2. Marketing
3. Company
A Look Back at Your Growth in 2025
Community Spotlights
This year was shaped by customers who took the time to share their stories — moments of growth, resilience, and success that remind us what's possible when ambition meets action.
skucast
Turning Crisis Into a $30M Transformation
When everything that could go wrong did, Shayna Cohen and Team SCG made bold leadership decisions that turned disruption into sustained growth.
skucast
The "Quiet Work" of a Power Brand
At MOTIF, Joel Antymniuk is using design, culture, and creative intention to redefine what a distributor-led merch experience can be.
skucamp
Unpacked: The Sessions, The Sweat, The Breakthroughs
Connection, fresh thinking, and real-world insight come together in this skucamp 2025 recap for distributors focused on growth.
Your 2025 Trend Takeaways,
and 2026 Action Items
As we close the chapter on 2025, one thing is clear: merch has evolved into something far bigger than promotional swag — it became fashion, culture, and identity.
Over the past year, we analyzed more than 2,000 stories for The Backpack, alongside platform insights from 930 distributors and 5,700 users, to understand what truly shaped the merch landscape. From that, eight defining trends emerged — each pointing to the same truth: intention is everything.
The brands that won weren't just picking from catalogs; they understood the why behind their merch. Those who didn't were outpaced by creative agencies and competitors who lead with brand first and product second.
If you want to see what defined the year, and what's ahead, our full roundup is waiting for you.
Read More