Three Insights on the $14.83B European Promo Market

ASI Research recently released its fourth annual study of the European promotional products market, and the in-depth report is chock-full of noteworthy tidbits.

In 2025, European distributors generated an estimated $14.83 billion in sales, a low single-digit increase from the year before, according to ASI Research. ASI analyzed distributor sales in the United Kingdom, the 27 nations of the European Union and the additional countries of Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Promo sales estimates are based on both extensive interviews with leaders the U.K./European promo market and data on gross domestic product growth, population and other key economic factors.

Here are three insights from this year’s report.

1. Performance varied dramatically by country.

Click to enlarge.

Germany and France continued to struggle amid economic weakness, manufacturing challenges and geopolitical pressures, while the United Kingdom, Poland and several Scandinavian markets saw more stable results. In fact, the U.K. – the second-largest promo market in Europe with estimated sales of $2.26 billion last year – also had the largest percentage promo sales gains in 2025, at 8%. By contrast, Germany – the top European market with nearly $3 billion in 2025 sales – saw a 1% drop from 2024 estimates.

One German distributor told ASI that buying promotional products is about mood, and “the overall mood in Germany has fallen dramatically.”

2. Economic uncertainty is changing buyer behavior.

Though demand for promotional products has remained relatively steady in Europe, end-buyers have shifted their purchasing strategies. In some cases, clients are buying exactly what they need without any excess, as a cost-cutting  measure. Other European promo pros also observed that while order counts have been going up, order value has actually gone down. Another trend? Companies are planning events and promo spend closer to execution than in the past.

3. There’s a shift from selling products to proving value.

Last year, European promo pros say, was one of stagnation, but they’re hopeful that 2026 will be a year of stabilization for the market, with 2027 bringing more growth. Michael Freter, a promo industry veteran and founder of the Global Executive Network, told ASI that he believes the European promotional products market is at a crucial turning point as it fights for its place in shrinking marketing budgets.

The key, he said, is providing clients with clear, measurable ROI that demonstrates the impact promotional products have. “The winners will not be the guys who sell more types of products,” Freter said. “The winners will be who delivers more value.”

Check out the full European market report or this episode of the Promo Insiders podcast for more insights from the study.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.