Spotlight On Stran
Meet the Merchbook
The Merchbook is Stran's annual flagship collection is part product guide, part creative publication, and entirely its own thing.
Now in its seventh edition, it's built around a simple belief: the best merch makes you feel something.
Click the + to learn more 👇
Most product catalogs do one thing: list what's available. The Merchbook was never built for that.
Since its first edition in 2019, it's grown into something closer to a magazine; it's editorially curated, visually designed, and built to be browsed, bookmarked, and enjoyed.
Edition 7.0 features 250+ products organized across five distinct themes, paired with lifestyle photography, editorial articles, and a physical kit component that brings tangible elements into the experience.
This year's collection is organized around five themes, each with its own creative direction and product point of view:
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Forever Fun — nostalgia, play, and the cultural pull toward the analog and retro. The swag you didn't know you needed.
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Daily Rituals — wellness, elegant everyday upgrades, and feel-good functional items. Elegant upgrades for everyday rhythms.
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Digital Detox — analog, tactile, sensory products for stepping away from the screen. Sink into your senses.
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Transparent on Purpose — mission-driven brands, sustainability, and sourcing transparency. Swag with a story.
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Choose Your Adventure — travel, outdoor, and go-anywhere gear. Pack well, go far.
Inside the book, three editorial articles round out the experience: The Experience Effect explores what makes brand activations worth attending; Innately Human goes behind the scenes of how the collection was built; and Intention Unboxed makes the case for kitting as a creative discipline.
Seven years in, the Merchbook is still the most direct expression of how Stran thinks about merch; not as a commodity, but as something worth caring about.
Product Picks:
Sustainably Sourced 🌱
Some of the best merch doesn't announce itself, but fits into someone's day so naturally that it becomes part of the routine. This month's picks are built around that idea: two products that support your best summer yet, from sunrise to sunset.
Click the + to see the picks! 👇
GROSCHE KAMLOOPS Insulated Water Bottle, 24oz
From GROSCHE's sustainable drinkware line, the KAMLOOPS is a 24oz triple-wall insulated bottle built for the way people move through their days. The leak-proof chug lid handles a bag toss without complaint, the cup-holder-friendly design keeps it within reach, and the insulation keeps drinks cold for 48+ hours even in peak summer heat. The colorways — including Ocean Drift, Velvet Cherry, Dreamberry Fizz, and more — are retail-quality finishes that recipients notice and keep.
Every KAMLOOPS purchase funds 50+ days of safe drinking water to communities in need through the GROSCHE Safe Water Project. When your logo goes on this bottle, it travels alongside that mission.
Daybreak Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock
Featured in Merchbook 7.0, the Daybreak does something most branded products never manage: it shows up every single morning. A sunrise simulation transitions from dark to fully lit over a 20-minute window before the alarm sounds, easing people awake the way natural light does. Bamboo base, seven color light modes, USB-C charging port, and a multi-function display showing time, date, temperature, and alarm.
For onboarding kits, wellness programs, executive gifts, or any moment where you want your brand associated with how someone starts their day, this is the piece. Morning after morning, your logo is already there before the coffee is.
Industry News
PPAI Top 100 Industry Leaders
The newest PPAI Top 100 rankings are out, and Stran once again earned a spot among the industry’s top distributors, ranking #13 this year and marking a second consecutive year in the Top 20.
Click the + to learn about what goes into the rankings 👇
Released annually by PPAI, the Top 100 recognizes leading distributors and suppliers across the promotional products industry through a scoring process built to look beyond revenue alone. Companies are evaluated across categories including growth, professional development, digital transformation, corporate responsibility, employee satisfaction, online presence, and overall business health.
This year, Stran ranked #13 among distributors and received strong marks in Growth and Industry Faith — categories that reflect business performance, financial strength, and the trust Stran has built within the industry over time.
PPAI specifically highlighted several initiatives that contributed to this year's recognition:
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Gander Group Integration — The successful addition of Gander Group expanded Stran's creative and sourcing capabilities, bringing new talent and a west coast presence into the fold.
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NetSuite ERP Launch — The rollout of NetSuite as Stran's enterprise resource planning platform represents a significant operational investment, improving how the business manages fulfillment, finance, and client services at scale.
Sustained rankings like this don't happen by accident. They reflect years of investment in people, partnerships, and infrastructure — and a commitment to building a business that performs well across every dimension the industry measures, not just revenue.
To our clients, partners, and team: thank you for being part of what makes this possible.
From The Blog
Merch As a Sales Strategy
Cold outreach has a response rate problem, and most sales teams know it.
Our latest blog explores a different approach: using branded merch as a strategic touchpoint to re-engage cold leads, stay present during long decision cycles, and give your follow-up a reason to land.
It's less about gifting and more about timing, intention, and knowing what to send and when.
