What Is PromoStandards and Why Should Distributors Care?

If you're a distributor or reseller in the promotional products industry, you've probably struggled with outdated product data, manual inventory checks, and time-consuming order processes. That's where PromoStandards comes in — and why understanding this standard can give your business a competitive edge.

What Is PromoStandards and Why Should Distributors Care?

What Is PromoStandards?

PromoStandards is a set of standardized APIs developed by and for the promotional products industry. It enables suppliers and distributors to exchange information such as product details, pricing, inventory, media content, order status, and more — all automatically, with no need for spreadsheets or manual updates.

PromoStandards uses SOAP/XML-based APIs (not REST), which means it requires specific expertise to implement correctly. But once integrated, it opens up real-time access to supplier data across many categories.

Why PromoStandards Matters for Distributors and Resellers

Distributors often deal with hundreds of products across multiple suppliers. Without automation, keeping up with pricing, stock levels, and product updates is a full-time job. PromoStandards solves that by allowing your systems to talk directly to suppliers — reducing errors, saving time, and improving customer satisfaction.

What’s Needed to Integrate PromoStandards?

PromoStandards isn’t a plug-and-play solution. It requires custom integration, typically in PHP and MySQL, and a deep understanding of the spec’s structure. That’s why many distributors choose to hire a PromoStandards developer to build or maintain their integration.

Whether you're using WooCommerce, a custom storefront, or an internal system, PromoStandards integration can help your business scale without extra overhead.