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Americans spent more than $174 billion on branded merchandise in 2025, according to a newly released study from Promotional Products Association International.
That accounts for 51 percent of global spending in the industry, supporting $170.2 billion in U.S. GDP (approximately 0.6 percent). About $50 billion of that total was spent on promotional products and $124 billion on licensed merchandise.
Branded merchandise also supported 1.2 million American jobs and generated $37 billion in tax revenues—enough to fund the entire 2025 budget of the state of Georgia. It also accounted for a considerable portion of U.S. ad spending. Traditional promotional-product spending alone was equivalent to roughly 13 percent of estimated U.S. advertising spending last year.
Conducted by independent global advisory firm Oxford Economics, PPAI’s Branded Merchandise Global Market Report measured every aspect of the industry, from manufacturing and decoration to distribution, retail, e-commerce, fulfillment, marketing and brand activation.
Those measurements looked at three channels of economic impact: direct impact (economic activity generated by the companies that manufacture, source, decorate, distribute and deliver branded merchandise); indirect impact (economic activity generated throughout the industry's supply chain as businesses purchase materials, packaging, logistics, technology, equipment and other goods and services); and induced impact (economic activity generated when people employed by the branded merchandise industry and its suppliers spend their wages throughout the broader economy).
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While the U.S. is far and away the biggest player in the branded merchandise marketplace, the industry has a strong impact around the globe. $338.3 billion was spent on branded merchandise globally in 2025—$108.6 billion in promotional products and $229.7 billion in licensed merchandise.
Branded merchandize also supported $472.3 billion in global GDP, equivalent to around $1 out of every $250 of economic output. That helped to support 11.9 million jobs worldwide, including 4.1 million directly within the industry.
The study’s results revealed that the branded merchandise industry has a global GDP multiplier of 2.95, meaning that for every $1 million in GDP generated directly by the industry, an additional $1.95 million was supported elsewhere in the global economy.
The growth of the industry comes along with an expansion of the category beyond traditional promotional products. Licensed merchandise, apparel and workwear, retail-branded goods, creator merchandise, print-on-demand and e-commerce products, recognition gifts and merchandise used in marketing, events and brand activations all are under the branded merchanside umbrells. What unites them, the study says, is their role as tangible expressions of a brand.
“Branded merchandise is deeply woven into the U.S. economy and the way American organizations connect with employees and customers,” said PPAI president and CEO Drew Holmgreen. “This research shows the scale behind those connections.”
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