👋 Welcome back to This Week in Print-on-Demand, where swag meets culture. We have a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in!

New Year, New Products

 🎪 PPAI Expo 2026 is Live

Ross is headed to PPAI Expo, one of the biggest trade shows in the promo industry, with thousands of new products, suppliers, and on-demand options all in one place.

Before he goes, we’d love your input:

• Is there anything you’ve been wishing you could add to your company store?

• Any product you’ve dreamed about putting your logo (or designs) on?

• A category, trend, or item you’ve seen somewhere and thought, “I wish we had that”?

Whatever it is, let us know. Ross will keep an eye out on the show floor and see what he can make happen.

Just hit reply with your ideas, no request is too small or too out-there.

Thanks for being part of Brand Sauce. We’re always looking for ways to make your swag even better.

NEWS & NUGGETS: A DASH OF INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

💵 19 States Raise Minimum Wages: January 1 kicked off minimum wage increases across 19 U.S. states, impacting More than 8.3 million workers. Several states now sit well above the federal $7.25 baseline, with automatic inflation adjustments built in. Source.

👜 Trader Joe’s Merch Flex: What started as a simple grocery bag has turned into a resale phenomenon. Limited-edition Trader Joe’s tote bags are being flipped internationally on eBay for 5–10x their original price. A reminder that the right branded item can quietly become a status symbol. Source.

🤖 AI + HR Keeps Expanding: More than half of organizations now use AI in recruiting, making it HR’s most common AI application. Most HR leaders also plan to increase training so employees can work effectively alongside AI tools. Adoption is accelerating, but trust and clarity are still critical. Source.

🥶 The Coolest Finish Line Ever: Big cheers to Delta White from ALTEN, who just ran a full marathon in Antarctica wearing a custom buff and beanie decorated by Brand Sauce. This is the power of branded swag!

🧠 Mindset Nugget of the Week: In this clip, Derek Jeter explains why baseball feels slower when you’re prepared. A ready mind creates space to think, adapt, and perform. That principle applies far beyond sports: to work, parenting, and life in general.

 🎉 Giveaway Winner Alert: Shout-out to the winner from last week, Mark Yoldi, who scored the Carhartt^® Foundry Series Backpack from SanMar. We’ve got another giveaway below!

SWAG INSIDERS

The Power of On-Demand

Ross took the stage at Apparelist to break down the real power of on-demand printing. The session dives into how brands can move faster, waste less, and deliver swag exactly when it matters.

If you want to learn more about the industry, this one’s worth a watch. Click here to watch

Ross’ Video of the Week

How Costco Cracked Japan’s Impossible Market

When Costco entered Japan in 1999, many expected it to fail. Japan has historically been a difficult market for foreign big-box retailers. Tesco exited after less than a decade. Carrefour pulled out after only a few years. Even Walmart struggled to gain real traction.

Costco, however, took a different path. Today, Japan is one of Costco’s most important markets outside North America, with millions of members and dozens of warehouses nationwide.

Here’s what helped make it work:

• A simplified supply chain: Costco’s model emphasizes cutting out middlemen and passing value directly to customers, which translates well in a price-sensitive but quality-focused market.

• Leaning into what made Costco different: Rather than trying to localize everything, Costco kept a strong mix of imported and Kirkland Signature products, which felt novel and premium to Japanese shoppers.

• Membership over margins: Profit primarily comes from membership fees, allowing product pricing to stay competitive.

• Designed for shared shopping: Costco locations naturally support group and family shopping, which aligns well with Japanese consumer behavior.

• An experience, not just a store: Visiting Costco became an outing. Food courts, sampling, and the scale of the warehouse turned shopping into something closer to an experience than an errand.

Costco didn’t “crack” Japan by changing who it was. It succeeded by preserving its identity while thoughtfully adapting the experience to local cultural norms.

WEEKLY POLL + GIVEAWAY

🚨Giveaway Alert: OGIO Transcend Full-Zip

Soft, stretchy, and polished enough for work but comfortable enough for off-hours, this full-zip is the kind of layer you’ll keep grabbing without thinking twice. Easy to wear, hard to give back.

Details:

• Two lucky readers will score the OGIO Transcend Full-Zip.

• Winner announced in next week’s newsletter.

👉 To enter, answer the poll below:

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

🤝 Meet NV5

Founded in 1949, NV5 is a leading provider of tech-enabled engineering, testing, inspection, and consulting solutions for the built environment. In plain speak: they’re the experts ensuring buildings, infrastructure, and utilities are designed and run right. With 100+ offices worldwide, NV5’s team of engineers and specialists tackles everything from big-city skyscraper inspections to sustainable energy consulting. Their motto? Engineering success for our clients – and with decades of innovation under their belt, NV5 has built a reputation on quality, safety, and forward-thinking solutions.

📣 Our Collaboration

Brand Sauce partnered with NV5 to elevate how they recognize and reward their people. Together, we launched the NV5 Company Store – but we didn’t stop at just setting up a store. NV5 uses its branded merch in strategic ways: every new hire gets a “Welcome to the Team” onboarding kit loaded with NV5-branded gear to make them feel at home from Day 1. Managers tap the store for birthday gifts (think premium jackets and desk accessories with a personal touch) so each employee’s special day gets a celebration, no matter where they are. And during key seasons and campaigns – from safety awareness week to the year-end holidays – NV5 rolls out themed swag (all coordinated through the store) to unite and excite their workforce.

🤝 Connect With NV5

Shoot me a note at [email protected] to get connected with the team.

WEEKEND UPDATE

Around the Water Cooler With Ross AKA The P.O.D. Guy

As many of you know, I was in Florida last week celebrating my grandma “Nana’s” 100th birthday. I wrote about that trip here. At the time, we didn’t know it would also be our goodbye.

In true Brand Sauce fashion, we created a store for our family so we could all wear something special for the photos. We called it Nana Nation, a playful nod to Aviator Nation, but more importantly, a tribute to the woman who built our family. Nana was the queen of fashion. What started as a fun idea became something much more meaningful.

Below is a photo of our entire family with Nana, taken on Monday, December 29th.

On Saturday, January 3rd, as my family prepared to fly back to San Diego, I went to visit Nana one last time. I held her hand, knowing it would be the last time. I thanked her for everything she had given me, her love, her strength, her values, and I promised her I would carry her legacy forward.

Later that day, while we were in the air from Atlanta to San Diego, my mom texted me that Nana had passed away.

My heart is heavy, but it is also full. Few people get to leave this world the way Nana did, after 100 beautiful years, surrounded by her entire family, knowing she was deeply loved, and ready to be reunited with Papa. It was her time, and she let us know.

Nana taught me countless lessons, but the one that matters most is simple: take care of your people. Take care of your family. Your friends. Your community. Show up. Be present. Love deeply.

Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren heard that message loud and clear. Even though we live all over the country and are at very different stages of life, we’ve committed to spending as much time together in person as we can, because time together is the only thing that truly matters.

To everyone who reached out with kind words and love, thank you. It means more than you know.

In honor of Nana, take a moment today to reach out to someone you love. Send the text. Make the call. Find a way to be together.

With tears in my eyes and gratitude in my heart,

Nana Nation forever. ❤️

👥 Connect on Social Media

Not following Ross & Brand Sauce on social media yet? Let’s change that. Click the links below to stay connected for fresh ideas, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive updates 👇

• Ross’s LinkedIn

• BrandSauce LinkedIn

• BrandSauce YouTube Channel

• In Print-on-Demand | EP#62, we zoomed out to explore what visibility really means, from brands overloading logos to Instagram’s algorithm pivots to HR teams rethinking how recognition actually lands. We hit the promo industry’s biggest stage, spotlighted creative merch moments, and threw in a little Groundhog Day trivia just to keep things spicy. Whether you're navigating culture shifts or planning your next swag drop, this edition served up fresh ideas for leading with clarity, creativity, and connection.

• In Print-on-Demand | EP#61, we zoomed in on the power of on-demand swag, smarter gifting, and why letting people choose beats sending another “box of stuff” every time. From behind-the-scenes moments at Printing United to real-world stories of company stores done right, this episode explored how technology is reshaping employee experience and brand moments. Add in fresh industry insights, a community-powered giveaway, and a few crowd-favorite picks, and you’ve got an edition that’s equal parts practical, people-first, and scroll-worthy.

• In Print on Demand | EP#60, we leaned into year-end energy with secret swag moves, resilience-fueled storytelling, and a giveaway built for both slow sippers and tech tinkerers. We spotlighted bold updates from the promo world, stirred in a little AI merch envy, and wrapped it all with insights to keep your culture sharp. It’s an episode that blends grit, gifting, and just enough weird to make your scroll worthwhile.

• In Print on Demand | EP#59, we glided into December with fresh takeaways from our latest webinar, new swag stories shaping the industry, and a winter-ready giveaway that made bundling up look good. We dug into why appreciation is becoming the new retention strategy, spotlighted trends from Boston to Pantone, and served up a few fun moments along the way. It’s an episode that warms your brain and your inbox. Consider it your weekly nudge to slow down, get cozy, and swag smarter.

THAT’S A WRAP

From Trader Joe’s tote bags turning into international flex pieces to custom beanies crossing the Antarctic finish line, this week was all about meaning over materials. Whether it’s onboarding kits, birthdays, or once-in-a-lifetime moments, the best swag shows up when it matters most. Thanks for spending a few minutes with us this week.

Until next time, stay saucy! 👋 

– Ross & the Brand Sauce Team

© 2025 On Demand Global, LLC, DBA Brand Sauce