PSI Product Sourcing: How all members benefit

PSI Product Sourcing is always seeking new and innovative products in order to provide PSI members and potential supplier customers with up-to-date advice. Catalogues and product samples help the team to stay up to date and recommend new, trendy products. We spoke to Astrid Langenstein, Team Leader Product Sourcing Manager PSI, about the benefits for suppliers, as well as topics such as quality, care and responsibility.

Astrid, why do you and your team regularly remind PSI suppliers to send the latest catalogues, newsletters and product samples to PSI Product Sourcing?

Astrid Langenstein: „We regularly remind our suppliers because it is crucial for us to always have the latest information about their products. This not only helps us to keep our product range up-to-date and competitive, but also allows us to always present the best and latest offers to our members. Regular updates allow us to react quickly to changes in the market and ensure that we offer the most innovative products.“

Once suppliers have listed their products in the PSI Product Finder, what added value is there in sending in samples and catalogues?

Astrid Langenstein: „The PSI Product Finder is a great tool to get an initial overview of the products on offer. However, sending in samples and catalogues offers additional value. With physical samples, we can handle the products ourselves, check their quality and better understand their features. This is particularly important for products where haptics and visual aspects are crucial. Catalogues also often provide additional information that may not be presented in such detail in the PSI Product Finder. Samples and catalogues also allow us to respond better to specific customer enquiries and make targeted recommendations.“

Keyword plagiarism, product piracy, quality claims: How do you deal with this issue at PSI Product Sourcing? What significance do samples and catalogues have against this background?

Astrid Langenstein: „Plagiarism and product piracy are a major issue in today’s globalised world and can cause considerable damage. We deal with these challenges very carefully and responsibly in terms of sourcing. The regular supply of samples, catalogues and detailed information plays a central role here. Physical samples allow us to ensure that the products supplied actually correspond to the specifications and are not inferior imitations. Catalogues and detailed product information help us to verify the authenticity and quality of the products. We also work closely with our suppliers to ensure that all products meet our high quality standards and that there are no infringements of intellectual property. This approach creates trust.“

Thank you very much, Astrid, for the detailed answers and the insights into your way of working.

BY THE WAY:
PSI suppliers who would like to benefit from the support of PSI Product Sourcing should send their spring catalogues to:

psi.productsourcing@rxglobal.com or
PSI – Promotional Product Service Institute
RX Germany GmbH
PSI Product Sourcing
Attn: Astrid Langenstein
Johannstraße 1
40476 Düsseldorf
Germany