Counselor Top 40 distributor Proforma (asi/300094) is giving its distributor owners a new tool for their arsenal.

Counselor Top 40 distributor Proforma (asi/300094) has launched the AI-powered Product Recommendation Engine for its distributor owners.

The company has announced the launch of the AI-powered Product Recommendation Engine (PRE) aimed at helping its distributor owners generate quick, data-driven suggestions based on customer needs.

The technology will be powered by a computer system designed to mimic human thinking and decision-making by identifying what the user is trying to achieve and discovering product options that align with the user’s intent. It then matches the user with available products on Proforma’s supplier network.

Each product recommendation is paired with a “Why this product?” pop-up, providing the user with additional context and reasoning behind the suggestion. Distributor owners can then add these items directly into proposals, check stock levels and generate quotes.

Proforma is a leading distributor of printing, promotional products and packaging. With a reported 2024 North American promotional products industry revenue of $662 million, the firm ranked fourth on Counselor’s most recent list of Top 40 distributors. The PRE is part of the company’s $25 million investment in technology.

Brian Carothers, chief information officer at Proforma, said the PRE will not only save time, but improve accuracy.

“For years, distributor owners have spent hours scouring catalogs or relying on intuition to develop proposals,” he said. “PRE changes that. By combining multiple AI models with our deep historical sales data and inventory access, we can now suggest better, faster and smarter recommendations – all within minutes.”

PRE is based on real-world sales data as opposed to large language models. The engine considers quantitative parameters, like available inventory levels, to generate a selection of options that match the users’ desired budget range.

According to Michael Dobozy, chief technology officer at Proforma, PRE is not intended to replace creative thinking but instead supercharge it with technology.

“There’s a myth that AI is magic,” he said. “The reality is the real power comes when you combine AI with the data, infrastructure and insight you’ve already built over time. That’s exactly what we’ve done.”

PRE is currently active for Proforma distributor owners, according to the company.

AI has become increasingly prevalent in promo. A quarter of distributors reported using AI in some capacity, according to Counselor’s 2025 State of the Industry report, as did two-thirds of suppliers.