What XD Connects does

XD Connects is a Netherlands-headquartered B2B distributor of promotional gifts and merchandise, operating as a subsidiary of the SOLO group. The company sells more than 5,000 stock-keeping units across twelve categories — including textile, bags and travel, drinkware, headwear, audio, mobile tech, writing instruments, notebooks, outdoor, and home and living — to over 5,900 B2B partners in more than 40 countries, delivering approximately 30 million gifts per year with a stated 24-hour lead time that includes in-house decoration and printing. The offering is organised around nine own brands (including IQONIQ, Nordic Drift, Swiss Peak, VINGA, Urban Vitamin, Avira, GearX, XD Collection, XD Xclusive, and XD Design) supplemented by partner brands such as Anker, Philips, and Thule.

The commercial model is predominantly transactional B2B e-commerce built on a self-serve webshop where registered business partners browse, configure, quote, and order branded merchandise, supplemented by direct enterprise account management for larger partners. Pricing is per-unit with volume discounts; products range from roughly €0.29 to €126.60 with decoration services (CO2 engraving, digital print, embroidery, laser engraving, pad print, screen transfer, hot stamping) layered on top. Ancillary revenue comes from custom gift-set configuration through the MyBoXD platform and from the Veya gift card product. Differentiation rests on an ESG-led positioning — EcoVadis Platinum 2025 rating (89/100, top 1% worldwide), AWARE tracer technology for recycled-content verification, RCS certification, and per-product CO2 footprint disclosure — combined with catalogue breadth, fast lead times, and vertically integrated decoration capacity.

The go-to-market combines the direct webshop, social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Vimeo, content marketing via blog and seasonal catalogues, email marketing, trade show participation, and dedicated sales tools for enterprise accounts. Operations are supported by a 750+ headcount organisation, with sustainability partnerships (Water.org, ReGreener) and a 2030 ESG roadmap used as commercial levers in customer conversations.

Name

XD Connects

Legal name

XD Connects

Website

https://xdconnects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

XD Connects is a Netherlands-based B2B distributor of branded promotional gifts and merchandise, selling 5,000+ SKUs across 12 categories to 5,900+ partners in 40+ countries via a webshop and direct sales, with in-house decoration, 24-hour delivery, and a portfolio of nine own brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Promotional Merchandise and Corporate Gifts

NAICS

Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942)

SIC

Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960)

akta.pro primary industry

Personalized, Custom & Monogrammed Gifts Retail (CRALAJAC)

Keywords

• Promotional merchandise
• Corporate gifts
• Branded products
• Customised merchandise
• Sustainable promotional items

Headquarters

HQ city

Rijswijk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Promotional Gifts and Merchandise: Sale of branded corporate gifts and promotional merchandise to B2B customers. Products include textile, bags, drinkware, electronics, and other branded items sold directly through the webshop platform.
2. Customisation Services: In-house decoration and printing services including CO2 Engraving, Digital Print, Digital Transfer, Embroidery, Doming, Laser engraving, Pad print, Screen transfer, Hot stamping for product personalisation
3. Gift Cards: Veya gift cards providing flexible gifting solutions for corporate customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

XD Connects distributes branded promotional gifts and merchandise to B2B buyers across 40+ countries, offering 5,000+ SKUs across 12 product categories under 9 own brands and partner brands. Core offerings include in-stock delivery within 24 hours with in-house decoration and printing services (CO2 engraving, digital print, embroidery, laser engraving, pad print, screen transfer, hot stamping, doming). The company's differentiators are sustainability credentials (EcoVadis Platinum, AWARE™ tracer, CO2 transparency, RCS certification) and the MyBoXD custom gift-set platform.

Product overview

XD Connects is a B2B promotional gift company operating as a platform with 12 product categories across Textile, Bags & Travel, Headwear, Drinkware, Umbrellas, Audio, Mobile Tech, Tools & Torches, Writing Instruments, Portfolios & Notebooks, Outdoor, and Home & Living. The company offers over 5,000 products on stock with 24-hour delivery including print services. The product portfolio is organized around 9 own brands (IQONIQ, Nordic Drift, Urban Vitamin, Vinga, Swiss Peak, XD Collection, XD Xclusive, XD Design, Avira, GearX, Ukiyo) and partner brands (Anker, Philips, Thule, Boska, Black + Blum, Skross, Zens, Bellroy, Polarbox, C-Secure, Ringo, Topl, AdHoc). Key services include MyBoXD custom gift-set creation, Veya gift cards, customisation and decoration services, and ESG-focused product offerings. The company serves 5,900+ B2B partners across 40+ countries with 30 million gifts sold annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• XD Collection: Core brand offering variety of promotional gift products including bags, drinkware, and accessories.
• XD Xclusive
• Nordic Drift
• IQONIQ
• Avira
• GearX
• Urban Vitamin
• VINGA
• Swiss Peak
• Ukiyo

Products and services

• Promotional Merchandise Catalog (12 categories) Sale of branded promotional merchandise across 12 product categories (textile, bags, drinkware, audio, mobile tech, tools, writing instruments, outdoor, home & living, etc.) to B2B partners for corporate gifting programs.
• XD Collection Brand Line Core XD Connects own brand offering a wide range of products including pens, drinkware, audio, bags, and accessories at various price points.
• XD Xclusive Brand Line Exclusive/premium tier brand within the XD portfolio offering curated products with enhanced features and quality.
• XD Design Brand Line Design-focused brand emphasising innovative and aesthetically distinctive product designs.
• IQONIQ Brand Fashion-focused textile brand offering recycled cotton t-shirts, hoodies, polos, jackets, and bodywarmers made from recycled materials.
• Nordic Drift Brand Outdoor lifestyle brand offering products for outdoor enthusiasts including insulated bottles, umbrellas, multitools, coolers, and outdoor accessories with RCS certification.
• Urban Vitamin Brand Tech-focused brand offering powerbanks, wireless chargers, cables, earbuds, headphones, and item finders with modern designs.
• VINGA Brand Premium lifestyle brand offering bags, drinkware, notebooks, and outdoor products including the Baltimore collection with RCS certification.
• Swiss Peak Brand Premium brand offering high-quality bags, umbrellas, speakers, and writing instruments with sustainable materials.
• Avira Brand Brand offering drinkware and lifestyle products with focus on sustainability and modern design.
• GearX Brand Tools and adventure gear brand offering multitools, torches, measuring tapes, and outdoor tools.
• Ukiyo Brand Lifestyle brand offering products with Japanese-inspired design aesthetics.
• MyBoXD Giftsets Platform Customised gift-set creation service allowing B2B partners to curate personalised gift combinations from the product catalog.
• Veya Gift Card Digital and physical gift card product enabling B2B partners to gift predetermined amounts to recipients as part of corporate gifting programs.
• In-House Decoration and Printing Services In-house decoration and printing services including CO2 Engraving, Digital Print, Digital Transfer, Embroidery, Doming, Laser engraving, Pad print, Screen transfer, and Hot stamping for product personalisation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7 million kg CO2 saved in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Water.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Charity partnership supporting clean water initiatives. XD Connects customers supported Water.org, helping over 238,000 people gain access to clean water. Partnership aligns with company's ESG and social impact objectives.
• ReGreenerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Carbon compensation partnership. Between February and June 2025, XD Connects and customers compensated 124 tonnes of CO2e via ReGreener platform.
• SOLOflagshipOthersXD Connects is a company of SOLO. The updated logo and branding in 2026 reflects this corporate relationship.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Proforma: Proforma is a large US-based network of promotional products distributors serving B2B buyers across all major categories. Operates via franchise/distributor network model rather than direct, but competes for the same corporate promotional merchandise spend.
• National Pen (National Pen Co./Bankers Pen): National Pen is a large established US promotional products manufacturer/distributor with deep roots in writing instruments and broader branded merchandise. Competes in adjacent product categories and serves similar SMB-to-enterprise B2B buyers.
• BIC Graphic: BIC Graphic is the promotional products division of BIC, offering branded writing instruments and complementary merchandise. Broader incumbent with manufacturing scale that overlaps in writing instruments and drinkware categories.

Direct peers

• HALO Branded Solutions: HALO is one of the largest US-based B2B promotional products distributors, operating a sales-led model similar to XD Connects with branded merchandise across apparel, drinkware, tech, and gifts. Comparable in scale and customer type (enterprise corporate accounts).
• 4imprint Group plc: 4imprint is the largest publicly traded B2B promotional products distributor in North America and the UK. It directly competes with XD Connects across nearly identical product categories (drinkware, bags, writing instruments, apparel) and serves corporate buyers through a similar direct-to-buyer e-commerce model.
• BEL Promo: BEL Promo is a Netherlands-based promotional products distributor serving B2B customers with branded merchandise. It is a particularly close peer given the shared Dutch heritage and overlapping customer base across Benelux corporate clients.
• Brand Addition: Brand Addition is a European-headquartered (UK) B2B promotional merchandise distributor serving enterprise clients with branded products and corporate gifting solutions. Direct competitor in the European market with overlapping product categories and ESG positioning.
• Citrus (formerly Captured Images): Citrus is a UK-based promotional merchandise distributor offering branded products across drinkware, tech, apparel, and corporate gifting. Comparable B2B sales motion and European market overlap with XD Connects.
• Boundless Promotions: Boundless is a European promotional products distributor focused on sustainable branded merchandise. Direct overlap with XD Connects on ESG-led positioning, corporate gifting, and product categories like recycled drinkware and apparel.

Emerging players

• Quality Logo Products: Quality Logo Products is a US online-first promotional products retailer/distributor serving SMBs with branded merchandise. Competes via e-commerce self-serve model in overlapping categories but at smaller scale than XD Connects' enterprise focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@xdconnects
• Facebookfacebook.com/xdconnects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xdconnects
• Instagraminstagram.com/xd_connects
• Pinterestpinterest.com/xdconnects

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about XD Connects