Despite renewed interest in masks in August, demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has waned over the past month.

“Face masks” have dropped from third place to eighth place in the top 10 list of most-searched items in ESP, ASI’s database of products from around the promo industry.

For the month of September, “pens” was the most-searched term in ESP for the 10th consecutive month. Industry staples like “water bottle,” “tote bags,” “lanyards” and “koozie” rounded out the top five. “Blanket” cracked the top 10, increasing 51% in searches over the past month as North America prepares for colder temperatures.

“Searches for masks fell in September due to back-to-school shopping being completed and many states emerging from restrictions caused by the delta variant,” says Nate Kucsma, ASI’s executive director of research and corporate marketing.

Now that Q4 is underway, distributors are preparing for the holiday season. Searches for “corporate gifts” catapulted 208%, along with “gifts” and “awards” increasing 73% and 67%, respectively. Searches for “Halloween” were up 99%, with industry discussion on how to capitalize on the spooky holiday also a popular topic.