Few events have rocked the country, let alone promo, this year like a total solar eclipse (but if interested, here’s 70 more.) On April 8, millions of North Americans gazed at the sky, utterly transfixed. As the air turned a tad chillier and the sky turned a deeper gray (and in some places, pitch black), only ISO-compliant and NASA-approved solar eclipse glasses broke the barrier between experiencing the once-in-a-lifetime event versus completely missing out.

That’s true promo potential, and distributors didn’t miss on capitalizing on this opportunity, as evidenced by a 4,686% year-over-year increase in ESP searches for “solar eclipse glasses” during the first quarter of 2024.

The findings were part of new data revealed by ASI Research spotlighting the top searches in ESP during the quarter. The Top 10 search terms stayed relatively static, but the products with the biggest increases in searches indicate pockets of opportunity for distributors.

Just like suppliers’ heightened preparation for the eclipse, it’s no surprise that ESP searches for “yard signs” have grown 70% in the past year, as campaigning efforts amp up for the 2024 presidential election.

Additionally, searches for “pickleball” grew 83% from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, piggybacking on the fast-rising popularity of the sport across all demographics. “Fidget spinner” (68%) and “sticky notes” (61%) also demonstrated notable growth in the quarter.

“‘Pickleball’ and ‘solar eclipse glasses’ were two breakout terms in Q1,” said Nate Kucsma, senior executive director of research at ASI. “Pickleball will likely continue (even though I don't totally get it!) The solar eclipse glasses, however, show the importance of planning ahead because by the time it became big, it may have been too late to order.”

Among the Top 10 ESP searches, the first five products remained the same as last year’s first quarter, with “pens” finishing as the most-searched product for the 13^th consecutive quarter. “Water bottle,” “tote bags,” “lanyards” and “tumbler” rounded out the top five.

“Stanley” finished in the Top 10 for the second consecutive quarter, ranking sixth, and peaked as high as second in February due to the insane social media craze surrounding the brand’s Valentine’s Day tumblers debut.

“Sunglasses” and “Koozie” also appeared in the Top 10 as distributors ramped up for warmer weather. “Blanket” and “coffee mugs” fell out of the Top 10 from the previous quarter (though “mugs” still remains).

Across leading terms, the biggest declines included “travel mug” (-36%) and “Yeti” (-32%), due to competition for market share from various drinkware and tumbler brands.

Similarly, “fanny pack” decreased by 24%, as its peak resurgence came about in mainstream fashion last year. “Pop socket” searches declined by the same percentage, and “stylus pen” decreased 13%.

In anticipation for what’s to come in Q2, ASI research predicts that the top four search terms will remain in their spots, with room for slight variation. Similarly, searches for “Koozie” might amp up during the warmer months as people bring their drinks outside. Overall, consistency is expected, though a select number of changing trends will emerge.

This look at the most popular ESP searches in Q2 last year offers a sneak preview of what might be popular in this year’s Q2.