ASI Show Orlando is wall-to-wall inspiration – literally. Of course, there’s the supplier attendees showcasing their latest products and customer favorites, but even beyond that you can take a look at signage and decorations around the show floor as food for thought.

The hundreds of exhibitors presented a wide variety of items, and it was clear that branding on hard goods continues to evolve in exciting ways. Here’s some inspiration that distributors can bring to their promotional hard goods sales in 2025.

1. New Ways To Connect

During the pandemic, QR codes suddenly became universal. While they weren’t new in 2020, their ubiquity was due in part to their necessity. That same idea translates over to technology like near-field communication (NFC) being printed into products, allowing for smartphone users to easily tap their phones and pull up a web page. It’s the same concept of a QR code but without even needing to pull out a camera.

Tapto Promos (asi/90599) was on the show floor ostensibly offering their customers a cup of coffee. In reality, they were showing a clever way to brand with disposable coffee cups that actually contain NFC capabilities. The technology was featured in multiple other products as well.

Tapto Promos (asi/90599) showcased items like mouse pads, keychains and drinkware, all with NFC chips embedded.

Just like a QR code can be customized down the road, the link can go to whatever the buyer wants, meaning it could be a business landing page, a link for a nonprofit donation or a restaurant menu, all without the need for printing the QR code and letting the logo do the “talking.”

2. The Next Big (or Smaller) Thing

If you’re selling drinkware, you’re probably getting requests for a 40-oz. tumbler – and probably for a recognized brand name like Stanley, which is still the biggest name right now in drinkware.

The question for drinkware suppliers on the show floor was this: If you were placing bets on what could be the next Stanley tumbler, what would you bet on?

Ultimately, the answer is still the Stanley (or similar items) but with small quality-of-life tweaks.

“I think what attracts people to that is the capacity,” said Nick Beam, design manager for GameTime Sidekicks (asi/55760). “Forty ounces is a lot. You don’t have to refill it all that much. As far as what we’re looking into, we’ve got some new lids that we’re going to be bringing in for this product, so it’ll do away with the handle. It’ll be a carry-top lid almost like one of those big gallon jugs without the weight.”

GameTime Sidekicks (asi/55760) is offering a new lid for its 40-oz. stainless-steel shaker tumbler (Shaker Bottle), which might be the next evolution of the Stanley-type tumbler.

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So, it seems Stanley isn’t going anywhere for now. However, the only thing that might make a difference is changing legislation with the second Trump administration, making certain materials a bit more expensive and, therefore, shifting focus back to other materials and products.

“Price point could be a thing after the election,” said Mark Kindberg, CEO of Nordic Co (asi/74245). “You never know – if tariffs happen, prices are going to go up on stainless steel and on ceramics, so maybe it goes back to USA-made water bottles.”

Kindberg said one potential beneficiary could be Nalgene-type bottles, which were one of the more expensive pieces available when Nordic put them on the promotional products market in 2000 but are now much more price-point driven.

Should tariffs affect certain products’ pricing, plastic bottles like the Nalgene Sustain bottle (704) available from Nordic Co (asi/74245) could be an affordable and stylish alternative.

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3. Outside-the-Box Ideas

If you’re selling to a school, your first thought might be notebooks and pens. If you’re selling to a financial institution, you might think padfolios. Sure, automotive industry customers will no doubt love a cupholder trash can or key pouch. These are all excellent and appropriate choices. But, it’s important to remember that your end-users have lives and identities outside of their jobs.

Items like the Wizard Cleaning Putty (HW134CP) from HPG (asi/61966) make great choices for the automotive market.

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Counselor Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966) had a booth full of products that could be applicable to some of the most common sales verticals.

For the finance industry, what if you looked at homeware items for end-users like cooking utensils for when they come home after a long day to whip up dinner or host a big Fourth of July barbecue?

The finance vertical can mean more than just padfolios and checks. Look into home goods like the reGen Beechwood Utensil Set (HW131US) from HPG.

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Those same automotive customers might also want things like sunblock for long summer days when they’re constantly getting in and out of the car.

4. Old-School Feel

Here in the future, materials like stainless steel and plastic and other space-age tech gets plenty of attention. But there’s still nothing like the rustic aesthetic of leather. It goes a long way with creating a high perceived value and bespoke look, and it’s been making a comeback in fashion and décor. In fact, searches for “leather” in Google reached their highest point last month since the search engine started tracking searches 20 years ago.

Leather goods extend beyond things like apparel, wallets and bags. Take, for example, the products on display at the Oowee Products (asi/75126) booth.

Using leather as a material for drinkware accessories can create an upscale look, like on this leather can cooler (OP-20C) from Oowee Products (asi/75126).

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“We do a line of leather-wrapped cans, leather flasks, leather highball sets that are not traditionally thought of as a product made from leather,” said Gabriel Hargett, founder of Oowee Products. “Some of our most popular products are leather accessories.”

The full-grain leather highball sleeve and glass-box set of two (OP-60HB2Set) from Oowee Products is a rustic addition to a home bar.

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