Social media trends and cultural shifts spiked searches for retail names and rubber ducks (oddly enough), but promo’s most classic categories stuck it out at the top of 2024’s most-searched terms on ESP, according to new data from ASI Research.

Other than the noteworthy disappearance of “Stanley” from the top 10 – searches for the drinkware retail-brand phenom surged in 2023 – last year’s top queries largely resembled those from the previous year, with “pens” in its perennial position at the top of the search charts for both Q4 and the whole of 2024. The staple items “tumblers,” “water bottles,” “lanyards” and “tote bags” rounded out the top five for 2024, with warmer-weather items like “koozies” – a brand name for can coolers from Counselor Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480) – and “sunglasses” also securing their spots on the list.

Q4 buying pushed commonly gifted products like “blankets” and “coffee mugs” up the rankings as distributors planned for both the cold weather and the holiday season. Though they didn’t quite crack the top 10, searches for items like “ornaments,” “Santa hats” and “beanies” were also up significantly in Q4 compared to Q3.

The brand on the rise in 2024 based on ESP data was Owala, whose 24-oz. Freesip was this year’s retail “it bottle”. Currently, only ETS Express (asi/51197), an independent subsidiary of Top 40 supplier PCNA (asi/66887), officially carries it in the promo industry. Nonetheless, Owala topped the list of fastest-growing search terms for much of 2024.

Other search terms that experienced notable growth in 2024 include “rubber ducks,” which increased 34% on the year. The classic toy has certainly been a part of the general zeitgeist since the social media trend of “ducking” – where Jeep owners leave rubber ducks on each other’s vehicles as a friendly gesture of greeting and respect – took off last spring. In addition, the popularity of pickleball shows little sign of abating: Searches were up 28%.

And during the height of a particularly contentious election cycle, searches for “yard signs,” ASI Media’s 2024 Product of the Year, were also higher than last year.

On the other hand, search terms on the downswing included some of last year’s trendy products that have waned in popularity, including fanny packs (down 32%) and PopSockets (down 29%).

Searches for “travel mug” and “stainless steel tumbler” also declined 30% and 25% respectively from 2023, as consumers instead reached for brand-name tumblers popular in retail. While interest in Stanley was up slightly during 2024, searches were down 26% in Q4 compared to 2023’s holiday season, dropping the brand to its lowest point in the search term rankings.

Now that the sun is beginning to set later and later each day, spring campaigns are on the horizon. Expect traditionally warm-weather items and activities to spike in the search rankings and end-buyer asks for Q1 2025; the biggest growth between Q4 2023 and Q1 2024 included “beach towels,” “golf,” “yoga mat” and “sunglasses.”

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