Product Hub January 12, 2026
ASI Orlando 2026: 4 Hard Goods Trends Set To Shape the Year Ahead
On the ASI Orlando show floor, suppliers showed off new products, from sustainable tech accessories to subtle branding opportunities to viral mini-totes.
Key Takeaways
• Subtle branding and “quiet luxury” hard goods are gaining traction, with distributors favoring high-quality, sustainable materials, fresh silhouettes and products designed for everyday, off-the-clock use.
• Experience-driven and retail-inspired items are shaping 2026 promo, from memory-making tech and home goods to the continued dominance of mini-totes in the bag space.
2026 kicked off with a bang at ASI Orlando, held from Jan. 5-7, as suppliers showed off new and trending products at the promo industry’s first trade show of the year. And there was quite a lot to see on the show floor, from a focus on subtle branding to the continuation of the mini-tote trend to the ASI Show debut of a variety of new products and suppliers. As ASI Media editors walked the show floor, here are four top hard goods trends that stood out – and that we expect to shape promo in 2026.
Quiet Luxury
The term “quiet luxury” was first popularized back in 2023 as a return to durable, quality basics without flashy designs or logos. And it has since proved to have staying power in promo – including on the Orlando show floor – as many in the industry move away from large logo-centric designs in favor of more subtle branding opportunities that encourage recipients to use items outside of work hours.
“I think the industry is shifting from big branding to small branding,” said Brian Lopiccolo of True Brands (asi/92293).
The supplier’s collection of metallic, textured drinkware from Paragon is one example of that, he said. There’s room for a small simple logo along the top by the lid, but the focal point is on the drinkware itself, which leans into traditional barware silhouettes – like whiskey and champagne glasses – but in the stainless-steel tumbler format.
Viski Paragon stainless-steel champagne flutes (11577) and wine tumblers (11572) from True Brands (asi/92293)
Terry Town (asi/90913), similarly, showed off a luxurious lineup of textured blankets, with one in particular – the Tundra heavyweight fur blanket – proving particularly eye-catching for distributors on the floor, said Vice President of Sales and Compliance Aaron Bradley. “You just want to pet it,” he said.
Tundra heavyweight fur blanket (DP4005), third from left, from Terry Town (asi/90913)
New supplier Casupo Leather (asi/44354) made a big booth statement with its decorative wall of colorful leather options, but the product options on the table display were a clear example of handcrafted elegance. Founder Luz Zambrano primarily sources her leather from factory deadstock, she shared – meaning leftover material from other projects that would otherwise be tossed – and manufactures the resulting limited-quantity goods in California or Mexico.
Casupo Leather (asi/44354) offered unique, handcrafted products in a variety of sustainable leather colors.
Making Memories
As experience-driven promo projects, like live decoration, become more mainstream, there has also proven to be interest in individual items that cultivate a similar idea of the “experience.”
Amanda Maynord of HIRSCH (asi/61005), for example, said she saw a ton of interest in the new instax mini from Fujifilm on the show floor. Companies are purchasing a few to put out at big conferences or meetings, encouraging attendees to snap analog photos and capture memorable moments while at the event. “Then,” she adds, “they’ll raffle them off at the end for people to go on and make more memories at home.”
It’s a way to lean into something fun without having to pay a premium for every head at the meeting, she says.
Fujifilm instax mini 41 bundle (FUJI-BNDMN41)
Similarly, although ETS Express (asi/51197) has long been an exclusively drinkware-based supplier, they’ve recently branched out into a few other home and kitchen-focused items. Why? Well, the company has forecasted that, with rising inflation and economic concerns over the course of 2025, consumers are becoming less likely to go out to eat, and more likely to enjoy meals or memories from the comfort of home, said Regional Sales Manager Laird O’Cain.
On the drinkware front, retail brands like Owala and HydroJug are still king. But to capitalize on the expected homeware demand phenomenon, ETS has added items like h2go food storage containers and ceramic vases, to name a few.
“We’re expecting to see people back in the kitchen,” said O’Cain. “We’re experimenting to try and get placement in the heart of the home – the stove, the kitchen island, the center of the table.”
Waaser ceramic pitcher (14701) and Calyx ceramic vase (14401) from ETS Express (asi/51197)
Boat Totes Galore
On the bag front, the clear winner moving into 2026 is the boat tote – specifically, those thick canvas totes with color-blocked straps, and, even more specifically, the miniature variety.
Cult-followed grocery store chain Trader Joe’s has gone viral multiple times over the past few years for the launch of its mini-tote bags and the popularity of its larger styles – both of which are currently trending outside of the U.S. market to the point that they’re selling for thousands of dollars on e-commerce sites like eBay. Retail, and subsequently promo, has attempted to follow in its footsteps, and the Orlando floor proved it. The bag style was nearly everywhere you turned, in every color under the sun.
Mini-canvas tote bags from Logomark (T-259, left; asi/67866) and Terry Town (TOTE013, right)
Counselor Top 40 supplier Logomark (asi/67866) showed off a variety of bright and pastel shades, for example, while Terry Town highlighted deeper hues like red and dark green. Distributors on the floor were eager to snag samples.
“We brought 300 mini-totes to give away,” said Bradley of Terry Town, “and they were gone within the first two hours.”
New & Novel
In addition to noticeable trends, the show in Orlando was also an opportunity for new suppliers to enter the promotional products space on a wide scale.
One new company, EcoLibrium Compostable Products (asi/51577) aimed to add a sustainable, plastic-free alternative to the tech category with a fully compostable iPad case made from paper and pulp that’s been pressed and sealed into a durable shield.
The company started in the biotech space, which goes through a lot of single-use plastics – and if sealed material was strong enough to pass muster for durability in the lab, why not transition to other consumer goods?
EcoLibrium’s current product focus is the iPad case, which also converts to a device stand. But, Chief Marketing Officer Brian Wilson says the company has plans to expand to other devices, like Kindles or other tablets.
Compostable iPad cover from EcoLibrium Compostable Products (asi/51577)
The Calculated Chemist (asi/43302), too, was focused on bringing something new to promo: specifically, a new shape to the ever-popular drinkware sector at its first ASI Show. The company offers stainless-steel tumblers in the shape of the Erlenmeyer flask – those easily identifiable conical lab beakers.
The company had a lot of interest on the show floor from distributors working in the healthcare and education sectors, said CEO and founder Tanner Gerschick, but those are far from the only verticals where they see applicability.
Lab flask bottle from The Calculated Chemist (asi/43302)
“The intention was to have it be recognizable to both people in the STEM community and out of the STEM community,” said Gerschick.
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