Promotional products are stabilizing.
After a topsy-turvy 18 months that saw the rise and fall of PPE, there’s a relative calm now presiding over our Top 100 ESP searches. In Q3, 21 of the top 25 searched products didn’t change from the previous quarter.
The Top 100 ESP report is an ongoing project that ASI Media launched in 2021. It showcases the terms that distributors searched for the most on ESP – both in an overall ranking of the Top 100, as well as broken out into 14 different product categories.
The data will be updated quarterly, and the results here reflect the searches exclusively for Q3 2021. (The next update will arrive in early 2022.)
What other notable trends took shape during the quarter?
- Seasonal demand was a major factor. Beach towels, for example, dropped from 18th place all the way to 91st. Frisbees (down 31 spots), flags (down 16), golf balls (down 14) and fans (down 14) were among the product searches that saw biggest dips in the quarter.
- As life slowly crawls back to something resembling a pre-pandemic normal, the influence is being seen in the ESP 100 with the return of travel-focused items such as luggage tags (up 17 spots), laptop sleeves (up 14) and travel mugs (up 11). Live events and trade shows spurred searches for tablecloths (up 17). Stadium cups jumped 11 spots, as fans returned to ballparks and stadiums across the country.
- Just as there have been waves of COVID-19, we’re going to see waves of PPE searches. After dropping the two previous quarters, masks climbed back up to fifth place. Searches for hand sanitizers increased as well.
- New product searches appearing this month include calendars, footballs, aprons, tape measures, wristbands and alcohol, among others.
Product Categories
The Top 100 ESP search terms are divided here into 14 product categories and displayed with their Top 100 rank. The size of the icons corresponds with the number of searches for each product relative to the most popular search term in all of ESP (which in Q3 2021 was pens).
Apparel
Time to gear up for winter. Distributors are getting ready, as jackets climbed nine spots.
Bags
Coolers dropped four spots this quarter – portending a greater slide as the weather turns colder and people spend less time outside.
Desk & Paper Products
Return to the office? It appears that way – notebooks, journals, memo pads, self-stick note pads and padfolios all climbed this quarter. Also, calendars reappeared on the list in anticipation of a big fourth quarter.
Drinkware
An impressive month for the most crowded category in the Top 100. Not only did the most-searched products hold their spot, but several others – wine glasses (up 12), travel mugs (up 11), stadium cups (up 11), ceramic mugs (up 10), drinking glasses (up 10) and coaster sets (up 4) – moved up the list.
Headwear
Searches for caps and hats increased in the quarter and are now the third-most popular search term. But not because of baseball caps. With the warmer weather receding, this spring and summertime favorite dropped 12 spots.
Health (Non-PPE)
Stress levels are still rising. After a big jump last quarter, searches for stress relievers (up 23 spots) and stress balls (up 9) are spiking again.
Home
A popular pandemic gift, blankets are just hitting their stride in time for winter, moving up 16 spots.
Other
Kits slid eight spots. Does that mean the kitting craze is over? Not likely – but it does signal the start of a return to live, event-based giveaways.
Personal
Fidgets debut on the list, but it’s not necessarily the fidget spinners of a few years ago. New fidget toys like poppers (think permanently pop-able bubble wrap) are catching on with kids, and even adults.
PPE
Last quarter, mask searches were less than half (46%) of searches for the top product, pens. This quarter, that figure increased to 63%.
Signs & Display
After the Fourth of July holiday, flags fell 16 spots. Banners dropped nine places as well.
Sports
Are you ready for some football? Promo buyers are – footballs debuted at number 45 this quarter. Golf-related searches were down, but not as much as you might think. And in fact, golf towels even moved up 13 spots.
Tech
Quarter to quarter, this category always shows a lot of movement. Mouse pads, power banks, laptop sleeves, wireless speakers and phone accessories all moved up, while USB flash drives and mobile accessories slid back slightly.
Writing Instruments
With kids going back to school in this quarter, it made sense that pencils made an appearance on the list, coming in at 96.
