New data from ASI reveals that the top 10 search terms in ESP remained largely consistent in December compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, demand for one particular style of mask skyrocketed amid a new wave of COVID cases.

According to the ESP data, while searches for “face masks” didn’t make the top 10 for the third consecutive month in December, queries for “N95 mask” rose 1,586% between November and December of 2021, just as the omicron variant of COVID-19 began its sweep across the country ahead of holiday get-togethers and Q1 trade shows.

In the days before Christmas, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said on CNN Newsroom that cloth and fabric masks “are little more than facial decorations” when used as a defense against omicron; also, the CDC recently upgraded its mask guidance, saying that N95 masks offer “the highest level of protection” against the virus, when worn properly.

At the top of the listings, traditional promo held strong in the last month of 2021. Among the top 10 ESP search terms in December, “pens” came in first for the 13^th consecutive month. The rest of the top five also maintained their respective placements from November. And while the second half of the list was comprised of the same most-popular search terms as the month prior, rankings varied slightly. Notably, “lanyards” rose four spots as distributors helped clients prepare for first-quarter in-person events.

1,586%
Percent increase in “N95 mask” searches in ESP during December compared to the previous month.

“Even the resurgence of COVID couldn’t dampen distributors’ needs for promo product stalwarts like pens, drinkware and bags,” says Nate Kucsma, executive director of research and corporate marketing at ASI. “Additionally, let’s hope the resurgence of lanyards is a sign of things to come as large events continue to make their return in our day-to-day lives.”

The top 10 list for December 2021 also has many of the same most-popular search terms as a year prior, though in the last month of 2020, “face masks” was third, “masks” was fourth and “hand sanitizer” was ninth. “Face masks” was last a top 10 search term in September.

In addition to “N95 masks,” the top 100 search terms that saw the largest increases between November and December were “tablecloth” (37%) as exhibitors prepared to attend trade shows and events in the new year, as well as “Corkcicle” (29%) and “journal” (15%). As the winter sports season began, demand for “basketball” rose 21%.

Meanwhile, the most significant falls in searches between November and December 2021 were holiday-focused, such as “Christmas” (89%), “holiday gifts” (83%), “Christmas ornaments” (80%) and “Santa hat” (75%). And while queries for “denim jacket” skyrocketed by more than 1,000% between October and November, searches for the Y2K style fell by 94% between November and December.