PPE’s diminishing impact on the promotional products industry isn’t a fluke.

For the second month in a row, traditional promo products have dominated the top 10 list of most-searched items in ESP, ASI’s database of products from around the promo industry. 

In June, “pens” was the most-searched term in ESP for the seventh consecutive month. Industry staples like “water bottle,” “mugs,” “koozie” and “tumbler” rounded out the top five. In another sign that the industry has COVID-19 in the rearview, searches for “mugs” and “koozie” were up 63% and 86%, respectively, over last June. Meanwhile, searches for “face masks” and “hand sanitizer” dropped 94% and 85%, respectively.

“Traditional promo is back in a big way,” says Nate Kucsma, ASI’s executive director of research and corporate marketing. In May, “face masks” fell out of the top 10, marking the first time since January 2020 that PPE didn’t crack the list.

The data also indicates that distributors and their clients are enjoying a more active summer in 2021. Searches for “bottled water” and “plastic cups” increased 155% and 119% over the past month. As folks try to beat the heat, searches for “bucket hat” and “cooling towel” were up 73% and 72%.