The industry has left COVID behind.

That’s according to just-released Q1 2023 ESP search data from ASI Research, which found that among the Top 10 search terms for the quarter, “lanyards,” a common event item, gained in frequency, while searches fell for drinkware that was popular for kitting during the pandemic – namely “mugs” and “coffee mugs.” Furthermore, among the Top 100 ESP search terms, year-to-year searches for “KN95” were down 98%, while “luggage” was up nearly 60%.

The data from the first three months of 2023 indicates a continuation of the post-COVID trend toward items meant for in-person use – a welcome fact that ESP searches in Q4 2022 also bore out.

From late 2021 into early 2022, the omicron variant of COVID threatened to pull the plug on long-anticipated in-person events around the world. Some organizers chose to cancel outright while others made adjustments to offer a hybrid experience. Meanwhile, vacationers held off on long-awaited travel plans out of caution.

The environment has certainly changed a year later. While the search term “pens” has maintained the top spot for 28 consecutive months, followed by “water bottle” and “tote bag” as second and third in Q1 of both 2022 and 2023, “lanyards” ranked higher in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same quarter last year as COVID variants posed less of a threat to in-person events. “Sunglasses” ranked ninth, replacing “coffee mugs,” in anticipation of more outdoor events and leisure travel this year.

Among the search terms with the largest increases between Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 were expected seasonal items like “golf” (262%), “baseball” (247%), “sunscreen” (213%), “beach towels” (179%) and “golf towel” (175%).

“Even though the calendar read winter, distributors’ minds were clearly on the spring season – searches for all things spring and warm were on the rise in Q1, which personally makes me very happy,” says Nate Kucsma, senior executive director of ASI Research. “Based on previous years, I’d expect the trend of warm-weather items to continue in Q2.”

Taking Q2 2022 as a signal for next quarter, seasonal items like “beach towel,” “cooling towel” and “umbrellas” are poised to move up the ranks of most-searched terms from April through June.

98%
The year-to-year percentage decrease for searches of “KN95” in Q1 2023.(ASI Research)

The Top 10 ESP searches have stayed consistent over the past couple years, even with supply chain headaches and the growth in demand for sustainably made items. Industry companies recently told ASI Media that while some sourcing challenges persist – like high supplier prices due to inflation and labor costs, factory reliability and geopolitical instability – the pandemic-era supply chain crisis has largely subsided.

60%
The year-to-year percentage increase for searches of “luggage” in Q1 2023.(ASI Research)

ASI Show, meanwhile, held successful in-person trade shows in Orlando and Fort Worth earlier this year and is looking ahead to Chicago in July, as well as fASIlitate events in California this June and Denver in September, plus an October ConneX meeting in Nashville. In January, PSI held its annual show in Düsseldorf for the first time in three years.