As the promotional products industry recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional product categories continued to bounce back in October, according to new exclusive data from ASI.

For the first time since March, personal protective equipment (PPE) didn’t occupy the top two search terms in ESP, ASI’s database of products from around the promo industry. Although face mask remained the most searched term, searches for mask and hand sanitizer decreased, and neck gaiter dropped out of the top 10. Meanwhile, industry staples like mugs, pens and blankets made the top five.

“After 10 months, it seems that the turmoil in ESP, and hopefully the promo industry as a whole, has settled down a bit,” says Nathaniel Kucsma, ASI’s executive director of research and corporate marketing. “We are seeing consistency from month to month with what distributors and their clients are looking for.”

Despite the challenges and limitations caused by the coronavirus, the industry is hoping for a somewhat normal Q4, historically the busiest time of the year for many promo firms. The end of 2020 looks promising, according to the data. With winter and the holiday season approaching, searches for gloves, beanie and scarf were up 128%, 102% and 98%, respectively, from last month. Searches for holiday gifts rose 113% and searches for Christmas ornaments grew 88%.

As of October, face mask, hand sanitizer and pens are the most-searched terms in ESP for 2020. In fact, three of the year’s top 10 search terms relate to face coverings – face mask, mask and bandana.