With COVID restrictions largely in the rearview mirror and in-person events back in full force, traditional product searches maintained their top spots in ESP in the third quarter.

Exclusive ASI data reveals that, with the exception of “keychain,” the rest of the Top 10 categories for Q3 were the same as those for June 2022, the last month of the second quarter. However, only “pens” and “water bottle” maintained the first and second spots, respectively, while the other eight search terms varied slightly in their ranking.

“Keychain” returned to the Top 10 in the third quarter for the first time since March. In June, keychains dropped out of the Top 10 as distributor queries for “beach towel” increased.

Though they didn’t finish in the Top 10 rankings for the entirety of Q3, “cooling towels” did break in to the Top 10 for the first time in July. According to news outlet Climate Central, it was a hot summer across the country – New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Louisiana, California, Oregon and Washington all experienced one of their top five warmest summers since 1895, while several cities, including Tampa, San Antonio and Salt Lake City, experienced their hottest summer ever.

Things looked somewhat different in the ESP Top 10 for Q3 last year. In August and September of 2021, “face masks” rose quickly in top search rankings as the public continued to contend with COVID variants, though it had dropped out of the Top 10 list by October. “Yeti” also ranked in the Top 10 in Q3 2021, as end-buyers continued to purchase high-end retail items for kitting needs. That demand looks to have cooled this year as in-person events return and end-buyers being slightly more cautious due to economic concerns. 

In Q4 of 2021, the most popular searches remained much the same compared to the previous quarter. While “Yeti” stayed in the Top 10 due to year-end gifting demand, it remains to be seen if that retail brand (or a related one) breaks the top product rankings this year.

Now, suppliers and distributors are in the midst of the busy Q4 gifting season. Suppliers said last month that, while they’re still contending with supply chain challenges, more on-hand inventory and improved staffing levels have put them in a better position to meet client demand during the quarter.