2017 Year in Review: Promotional Products Industry
Jan 15, 2018
2017 Year in Review: Promotional Products Industry
2017 has been a year of highs and lows. From the infamous Equifax breach that exposed half the country’s personal information, to the once in a lifetime experience of seeing the hauntingly beautiful solar eclipse, to a string of unfortunate natural disasters, only one thing is certain: the promotional products industry has weathered all the storms and is ready to take a look back at our collective successes of the year.
These past twelve months are a testament to our strong sense of community and our unyielding desire to reach new heights, so as the year draws to a close, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the major industry milestones.
Promotional Products Trends
The Fidget Spinner Takeover
For everyone who works in the promotional products world, it was impossible to avoid all the fidget spinner headlines this year. Be it customer appreciation items, tradeshow handouts, or raffle gifts, fidget spinners have become some of the most popular choices for promotional products buyers to easily attract the attention of their customers.
Sleek Drinkware Options
From Yeti Tumblers to reusable S’well bottles, the stylish, yet practical drinkware trend has not only hit the mass retail market with its grand appeal but also found its way into many promotional products campaigns throughout the year.
The Wireless Way
The Bluetooth beacon of technology has taken off in a big way this year. As new innovations popped up on the high-tech horizon, we got to see more and more useful items find their way into consumers’ hands. Some of the most popular handsfree products of the year were portable speakers, Bluetooth item finders, and wireless headphone sets, all with a generous imprint area for our promotional needs.
Looking Ahead
High-Tech is King
2017 gave us all a sneak peek at what we can expect out of the following year. Out of the many trends observed, one thing is for sure: high-tech holds a lot of power over consumers, meaning the wireless, portable technology is not going away anytime soon. The wave of wireless charging options is going to flourish in 2018, and with so many options you can take this portable trend (pun intended), we can expect to see new designs and innovations infuse the market very soon.
Millennials in the Workplace
In 2017 more and more millennials embraced the idea of promotional products as a way of branding their marketing campaigns and business ventures, which can only signal for them to rise up in the ranks and become key influencers in deciding the direction and appeal of promotional products as a marketing medium in the year to come.
Despite a tumultuous series of events that shook our society up this year, we take our hats off in pride for the passing year. We all are truly blessed to be working in such an exciting, innovating and infallible industry that’s home a united community of professionals who all share a common love for promotional products. Ready or not, here comes 2018, full of new opportunities to grow our businesses and build up our industry!