What’s Trending in the World of Promotional Products? Impact’s Top 5

Consumers have become more environmentally aware in recent years and have driven the call for bans on single-use plastics. Now knowing that 1 reusable bag replaces 22 000 single-use plastic bags over the course of a person’s life has made the reusable alternative a major player in the promotional products industry.

Reusable bags are a favourite because of their versatility and relevance to just about every promotional event. You can load them up with other branded merchandise at a trade show or make them a gift with purchase and replace a typical plastic shopping bag. They are made from a range of environmentally friendly materials including jute, cotton and recycled plant fibres or plastics.

Businesses have begun to market their promotional items to the tech savvy and their ‘power hungry’ devices. These products have great branding space and for the truly innovative their shapes are customisable (see here). Common power banks are available with 2000 mAh Lithium-Ion batteries, 5v output and Micro-B USB cables for charging – in other words, just enough to juice to charge an iPhone 6.

Power banks as a promotional tool demonstrates a higher level of thought for what your consumers’ needs are. They show you know that your target market are on the go and connected to their devices for work and play. Their unique functionality and high perceived value guarantee that your brand will live longer in their pockets and bags ready to be brought out the next time they need to recharge.

What does Hoover have to do with drink bottles and why are you seeing them everywhere? Actually, the vacuum part of these new products is in reference to the air being removed from the space between the inner and outer wall of the drink bottle. This allows less heat to escape or penetrate the liquids inside, thus keeping it hot/cold for longer.

More exciting and better quality than the boring plastic drink bottles that make the rounds, these sophisticated vessels ride the environmentally friendly train as they last far longer than their plastic predecessors. They are made of stainless steel and come in all colours. Your brand can be pad, screen or digitally printed and even engraved into its shining surface, once again giving your consumer a quality, functional product to remember you by.

As people ditch the single-use plastics, they are also moving away from anything disposable, including coffee cups. The way has then been paved for those made from glass and other recycled and recyclable materials. These products are the same familiar shape as the offending disposables but come in a better range of colours. Their screw-on lids and heat-resistant silicon bands make them travel and klutz friendly. Not only this, but with more coffee shops allowing customers to bring their own cups, this product is fantastic for those who stop for a cuppa on their way to work.

Reusable coffee cups tap into the niche once dominated by branded mugs and allows businesses to think forward to the more mobile and environmentally friendly workforce.

A trend can be seen above and that is that environmentally conscious promotional products are doing well in an increasingly environmentally conscious market. With that information, you can’t really go wrong if you know what is important to your consumers. There is enormous variety in ethically sourced and sustainable promotional products today. Recycled plant fibres can be made into cups, notebooks and lunchboxes, while traditionally plastic items like cutlery sets and straws are now available in stainless steel. If you’re looking to show your customers your commitment to environmental responsibility, any of these items will do the trick.