Top Four Branded Merchandise Trends for 2023

The new year has found us scouring retail trends at the Promotional Products Association International Show, hosted by our best suppliers from the industry.  When suppliers design products for our industry, they look to what is happening around the world--from Tokyo to New York, Paris to Hong Kong. They focus on colors, fabrics, hardware, and packaging. While shopping the show, we look for products thoughtfully designed to reflect how we live, work, and play and that embrace what we truly value.    

Here are four emerging trends we see for the Year of the Rabbit.  

1. Work Life
2. Travel & Outdoor
3. Home Life
4. Health & Wellness  

 1. Work Life: Onsite is the new Offsite  

The workplace environment in the workspace is changing to become flexible and collaborative.  From sharable, comfortable, light workspaces to community meeting spaces, workers are in need of ways to stay focused, have privacy, be efficient and versatile. There is a big need to easily transition between home and work. We can see this with the athleisure movement in flexible clothing that can move between home and work, agile lighting for any space, and easily transportable accessories.  

This daylight lamp designed with 3 colors of light (white, natural and warm) will provide you with your daily boost of sunshine and help you keep you energetic and focused. Sunlight regulates the cycles of our bodies and our moods.  Portable for transition from home to office.  

2. Travel and Outdoor  

Experiences are king. Business trips are a hybrid between leisure with the flexibility of remote working. Open road traveling is becoming more popular than ever, with portable camping, sustainable fabrics, and lightweight support systems for packing–all key components to quality travel. Quality and name brands continue to highlight a key focus in this category.  

This Coleman® 8D 4-panel LED lantern would make a fantastic promotional item! It features four detachable panels that can be used for personal lights while the base stays lit. The base recharges the panels and has a USB port to charge mobile devices.  

3. Home Life  

People are investing in quality pieces that have longevity in their home, systems that have modularity (can be expanded, configured) and can be moved from place to place. They want comfort in look and feel, materials that support sustainability. Colors trends speak to serenity, calm and neutral tones.  Now more than ever, gifts for the home are desired as a personal touch of recognition.  

Be Home has been designing beautiful, ethically sourced, handcrafted home goods from around the world for over 15 years. They prioritize partnerships with family and women-owned artisans, contributing to the livelihoods of independent makers around the globe. Gifts like the Be Home® Luxe Hanging Bar Tool Set, for example, elevate the gift gifting experience. 

4. Health & Wellness  

Natural products and eco consciousness are leading the way in wellness trends. Calming products and sleep support are a new signal for harmony and wellness that products encourage. Kelp, greens, and earth tones are prevalent in many of the lines we are seeing today, and our suppliers are continuing to evolve products to support individuals and families with products that encourage a healthy lifestyle.  

Aromatherapy is a method of promoting moments of calm and relaxation. This Ultrasonic Real Bamboo Aromatherapy Oil Diffuser is extremely quiet and heat free.