Product Trends: What to Look for in 2020

A new year means a fresh start. The turn of the year brings forth the opportunity for businesses looking to grow their brand to try new approaches in what is a very competitive market. The world is changing quickly and marketing trends that were once popular may not be relevant any longer. Likewise there are trends that have had a resurgence after having been dormant for a period of time. As customers’ preferences are ever-changing, our goal at COMDA.COM is to equip you with all the right products to keep your brand relevant and in the spotlight. The following is a breakdown of the product trends we expect to see in 2020.

Eco-Friendly Products Continue to Trend

The eco-friendly craze took over in 2019 and is showing no signs of slowing in 2020. With more and more businesses wanting to show their eco-consciousness, the demand for eco-friendly promotional products is expected to grow. Not only do these products reflect positively on a brand, many legislations now favor the use of them. How do you promote your brand of eco-awareness? Where plastic bag bans are in effect, a re-useable tote bag is not only cool – it’s actually necessary! Other re-usable products such as water bottles are also likely to get the public’s attention as these diminish waste generated from plastic bottles.

Health & Wellness 

For many people getting healthier is at the top of their new year’s resolutions list, so for at  least the first part of 2020 we predict that Health & Wellness related promotional products will be trending. Providing a well timed product will ensure it is being used, which will create more impressions amongst the public. Sage reports that fifty-three percent of the time, promotional products create a more favorable impression of the advertiser.  Gifting fitness products will encourage the recipient to take on that new challenge - not only will you be promoting your brand but also a healthy lifestyle!

Retail Inspired Products

When it comes to the customization of a promotional item, a subtle approach goes a long way. We find that often recipients prefer a more delicate, and elusive personalization rather than an over-the-top one. This is influenced by the retail trend of subtle branding where de-emphasised embroidered patches, small custom tags, and tone-on-tone colors are preferred over large logo imprints. Businesses are wising up and choosing apparel that emulates the retail look as they find it is preferable to provide products recipients will use, rather than ones they are likely to receive and forget about. Tech gadgets such as accessories for your phone, laptops and other electronics are products to look for as our dependence on these devices for everyday life continues to increase.

Pastel colors

Within the promotional products industry pastel colors, particularly pistachio, have made a comeback in apparel such as t-shirts, hats and hoodies. This trend seems to go hand in hand with the environmental up rise in recent years as these natural, earthy tones allude to eco-friendly sustainability. Other light shades like mauve & light blue have also seen an increase in popularity as they are gender neutral tones, that many forward thinking designers are including in their work. This is a very refreshing change from the neon pinks and green that were trending in previous years. 

While many trends from 2019 may still be relevant in 2020, we can certainly expect some shifts to take place. Products featuring unique colors such as bright neons, and metallic finishes will take a backseat to the more vintage minimalistic look and feel of subtly branded items. It will be fun to check back in a couple of months to see if we correctly predicted the future!