We’ve been talking a lot recently about why promotional products are so effective; we thought we’d spend a little time in this article giving you some additional market information before taking a brief look at how clothing can be very effectively used.
Top selling promotional products by value
In a 2014 survey of promotional product sales in the UK by Sourcing City, the top 10 rankings based on average product value were as follows:
- bags £132,530,085
- pens and pencils £94,083,307
- plastic giveaways £68,549,452
- confectionery £48,843,417
- clothing £41,139,977
- mugs £37,335,491
- keyrings £32,443,763
- USB accessories £30,118,132
- mobile phone accessories £25,202,358
- games and puzzles £23,632,471
Note that the clothing total deliberately excludes products from textile printers and specialist clothing re-sellers.
What is particularly interesting, as you decide where and how to invest, are the trends – analysing these can inform you what to do next. If we now look at those products whose sales increased the most we find the following list:
- USB accessories increased by 0.9%
- mobile phone accessories increased by 0.8%
- confectionery increased by 0.7%
- bags increased by 0.6%
and a statistic that might put a smile on the face of the Head Groundsman at Wimbledon – umbrellas decreased by 0.4% …
Finally, let’s look at the top 10 selling promotional gift categories by market share:
- bags 12.7%
- pens and pencils 9.4%
- plastic giveaways 7.4%
- clothing 4.6%
- confectionery 4.2%
- mugs 3.8%
- sports bottles 3.4%
- keyrings 2.9%
- games and puzzles 2.6%
- “stress products” 2.1%
It’s an interesting list, and leaving aside the unsatisfactory (from a “Wellbeing of the nation” perspective at least!) fact that “stress products” sneak into the top 10, it does tell us that the old favourites are here to stay.
So what about clothing?
One of my favourite experiences each year is watching the so-called “Caravan” that precedes the riders on each stage of the Tour de France. Numerous exotic vehicles playing loud music and making lots of noise throwing promotional gifts of all types to the fans by the side of the road. It’s always amusing to see grown men scrabble over polka dot hats and keyrings – to say nothing of the excitement if you’re lucky enough to be in the vicinity when a rider discards a water bottle.
The point is surely this. We want these things so much because of what they mean to us – a fact which goes right to the heart of the promotional gifts industry. And it seems that clothing has a major part to play. Whether it’s a branded T shirt or polo shirt, sweatshirt, fleece, or jacket; or perhaps a baseball cap; or maybe even bespoke ties or cuff-inks … we will all like to wear these products if we like the product and we like the message.
Need expert advice?
We have vast experience in helping our clients select the right promotional gift for their target audiences, and have an extensive range to choose from.
Please click here if you would like to check out many of the options available to you, or here for our home page. Or call us on 020 8391 3001 and we’ll be delighted to pass on our expertise and help you to select the right product.