It’s typical for summer staples like sunglasses and koozies to spike up the ESP search rankings ahead of the warm weather months – and that was certainly the case in Q2 as much of the eastern and midwestern United States braved record heat for June, in particular.

The latest ESP data from ASI Research revealed that many of the ESP searches with the most year-over-year growth in Q2 were for products aimed at cooling off consumers in the summer heat. With hundreds of cities breaking daily and monthly heat records across the U.S. – from a 102-degree day in Boston to 104 degrees in Springfield, Ohio – the trend is no surprise, especially in the latter half of the quarter.

Searches were up in Q2 for “folding fan” – with a 50% increase year over year, likely helped along by Pride events in June – and “cups,” which notched a 49% uptick, as companies and organizers stacked summer outdoor events with added hydration options. “Cooling towels” also shot into the top 10 searches for the month of June for the first time since summer 2023, managing a 20% year-over-year increase on the quarter.

Searches for retail favorites “Peter Millar” (spurred by the Masters in April, perhaps?) and “Owala” were also up in Q2, though the cult-favorite drinkware brand’s growth has slowed since its meteoric rise began last year. And, as is the reusable water bottle brand life cycle, demand for “Stanley” – ASI Media’s 2023 Product of the Year – continues to wane, with searches down nearly 50% on the quarter.

The trend that does continue to have a moment in promo, though, is custom socks, with searches up 25% in Q2. Top fashion houses first embraced sock styling last year, as did Hollywood’s finest, and the trend has stuck around. Custom decorated socks have been a trend item in promo the past several years, and ASI Media saw plenty of sock styles on display back at ASI Fort Worth at the end of Q1 – and vendors will likely be out in full force with them at ASI Chicago in mid-July as well.

On the other hand, on the decline compared to last year’s Q2 are searches for “silicone wristbands” (down 41%), “fanny pack” (down 34%) and “Bluetooth speaker” (down 35%) – though it’s worth noting that searches for simply “speaker” are up slightly on the quarter.

The top ESP searches in Q2 were largely similar to Q1 this year, though, as mentioned, “sunglasses” and “koozie” did slide up several spots to land at ranks five and six, respectively, on this quarter’s list. “Pens” and “water bottle” maintained their perennial one-two punch, with the top 10 rounded out with other classic promo products like “tote bag,” “tumbler,” “notebook,” and “umbrella.”

Looking ahead to Q3, companies can likely expect demand to jump for back-to-school products. Outside of the usual suspects like “backpacks,” which is likely to return to the top 10 next quarter, searches for items like “vinyl banner,” “raffle tickets” and “stadium seat” were already on the rise in Q2 as schools and parents prepare for events and game day.

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