The kitchen – the most occupied room in a majority of households – is a comforting place where family and friends come together to share the happenings of their day while preparing food for meals, parties, and other events. For distributors, it is a prime opportunity to provide items that will not only be seen and used on a daily basis, but will have lasting power. Cutting boards, oven mitts, barbecue sets, drinkware, tumblers, knives, charging stations, blankets, and Bluetooth thermometers are just a sampling of the many products available.
Promotional products suppliers agree that demand in this market segment is steady year-round. Gwen Brey of Beacon Promotions notes that kitchen and household products are not limited to just one or two markets. “Many different markets order houseware products, like: finance and insurance, realtors, healthcare businesses, appliance repair companies, restaurants, food co-ops, agriculture companies, plus many more,” she comments.
PCNA/Leed’s Rick French adds to Brey’s thoughts. “The three top trends that we have seen in household products have been related to entertaining, craft cocktails/beer, and electronics,” he notes. “Demand in all three of these areas has been very strong.”
According to Brey, high-end houseware products are currently popular. “People want their name associated with quality products,” she says, adding that many families are spending three to five hours a day in the kitchen as an alternative to eating out.
Expanding on Brey’s sentiments is Ron Rosencrans at ProRose. “The kitchen is the center of the home,” he emphasizes. “Anything that is useful in the preparation of the meal is going to get a lot of use and exposure.”
Trends seen at Starline are the company’s cutting boards, oven mitts, and BBQ sets. The oven mitts are not only cost-effective but offer a great imprint area, notes Joanna Waldman. “Our BBQ sets and cutting boards are at a higher price point which makes them great giveaways for golf tournaments and the perfect holiday season gift,” she adds.
Janine Cannici at Punch Products USA/VisionUSA emphasizes that Made in USA continues to increase in importance, particularly when dealing with consumables/food/kitchen. “Safe and compliant is a must have!” she states. “Not only are product safety concerns at a high but patriotism is as well. In addition, Made in USA means always in stock!” Anna Ramos at Berney-Karp agrees that USA-made items are driving this market.
At Bay State, Josette Bosse reports that the company’s bamboo and silicone kitchen utensils have been top sellers. “Both are heat resistant, quality made items,” she details. “These utensils have a hole at the end of the handle which is perfect for adding a ribbon with a business card/thank you/welcome note/literature tied to it. It’s a perfect way to make a simple/single item a personal gift.”
Stainless steel, vacuum-insulated tumblers in larger 20- and 30-ounce sizes are tops in this product category at The Allen Company. Stan Dohan notes that bright colors are currently trending.
Beacon Promotions has added a number of kitchen and household products to its repertoire, including a ceramic fry pan/sauce pan, drying mat and full color towel as well as a colander. Brey notes that best sellers in this lucrative category are the utensils and the full color towels, adding that the company’s spatulas and oven mitts continue to do well even though they are “mature” products.
Several new barbecue utensils/sets and a digital Bluetooth thermometer are new at Starline this year; joining the company’s best sellers are the HW34 15-inch silicone oven mitt, KS02 premium steak knife set, and BBQ5 five-piece deluxe oven set.
Bosse at Bay State states the company’s gift sets have been extremely popular and are perfect for this time of the year. The Bamboo Combo (K5016) combines the company’s K346 Bamboo Cutting Board, K340 Bamboo Spatula and K343 Bamboo Spoon, and is packaged in an organza gift bag. The Chef's Therma-Grip Striped Oven Mitt Bamboo Combo (K5011) is a combination of the K229 Therma-Grip Striped Oven Mitt, K340 Bamboo Spatula and K343 Bamboo Spoon, also packaged in a matching organza bag. The Chef's Therma-Grip Striped Oven Mitt Oval Pot Holder Silicone Spoon Combo (K5014) packages the company’s K229 Therma-Grip Striped Oven Mitt, K236 Oval Pot Holder and K451 Silicone Spoon, in an organza gift bag. “The gift bags allow for customers to add additional literature or items,” Bosse explains, and the pockets in the oven mitts also allow for a great holder of additional literature.
Bamboo is also selling well at ProRose. Rosencrans maintains that consumers are definitely into earth-friendly products. “Bamboo is the ultimate renewable products, as it grows so fast and replenishes literally in weeks,” he comments.
Leed’s has launched a new housewares brand in response to the craft beer and cocktails trend. “The Bullware Collection features wood, glass and metal to evoke the craftsmanship involved in creating a memorable drink,” French elaborates. “Since its launch in August, the Bullware brand has been extremely successful.” Additional successful new launches include a collection of Sherpa blankets, Kiwi charging stations, and an updated look for its popular Laguiole® knife collection.
New drinkware items have been rolled out by The Allen Company and Berney-Karp. The Allen Company has expanded its best-selling brands CamelBak®, Blender Bottle®, and Takeya® as well as its Blender® and Infuser products. New shapes and colors have been added to Berney-Karp’s offerings of mugs and water bottles. A fruit basket infuser made of double wall acrylic with a colored straw and colored bruit basket infuser has also been added this year.
A number of new desktop caddy items have been added to Punch Products USA/VisionUSA’s items in the houseware category. Cannici notes that desktop adverting provides daily exposure and longevity.
Distributors who wish to sell household and kitchen products should remind their customers that the items have a universal appeal. “They can be sold into many different markets and that makes the sale so much easier, Brey at Beacon Promotions maintains. “These are great items for thank you gifts, home or health fair giveaways, incentives for purchases or referrals, new account set ups, safety programs, grand openings, and new locations. It’s a great place to put an advertising message.”
Samples sell, Bay State’s Bosse asserts. “If you have a great quality item that is Made in USA, sometimes all you need to do is have the physical sample in the end buyer’s hands and the difference is immediately recognized.”
Rosencrans of ProRose sees the value in offering samples as well. “We offer a $5 spec sample on our bamboo cutting boards, so distributors can send us prospective client’s logos for engraving a sample to show. This is an easy way to prospect new clients, gift some of your better accounts, and prospect for new business. And once an advertiser’s logo or message is on display in the kitchen, it is going to get countless exposure.”
Starline’s Waldman adds her take on samples. “Offering a quick cooking demo or leaving behind a small recipe card on one side while the other side could have information on the promotional products you are selling,” she comments.
French at PCNA emphasizes the “heart” in household and kitchen products. “Great brands shoot for the heart, not your pocket book,” he concludes. “End users want their brands to be associated with good times and ‘happy spaces’. Whether it’s entertaining family and friends at home, or bundling up on the sofa with a great book or movie, having your brand visible at that moment of happiness is pure gold. These products help to achieve that experience.”