We’re always on the pulse of the next big trend, translating and adapting it for that big B2B impact.
From popular colours to specific products, 2023’s product media trends can be strategically applied to your next campaign to energise and reinvigorate your brand.
Like a refreshing splash of spring enthusiasm for your next marketing campaign.
You’ll be amazed at just how flexible and on-point these predictions are, with some probably already on your radar thanks to social media and retail.
It’s about reshaping and interpreting trends through a product media lens.
Plus, we’ve analysed our 2022 most popular products to give you the best popularity forecast ever.
If you’d like to discuss how we can help your next product media campaign be more, contact us now, or check out our trending merch for yourself.
23 product media trends for 2023
B2B product trends run in parallel to B2C ones you’re probably already familiar with.
However, what’s great about merch trends is that they’re really adaptable for almost any type of campaign.
From giveaways to gifting, from Gen Z to travel, these are the biggest 23 merchandise trends for 2023.
Budget-friendly & meaningful merchandise
This year is predicted to possibly be a tough one financially, so you’ll want to focus on merchandise that’s suitable for any budget. We want you to not only find cost-effective solutions for your merchandise goals but also find merch that does, well, more.
1) Little luxuries
With the Cost of Living Crisis and a potential recession on the horizon, finding those little pick-me-ups that get you through the day are more important now than ever.
That’s why one of this year’s top merchandise trends is predicted to be branded little luxuries that don’t cost a fortune but still have that instant brand impact.
Who wouldn’t love scattering miniature moments of joy throughout your day?!
Read more: The most popular promotional merchandise trend of the year: branded little luxuries.
2) Core merchandise favourites
Building your core merchandise pillars is one of the best ways to minimise cost, whilst still getting your brand out there. Some key, well-branded items can do wonders for your brand appeal and make a meaningful impact where it matters most.
We love sticking with our all-time favourites. Check out our best-selling A5 mole notebook (everyone loves a notebook), a high-quality long-lasting cotton tote bag (look how amazing this branding area is!), and finally, a classic, reliable water bottle.
We like to refer to these as our merchandise marketing trio: always handy to have around.
Check out: Our promotional merchandise bestsellers
3) Sustainable stories
Products with sustainable, traceable stories are predicted to be even more popular this year.
Merch that’s verifiably eco and reusable, easily recyclable or with a truly circular story will add that extra special element to your brand.
We love this trend; it aligns perfectly with our merchandise mission: meaningful merchandise with a story to tell.
Stories like Circular & Co. or Iqoniq - brands that you know are doing good and you know you can trust.
Increasing employee retention
Studies have found that 79% of employees will leave a role if they feel underappreciated, and with Quiet Quitting on the rise and The Great Resignation not that long ago, showing your team just how much you appreciate them will be a key merchandise trend throughout 2023.
Appreciating your team is crucial at every stage of their career journey. From the very start (with superb onboarding packs) to the end (you need to check out our favourite ever retirement gift), to all of life’s milestones (maternity, birthdays, etc.) - there’s always a branded product to help your team feel appreciated, increasing your employee retention.
4) Onboarding packs
A new starter that has a successful onboarding experience is 58% more likely to still be at the same company 3 years later. And what better way to ensure your new hire has the best onboarding experience ever than with an awesome onboarding pack?
A tailored onboarding strategy and succinct pack tackle any uncertainties head-on, helping to minimise your staff turnover and increase your employee retention.
Read more: Onboarding packs by Fluid Branding
5) Internal gifting
It’s simple: everyone loves to receive a gift. They’re a great way to strengthen relationships, including internal ones.
From every one of life’s career milestones (anniversaries, maternity leave, and retirement) there’s always the perfect gift for every occasion to help your employees feel even more appreciated.
Read more: Here’s how giving gifts could save your brand 
6) Personalisation
Nothing says you appreciate your team more than a personalised, thoughtful item - something special, just for them.
We predict personalised items are going to be on the rise as a way of creating a meaningful connection between person and brand. For example, we love the idea of a personalised bottle - imagine how wonderful you’d feel to receive a bottle with your name on it?!
Sharing personalised gifts with your team adds that little extra special touch, that little extra gifting flare, to your token of appreciation.
Read more: The benefits of individually personalised branded merchandise
7) Celebrations
Imagine - after the last few years of Covid restrictions and finding your feet in a post-pandemic world, don’t you just want to party? To let your hair down and be one with everything celebratory?
Well, so do your team.
From anniversary treats to rewards for career longevity, making sure your team stays feeling positive and engaged is paramount to staff retention.
It’s time to celebrate their wins with merch!
Read more: Festivals are back, baby! Are you ready for Merchella?
8) Flexible working
Enabling your team to work remotely gives them the flexibility to adapt effectively to our ever-changing world whilst enabling a healthier work/life balance.
And products that make the transition between office and home for a hybrid workforce will make flexible working a whole lot easier.
From anti-theft laptop bag and insulated travel mugs to products for smoother commuting, we’ve got everything you need to support your hybrid workforce.
Download: Our hybrid working brochure
Gen Z appeal
Gen Z is reinvigorating and rebranding what it means to connect within a B2B sphere.
They’re changing the ways brands communicate their brand story, with more authentic and unfiltered touchpoints. Adapting to this new audience, and engaging them in exciting new ways, will be key for brand success in 2023!
9) Fearless branding: welcome to the Magentaverse
We've got you covered with the latest and greatest branding trends, starting with Pantone's colour of the year Viva Magenta; the colour to explore your brand’s rebellious spirit.
Add a pop of this statement pigment to your next promotional campaign and let it speak for itself with that feeling of confidence and creativity.
Read More: Will your brand be fearless this year? 
10) Pastels: focus on lavender
Lavender is a colour that embodies digital escapism and wellness for Gen Z.
Its gender-inclusive appeal means it can transgress the boundaries often enforced by previous generations.
With its ethereal illumination, your product media with a lavender colour palette has never been more effective at enticing Gen Z.
Did you know: You can filter the products on our page via their colour?
11) 90s Rom-com core
What would 90s rom-com be without Meg Ryan or Tom Hanks? Without those muted autumn hues and backstreet bookshop vibes.
Gen Z are owning the antique 90s vibes, wanting to be the main character in their own 90s romcom.
Express your brand’s main character energy through product media that heralds back to the 90s - with bookbags and hoodies, cute journals, and coffee cups - your brand runs the show and don’t you forget it!
Read more: Looking for some more marketing inspiration?
12) Combination of digital and physical
With metaverses and AI technology becoming more integrated into our everyday lives, Gen Z are living online more than ever before.
That’s why product media that merges the digital and physical worlds will prove to be super popular this year.
Either through QR codes printed onto products or through virtual deals with IRL counterparts - the world is expanding, and so is merchandise, too.
The possibilities are truly endless!
Read more: Should you be using QR codes in your merchandise marketing? -1.png?width=400&height=211&name=Blog%20Header%20(1)-1.png)
13) Emotional branding
It’s time to make experiences last longer than a moment and make them absolutely MONUMENTAL. And we’re here to show you how with product media.
Gen Z loves emotion-led marketing. Product media can translate a feeling or a memory into something tangible, something to be kept and cherished. 
A focus on your physical and mental wellness
With 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem of some kind each year in England, it’s important to always encourage that dedicated *me* time, and we’ve got some amazing products to help you do that.
14) Keeping in touch with your mental health
Tracking your ups and downs is one of the BEST ways to reconnect with your mental health. We love a well-thought-out wellness journal made specifically to track your mental well-being.
Read more: 12 other amazing ways to improve your mental health this year.
15) Hydration
Keeping yourself hydrated improves your focus, and your motivation, and even makes you smarter.
Water is literally amazing.
And with a focus on mental wellness increasing this year, bottles are ready to take the title of best merch item 2023.
Read more: Here’s why we love Ocean Bottle
16) Fitness
We love helping you make healthier brand choices, and the new year is the perfect time to get fit.
With 48% of us wanting to exercise more this year, this makes getting fit one of the most popular trends of 2023 so far.
Read more: Top 10 products to keep you motivated in the new year
17) Posture
76% of companies are now embracing a new, flexible working strategy: hybrid working.
And with it comes a focus on the amount of time we spend sitting at our desks.
That’s why products that focus on posture are going to soar in popularity this year.
From correct desk etiquette to yoga, we’ve got everything you need to get those limbs aligned and stretching!
Check out: Yoga Merchandise
18) Pets
Pets are the best. Need we say more?
Well, they’re not only cute and fluffy, but they’re great for our mental health, too.
Interacting with animals releases dopamine in our brains, the chemical associated with positivity.
They’re like little mental health gurus, and it’s time we celebrated them!
Home comforts & Cluttercore
Is there really anything better than being at home?
For Gen Z, the meaning of home is changing. No longer is it a tidy oasis with minimalist vibes, but rather, a place to store meaning and memories and everything that matters most to them in the world.
It’s about building a safe haven - a place to call their own (even if they don’t actually own it). Cluttercore and embracing home comforts make Gen Z’s definition of ‘home’ transgress from ‘places’ to ‘people’.
It’s the memories and stories and how a space/person makes them feel that’s most important to them.
That’s why meaningful merch that makes you feel (happy, excited, comforted, valued, etc.) is going to take the industry by storm this year.
19) Soft lighting
Nothing says warmth and cosiness at home more than superbly strategic lighting. Do we even need main room lights anymore? Candles, lamps, light-up diffusers and dimmer bulbs will add that aesthetically pleasing glow to any room.
Check out: Our extensive branded candle collection 
20) Clutter
As you might have guessed, a big part of Cluttercore is, well, clutter!
Anything from quirky picture frames to travel souvenirs, it’s all about clutter and products that have personality.
The Cluttercore aesthetic is that of eclectic colour combinations and erratic textures, think of soft furnishings, throws, blankets, and plants.
Anything and everything. The weirder, the better!
Products with lasting brand potential with that little extra dash of special story spice.
Read more: Here’s why we love Oxious
21) Home *food* comforts
It’s time to create that tasty branded feast for the eyes.
Be it brunch before a midday walk, or a few friends over for a cosy game night, we’ve got all the branded merch you need to help your culinary antics shine bright.
Home cooking perfectly combines the two best meanings of the word ‘home’ - delicious food and your most favourite people.
Read more: It’s time to get cosy in your kitchen this winter!
Travel
With the world almost back to normal after the dreaded C-word, you can FINALLY book that holiday.
And everyone (for once) is on the same page: let’s travel!
It’s time to get your sunnies and bucket hats at the ready, put that out-of-office on and enjoy those old-school summer holiday vibes.
22) Travel accessories
Think of everything you need to travel.
Your suitcase?
Your passport?
Your luggage tag?
What a bore. Wouldn’t it be great to have everything you need ready and organised before the big day?
That’s where our favourite selection of travel accessories comes to the rescue! It’s time to look stylish and organised as you head off on your dream holiday.
Emily in Paris, is that you.
23) Corporate gifts
Sometimes With travel restrictions lifted, in-person conferences and events are on the rise, and so is the quantity of people signing up for them. 
Event merchandise and giveaways are due a comeback and will 100% skyrocket in popularity this year.
Read more: 14 sustainable giveaways to get REALLY excited about
Stay up-to-date with all NEW product media trends
We can’t wait to share with you all the newest and most exciting product media trends over the coming year! From sustainable brands to Gen Z, we’re here to help you tell your best brand story through product media.
All our merchandise consultants keep up-to-date with all the latest merchandise trends and are ready to discuss everything you need to make your next campaign the best one yet. Just send us a message and we’ll be in touch shortly.
