This Thomas Index Report is sponsored by AdCapitol, a leading provider of custom textiles and specialties since 1905.
Hello again. This week we’re going to take a look at sourcing activity for products that you might not necessarily expect to find on an industrial product sourcing and supplier selection platform like Thomasnet.com.
You know the saying, “a rising tide lifts all boats,” and with the economy continuing to rise at a solid rate, we’re seeing an increase in retailers and distributors sourcing for consumer products in high volume quantities. We’re also seeing an uptick in institutional buyers purchasing products in bulk.
- Baby Accessories
- Beauty Care Products
- Toys
- Activewear
- Fitness Equipment
- Toothbrushes
- Foods: Pet, Dog & Cat
- Furniture
- Office Equipment & Supplies
- Toothpaste
This list shows ten product categories in which sourcing activity is up year-over-year on our platform. You see things like Baby Accessories, Toys, Activewear, and even Pet Food.
This activity reflects strong recent growth in consumer spending. According to a report from the Commerce Department, retail spending was up 5.9 percent from a year ago as recently as May. The jump in spending at brick and mortar stores outpaced spending at what the government calls “non-store retailers” such as Amazon. Those brick and mortar stores need to stock inventory to keep up with those in-store purchases, so the surge in high volume quantity buying on our platform makes sense. In addition to that, increased sourcing activity in these categories is also likely to be coming from businesses that are developing new products in these areas, and are looking for suppliers that can manufacture those products.
Moving on from these somewhat unexpected categories, here’s a look at the top ten industrial product and service categories being sourced on the Thomasnet.com platform over the past four weeks:
- Injection Molded Plastics
- CNC Machining
- Steel
- Metal Fabrication
- Corrugated Boxes
- Tube Fabrication & Bending Services
- Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)
- Plastic Bottles
- Non-Destructive Testing Services
- Metal Stampings
The best way to get this weekly Thomas Index Report is to sign up for our daily Thomas Industry Update by visiting Thomasnet.com/updates.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next week.