Are We Falling Out of Love With The Branded Twister USB Memory Stick

For years the humble Twister USB memory stick has been the preferred choice of the majority of people buying branded USB sticks for their business, school or university. It’s relatively small size, the wide range of colours it is available in coupled with the fact that it has no cap or lid to lose has made it a perennial favourite for years but is all this about to change.

Every year companies are giving away millions of USB sticks to help promote their products or services and as a result of this the Twister is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success because we’re all getting “twister fatigue”.

The dominance of the twister model has been compounded because most suppliers tend to carry the twister in stock to fulfil urgent/last minute requests thus in effect removing any choice from the buyer if they are short on time.

To give customers more choice some of the larger, more established suppliers have improved the lead times to bring in branded USB memory stick from their factories in China. In parallel with this they have added significantly to the range of USB sticks that can be printed, embossed or engraved.

These service enhancements now mean it’s possible to get a wide range of USB stick branded with a logo and delivered in around 7 –10 days, which tends to be fast enough for all but the “last minute” customers.

So customers with at least a week or more to their deadline are now becoming more discerning about the choice of USB memory stick they choose and the results are interesting. Whilst the Twister model still remains popular (old habits are hard to break) there has been a definite increase in demand for USB credit cards, leather USB flash drives and some of the more quirky shaped models like the round “sphere” model.

These models all have very different characteristics to the twister; the credit card is ultra thin (only 2mm thick) it fits into a standard wallet and it offers a huge print area making it ideal for complex graphics; the leather models are “top-end” products that are popular with photographers and companies selling into “high net-worth customers” and the more quirky products like the Sphere just help brands to stand out from the crowd – ideal at trade shows and fairs.

In terms of units sold this year the Twister model is still likely to be “top of the charts” but its dominance is certainly on the wane.