10 Things to Consider When Buying buy commercial displays

09 Mar.,2024

 

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Choosing Between Custom & Stock Displays

The market is always in flux, and choosing between a custom retail display and a stock retail display can be a make or break proposition. Before you choose which type to buy for your campaign, you need to consider your entire plan.


Lead times are getting increasingly shorter for brands, which is why so many are opting for a stock display that can get them to retail sooner - but what they aren’t considering is what a custom display gives them.


A competitive edge is exactly what every brand needs. The ability to better target their customers, and the chance to use high-speed digital printing gives brands so much more control.


So before you make your next purchase, here are 10 things to consider before buying a stock retail display.


Contact Bennett today about a custom retail display

1. Stock Displays May Not Fit Your Product

First, take into account your product type. Some products can do perfectly fine with a stock display, but if you have a unique option to display packaging and the ability to put your product out on display - you need a custom option.


Efficiently stacking your products allows for the maximum product to be on display, and allow retail stores to restock fewer times in a day.


Make sure you know your dimensions and are making the right choice for a display.

2. What Is Your Required Product Capacity?

Next you want to figure out exactly how much product you can put on display. Some stock options will only allow for an option that gives you 25% less products than you want, do the math and figure out how much down time the display will have.


The display needs to hold a certain amount of product to make the economics of your supply chain make sense, otherwise there’s no point.


One of the biggest considerations is the load capacity of the display. How much can it hold of your product, let alone efficiently hold. Lightweight items may not have an issue, but electronics could.


Related: The Complete Guid To Retail POP Displays

3. Stock Display Sizes Are Locked

Every retailer has a standard sales number per-square-foot of the display. That makes it an easy calculation for you to run the numbers of how much you need to sell. Plus you need to make sure your display is compliant.


A smaller footprint will increase your chances of getting a retail store placement, but it will also mean less products on display. So do your research and see which options fit your category, and what option is the best to stand out.


With a custom display and the right manufacturer, you’ll be automatically approved for your choice retailer or club store, and have a unique footprint.

4. Stock Displays Allow For Limited Customization

This is the biggest issue with a stock display. While there are options to do slight alterations for a more custom look, the problem you’ll have is your display won’t attract customers.


Sure it will be a functional display, but how can you attract new customers to your brand if you take a plain approach like this?


Custom graphics aren’t enough. If you want to make an impact on your business, you need to come up with a product presentation plan that is tied directly into your marketing campaign.


Related: How To Use Color Theory With POP Displays

5. Custom Displays Control Your Image

Next, think about your favorite brands. What displays do they use to enhance their branding? How can you take that same approach to your display? If you're planning on a holiday display, plan wisely.


Using a custom retail display allows you to completely control your brand and messaging to your customers in ways a configurable stock display doesn’t. From shape to product presentation and messaging.


Making your display be a part of your product experience, you can attract even more customers to engage with your products. Try adding Digital Printing for even more customization.


Related: 5 Marketing Tips For Retail POP Displays

6. Shipping + Supply Chain of Displays

Next, think about the entire supply chain and shipping costs of your display plan. This is one of the most important steps to understand which display type is right for you.


Sometimes your display shipping cost can be as much as a third of your entire display budget, but that might be exactly what you need. There are three main options for shipping displays.

KDF

First is KDF, or Knocked-Down-Flat. This is the cheapest option to ship your display. Your display is designed, printed, and shipped unassembled.


This means that you need to design a display that is simple enough to assemble for retailers or a 3rd Party Vendor. That also means you will need to print and deliver instructions.

Pre-Assembled

Next is shipping an assembled display. You may choose to ship this due to the complicated display structure, or due to weight. This increases costs as you need to maximize freight capacity to cut down on costs.

Pre-Assembled + Full Kitted

Finally, this is an option we have a lot of experience with. We offer full turnkey operations with a Co-Packing division. This allows us to manufacture and assemble displays, pack it with products, seal the displays with a wrap, and then ship them nationwide.


The economics are very different between these three delivery options.

7. Display Assembly

Though it is more expensive to ship retail displays that are pre-assembled, it can also cut costs in other areas and allow you to make more money when there is no assembly needed at retail stores.


If you choose to ship a retail display KDF then you will need to accomplish two more things. First, instructions that are easy to follow will need to be created and sent printed or digitally. Second, you will need to create a budget and timeframe to account for the time.


If a display assembly exceeds 15 to 20 minutes, then you may want to find a different display type. The reason is that will be either costing you money, or causing friction with the retailer.


The worst thing that can happen is a poorly or damaged display is at retail not attracting customers.

8. Stock vs Custom Display Durability

Next think about the durability of your display - or how long do you need it to last? The longer a display needs to last, the more you need to invest in your display.


If your products sell through in 5 weeks, then you could create a display that only needs to last that long before being disposed of. While a stock display will have general designs that can last long enough, plenty of them can look shopworn and attractive within 2 weeks.


By creating a custom display, you can choose the exact materials to give you the right display. Not only that, you can create multiple graphics and print new designs for a refreshed look at retail every time you replace them.


Related: Make Your Retail Display More Sustainable

9. Retail Display Maintenance

Now you need to have a plant for retail display maintenance. How quickly does it look shopworn? How sturdy is it?


The goal of a display is to display your products in an attractive way and draw in customers, a poorly maintained display won’t do that.

Your retail display plan should take into account how often they need to be replaced. And you should consider having sales associates check the displays periodically to ensure everything is lasting as intended.


Will your stock display hold up? Or do you need a custom retail display for a sturdier design?

10. What Is The Display’s Total Cost?

Finally, you need to consider the total cost of your display. When you take everything above into account and have a total retail program plan that calculates your return on investment. This final tally will help you determine if a stock display or a custom display is best for you.


Stock retail displays can be cost effective because there is no custom design time needed, so the display can skip a step - but a custom retail display can give you options that cut costs in other areas and attract more customers.


Sometimes the unit cost isn’t the best metric to decide your display option, but it can give you insight into an overall strategy.


If you’re still on the fence over which option is right for your campaign, it’s best to take a broader perspective, rather than choosing the cheapest option. When you do have a final budgetary plan together, you will be making a very informed decision.

Bennett Makes Custom Retail Displays

Bennett is a premier packaging and retail displays manufacturing company striving to protect and promote our clients' products with customized corrugated solutions. When you work with us, you’re part of the family. We will partner with you every step of the way.


With our fully-integrated design-to-delivery process, we can be the single supplier source. We are an award-winning manufacturer of virtually anything corrugate. We offer everything from plain brown shipping boxes to sophisticated, high-graphic printed point-of-purchase displays, and everything in between.

Point of purchase displays are a great addition to your product marketing and if done well, can move products better than shelf sales. Knowing how to effectively design and produce a display is essential to your POP success.  Here are 10 Tips that can help you build better displays...

Table of Contents
1. Understand Your Audience!
2. Tell Your Story
3. Make The Graphics Bold!
4. Keep Your Message Clear, Short and Succinct
5. Follow Your Brand Design
6. Keep Your Most Important Message at Eye Level
7. Choose The Right Size Display For Your Need
8. Consider Creating Short Runs (Small Quantity) and Test
9. Make Your Display Easy To Purchase From
10. Know The POP Display Building Process and Ultimately Your Timing

1. Understand Your Audience!!

This is your number one tip!  Knowing who your display is talking to will make your design and message easier to create.  Is your audience a harried shopper that needs a better snack?, a mother with children looking for convenience and time savings?, a man with outdoor activities in mind?  Knowing who you are talking to makes it easier to create the graphics and message to match their needs.

 

2. Tell Your Story

I’m sure you have one.  That real reason that customers like your product.  Know the USP or Unique Selling Proposition of your product. (A USP is the number one factor or reason that your product is better than the competition)    What is it that attracts a customer to your product?  Here’s your chance to emphasize it through images, message, color, and size. Your USP should talk to the consumer’s needs and desired result.

 

3. Make The Graphics Bold!

Why create something that will blend in?  Your investment in P.O.P. demands you create the best design.   The composition is so important. If you’ve got everything scaled equally the customer doesn’t know were to to look.  If you have too much content, the customer doesn’t know where to look.  There is a hierarchy to your message.  A progression to your messaging - 1st, 2nd and 3rd.   You’ve got 3 seconds to (1) - stop them, (2) - color, product should attract their interest, (3) - convince them to buy.

 

4. Keep Your Message Clear, Short and Succinct

Limited space calls for a quick and to the point messaging. Don’t try to say too much. Many clients want to add the entire book about their product, mention all sizes and flavors and all the reasons you should buy.  

Pick 1 or 2 of the main points at most and make it clear.  Confusion equals less sales.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  Use a visual to say the extra words.

 


5. Follow Your Brand Design

Don’t create designs that just fit the message.  Make it fit your brand as well.  It must compliment your packaging and brand, not go off in a new direction.  

Every piece of visual you put out there is building your brand recognition an adding to your brand equity.  So there has to be a consistency in your visual and copy treatment.

 

6. Keep Your Most Important Message at Eye Level

It seems like common design sense but if you’re not a designer, you might think your main message looks good at the bottom of the display.  

A good rule of thumb is to keep your main message right of front of the customer’s eyeballs.

Where that is will depend on what type of display you are creating (or how tall your customers are - ha ha!)  but generally the header area of the display is best used for this purpose. Other less important messages can be placed lower or on the sides if needed.

7. Choose The Right Size Display For Your Need

What are the opportunities for your product?  Can they be sold on an end cap display?  Or a side wing, floor display or counter display?   

End Caps Displays are displays that can cover the entire end of a shelf unit.  End Caps are a premium position in the store.  They usually showcase multiple products because of the large space available.

You’ll find these in Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes.  Some stores build end caps differently. Some use a poster over a stack of products, some want a complete display already packed out with product.  These are usually impressive but high in cost. Some end caps require only a header and shelf talker.  

Aisle Displays or Floor Displays are free standing displays that offer great visibility in store.  Right in the customer’s path. These are great to use when your product may be small and buried on shelf.  This brings them into the aisle and/or possibly cross selling in another area of the store.

Side Wings or Power Wings are usually at the end of aisle but on the side.  They also offer great visibility because the customer is viewing these when entering or exiting an aisle.  Usually along high traffic paths in the store.

Counter Displays are used when the product is small enough to fit on a counter OR when the product is an impulse purchase bought at checkout.  This type of display, if designed wider, is called a PDQ and can also be used on the shelf when a pack out is used.

Many stores want displays at certain sizes ONLY.  If they don’t fit, you may end up revising and reprinting.

Be Aware: Each store has its own specifications.  Make sure you know what they are, so there are no questions when they order from you.

 


8. Consider Creating Short Runs (Small Quantity) and Test

With digital printing, Even printing 10 custom sized displays is possible.  Testing your display before you do a print a run of 1,000s can be advantageous.  And because of digital printing, its not nearly as expensive as you might think. 

 

9. Make Your Display Easy To Purchase From

Make sure your products have enough room…designed with shelves that are not too tight. Picking the product up and out of the display should be easy and doesn’t require twisting the product awkwardly to remove it.  Do the other products fall over when one is removed?  Start thinking like a customer and don’t make it difficult to get products out of shelves or displays that can’t hold your product securely.

Also, think from a store’s vantage point - they don’t want the display to be a pain.   They don't want to take the time to freshen up your display.  Making more work for the store won't keep your display up as long as possible.

Don’t cover your products behind shelves or other parts of the display.  How tall is your product?  How deep is your shelf?  How deep is your product label?  Will the shelf lip obscure the package design?  Try to show all OR almost all of your product while on the display.  You need to make sure it stays on the shelf and is held secure enough.  if you are sending displays to the store fully packed out, then 

You spend a lot on brand identity so no need to hide your brand when its in a display.

 

10. Know The POP Display Building Process and Ultimately Your Timing

Knowing the POP building process and timing is important to meeting your store deadlines. Here's a quick rundown:

Design Phase - 5 business days

Production Phase - 5 business days

Printing Phase - 7 - 10 business days (if printing digitally)  3 - 4 weeks if printing offset

Always factor in shipping time to final location or stores.

 

Fulfillment is another factor to add to your timing equation.  Will you be adding products to the display yourself OR will you use a service to pack them out and drop ship to stores ?

I hope you found these Tips useful.  Please let me know if there are any additional tips you have found useful.

 *Images are from a variety of sources, and not all are Catalpha designs.

 

 

 

Additional Resources:
How To Assemble Different Types Of POP Floor Displays (Video)
How Much Do Point of Purchase (POP) Displays Cost?
7 Reasons Why You Thought Your Product Didn't Need a POP Display (And Why They're Wrong)

10 Things to Consider When Buying buy commercial displays

10 Tips To Better Point of Purchase Displays

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