Choosing the right display type is an important factor in the success of your campaign.
In addition to identifying the display that creates the best showcase for your product, it’s critical to understand how each type of display fits into unique retailer requirements, preferences, and placements. Safety policies and space restrictions can also play a role in the choice of display type, as well as factors like cost and transportation durability.
Retail displays come in many varieties and include both “knock-down” (KD) and pre-packed versions. KD displays are shipped unassembled and are assembled and packed by employees at the retail site. Pre-packed displays, also known as “shippers,” arrive fully loaded with product and ready to be moved to the retail floor.
In addition to assembly requirements, displays also vary depending on where they are going to be used, how they are constructed and whether they are intended to be permanent (fixtured) or temporary.
There are many options to consider, complicated by jargon in which multiple terms can be used to describe the same thing or overlapping categories. While understanding retailer requirements is key to getting it right, here are a few key terms to help you get the conversation started.
A Retail Display Type for Every Campaign
Permanent displays are built to last a year or more, with sturdy construction that enables them to stand up to constant use and replenishment. They are typically constructed of materials like wood, metal, wire, acrylic and plastic, with printed headers that can be changed out.
Temporary displays are designed to last one to three months and include corrugated stand-alone displays and pallets. Temporary displays can be found in any location, from stand-alone floor displays to countertops and on-shelf displays. They are useful for seasonal displays, new product launches or in locations where shelf space is in short supply. They are typically made of corrugated or paperboard and are not re-filled.
Dump bins are large bins typically filled with sale items and used to encourage quick buying decisions. Their design and placement allows for shopping from all four sides.
Like dump bins, gravity feed displays are useful for products sold in bags or other forms of packaging that aren’t easily stackable. These displays are filled from the top and allow product to be dispensed from the bottom.
Pre-packed pallet displays are commonly used in programs for big box retailers like Costco, Walmart, Sam’s and The Home Depot. They can be created with customized trays to effectively display anything from shoes and clothing to products in blister-card packaging. They also have the advantage of sturdy construction that can stand up to the rigors of international and cross-country shipping and are designed for easy shipping, stacking and transportation between warehouses and retail floors.
Floor-stands, side stacks and wing stacks are typically pre-packed, stand-alone displays that can be used for a wide variety of products. Depending on retailer requirements and the amount of product to be displayed, these will vary by height and footprint. Some retailers also have guidelines around style, structure and display headers.
End cap displays sit at the end of a two-sided aisle of shelves, providing three angles of visibility and a high-traffic location.
Power wings are typically located on the end of gondolas and are hung using plastic clips. They are standardized around the retailer’s specifications and are a means to efficiently ship and display hangable products.
On-shelf displays can include a wide variety of structures for displaying products and headers and can be designed for either short-term or longer use. Shelf displays often make use of shelf talkers, headers and/or hang tags that can extend into the aisle and highlight product information, education or promotional content, like suggestions for use.
PDQ displays are floor or countertop displays usually positioned at hand or eye level near a checkout area so customers can make quick purchasing decisions on their way out. Typically pre-packed and designed for easy set-up, PDQ, or “pretty darn quick” displays can be used on shelves or end caps as well as near registers. PDQs and other displays located in or near the checkout area are also known as point-of-purchase (POP) and point-of-sale (POS) displays – categories that can include any display type.
Need Help Planning Your Retail Display Strategy?
At TPH Global Solutions®, we have over 50 years’ experience in retail display design and strategy for maximizing the success of your campaign and meeting retailer expectations. Our problem-solving expertise includes supply chain optimization and deadline management.
Anybody can build you a display; at TPH we can build you a strategy.
To learn more about we can do for your next campaign, give us a call or click on the link below.
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