In our last blog post we emphasized the importance of carefully preparing and planning prior to starting a Point-of-Purchase display project. We stressed the importance of knowing the answers to a set of 20 basic questions to ensure an efficient design process and a successful outcome. In Part I and Part II of this 4-part series on POP projects, we looked at the first 10 questions. Now let’s focus on the next 5 questions:
11. Do you have any material and color preferences or requirements for the fixture?
Thinking through your material preferences upfront can help to streamline the POP design process. Are you looking for a wood display or would you prefer metal? Would you like the main material to be acrylic or are you thinking about plastic accents? You don’t have to be a material expert, but you should have a good idea of the types of material you would prefer. Your POP design company can help you understand the economics related to various material choices.
If you are looking for a wood display, you may have specific ideas about whether you want a solid wood display or an MDF or particle board display with a laminate and edge banding. You may also have certain sustainability requirements such as using bamboo or other carb-compliant or eco-friendly materials. If you are thinking about a metal display, it is helpful to let your design team know if you envision wire, sheet metal, or tubing or some combination of these materials.
12. Do you know of any environmental or other requirements that you have to meet?
If you are working with a specific retailer, it is always good to check on any requirements they might have that relate to materials. Some brands like Coke have their own requirements related to the use of eco-friendly materials. For example, Coke requires that its wood displays be FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. Other brands and retailers have requirements for using recycled cardboard in packing, low energy LED lights, or powder coating with little or no lead contaminants. Researching any requirements upfront can help the design team when specifying materials.
13. In what type of retail store will the display be placed and is there a specific location within the store for the display?
It’s helpful for the design team to know what type of retail environment your display will reside. High traffic grocery stores full of errant shopping carts may require base bumpers to protect the fixture from damage. If the design team knows the display will be placed in a chain of convenience stores, they might invest more time in figuring out how to reduce the footprint of the display.
In addition, if the design team knows the display is designated for a specific retailer, they will likely consider the décor of the retailer and will be better able to gauge things like required finish levels for the display.
14. Are there any anti-theft, electrical or other requirements for the display?
If security is an issue either because you have a high-value product or because the target store is in a seedy area, let your POP design team know. They will be able to incorporate the security requirements into the display design by using techniques such as tethering products, utilizing locking cases, or specifying anti-theft hooks.
If you are requesting LED lighting or a video player in your display, it is important to ensure that your fixture will be in a retail location where you have access to electrical power. If you can’t get a commitment from the retailer to guarantee access to power, then your design team may have to explore battery-powered options. The retailer might have other requirements such as not allowing the display to stick out into the aisle or requiring that inline displays be anchored to the uprights, etc. If possible, it is important to understand all the requirements imposed by the retailer and to communicate these requirements to the design team at the outset of the project.
15. How will the display be serviced?
Understanding the way your POP display will be serviced is also an important consideration. For example, some of our customers request that we incorporate brochure holders into their displays, but they have not thought through the implications of how to handle replenishing the brochures once the brochure holder is empty.
Will your point of sale display project be serviced by your own reps or third-party reps hired by your company? Or, are you depending on the retailer to keep your display well stocked and looking good? In general, it makes sense to design displays that are as easy to service as possible, but this becomes particularly important if you are relying on retailer personnel to service your display.
Jim Hollen is the owner and President of RICH LTD. (www.richltd.com), a 35+ year-old California-based point-of-purchase display, retail store fixture, and merchandising solutions firm which has been named among the Top 50 U.S. POP display companies for 9 consecutive years. A former management consultant with McKinsey & Co. and graduate of Stanford Business School, Jim Hollen has served more than 3000 brands and retailers over more than 20 years and has authored nearly 500 blogs and e-Books on a wide range of topics related to POP displays, store fixtures, and retail merchandising.
Jim has been to China more than 50 times and has worked directly with more than 30 factories in Asia across a broad range of material categories, including metal, wood, acrylic, injection molded and vacuum formed plastic, corrugated, glass, LED lighting, digital media player, and more. Jim Hollen also oversees RICH LTD.’s domestic manufacturing operation and has experience manufacturing, sourcing, and importing from numerous Asian countries as well as Vietnam and Mexico.
His experience working with brands and retailers spans more than 25 industries such as food and beverage, apparel, consumer electronics, cosmetics/beauty, sporting goods, automotive, pet, gifts and souvenirs, toys, wine and spirits, home improvement, jewelry, eyewear, footwear, consumer products, mass market retail, specialty retail, convenience stores, and numerous other product/retailer categories.