While there are many important considerations in designing an effective point-of-purchase display, in this blog we’ll focus on 4 critical aspects of the design process.
- Understand Your Target Customer Demographic
Having a clear understanding of your target customer is the first and arguably most fundamental step in developing an effective point-of-purchase display. What is your target customer demographic? What does your target customer value? What motivates them? What is their lifestyle and how might your product help to enhance that lifestyle? Once you understand as much as possible about your target customer, you can incorporate those demographic and behavioral insights into your design.
For example, one of our customers, 9Five Eyewear, is a luxury brand of eyewear founded on the aesthetics of street culture, skateboarding, and fashion. In attempting to build a top-tier eyewear brand and capture its target customer of 18-24 year old males, 9Five tapped into some of the world’s most sought-after trend setters in music and pop culture.
We created a one-of-a-kind sunglass display case for them that looked like a video game console, fully equipped with push buttons, a real joy stick, and coin slots. The display was designed to tap into the passion that 18-24 year olds have for video games while also creating an element of surprise (i.e., Who would expect a sunglass display to look like a video game console?).
An example of designing store fixtures to appeal to a very different target customer is the line of animal-themed step stools we designed for Petco. The majority of Petco shoppers are women, and many of them have kids in tow when shopping. Petco asked us to create a set of safe, folding step stools that would be attention-grabbing and fun while specifically appealing to kids.
- Tell a Story with your Display
The objective here is to create an emotional connection with buyers. Everyone likes a good story. Story telling is an art. Stories enable us to connect with people. The more remarkable or unforgettable the story, the easier it is to engage your audience. Stories can also connect us with products. The best retail displays are ones that tell a story to establish an emotional connection with a buyer.
Sseko Designs, the creator of an ethical fashion brand, hires high potential women in Uganda to make sandals. While not unique, Sseko’s story of hiring and empowering women artisans to help end the cycle of poverty in Africa resonates with most people.
The focal point of the sandal display that RICH LTD. created for Sseko Designs was the front-facing center graphic panel which provided a vehicle to tell the company’s story. We added brochure holders to enable interested customers to learn more about Sseko’s products and their vision for creating a brighter, more just, and more beautiful world. Sseko’s story helps to create a positive, feel-good impression of the brand while increasing the likelihood of purchase.
- Give your Display a Personality
In the same way we all can relate to a good story, people are genetically wired to connect with one another. Our genetic predisposition toward human interconnectedness is the underlying driver of the Internet, smart phone, and social media revolutions. Personalities play an important role in establishing connections between people. So the question then becomes if we are trying to connect POP displays to people, can we actually create retail displays with a personality? The answer is yes.
We were challenged by our customer Romotive to create a display for ROMO, their friendly programmable toy robot from outer space. The display needed to be so unique and so compelling that it could stop store traffic and capture the imagination of shoppers young and old.
The way we accomplished that was by giving the ROMO display a personality. More specifically, we discovered that ROMO already had a personality- a cute, friendly, and quirky personality. After getting to know ROMO, we learned that he could respond to facial expressions, play chase, roam around and connect with family and friends.
In collaboration with Romotive, our team designed a display that focused on showcasing ROMO’s personality. We designed a table top display that was constructed of acrylic and included a clear acrylic space-age dome, an air brushed latex moonscape, LED lights, a digital media player, digital graphics with targeted messaging, and most importantly, a fully powered ROMO robot. The display succeeded because it put the focus on ROMO and created an environment in which ROMO could move around and fully express his personality. Watch this short video to see how ROMO helped to make his own display.
- Focus on Key Points of Product Differentiation
Great point of purchase displays enable the shopper to quickly zero in on the key points of differentiation of a product relative to other products on the market. What makes this product different from all the other products on the market? How does that product differentiation make the product better, and how does it translate into more value for the customer?
RICH LTD. was asked by 180s to design a product glorifier display for its Exolite ear warmers, which is one of several products in its distinctive line of active sportswear and accessories. By creating a wire head with the ear warmers attached, our POP design highlighted 180s patented behind-the-head design and its click-to-fit frames. We created base graphics which communicated the benefits of the product design, including collapsibility, customized fit, and the ability to wear the ear warmers with other headwear or head protection.
While the main point here is that customers could immediately understand how the ExoLite ear warmers were different from traditional ear warmers, we also added versatility to the display by designing a rotating neck that enabled the fixture to be used as a countertop display or as a slatwall 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.