Setting the budget to promote your product involves many considerations; developing key visuals, booking ads, EDM, running social media, TV and radio campaigns, printing posters and flyers are just some of the things to consider – after all, to get your product seen, you want to cover as many bases as you can with what you’ve got.
One budgetary consideration that should not be overlooked is Retail POS/ POP, because customers will want to know where to find your product when they go to purchase it – you’ll want them to, as well!
POS & POP: SAME, SAME, BUT DIFFERENT
The differences between the two formats are subtle, so much so that the term POS is often used to refer to both displays, and, the goal of both is the same: to draw the customers attention to a particular product or service wherever they are maybe in-store.
So, what are these two promotional tools? And, what can POS & POP displays do for your product?
A retail Point of Sale (POS) display is any advertising or sales promotion that is placed where customers can directly engage with the promoted item while making a payment – most often at a checkout.
A POS display can feature a permanent product with advertising/ branding queues changing through the year for particular campaigns, or the promoted product can be frequently rotated and changed, as required.
A retail Point of Purchase (POP) display is any advertising or sales promotion that is placed where customers can directly engage with the promoted item while moving through an outlet – pick it up and put it in their shopping basket.
More often than not, these displays are used to promote a short-lived campaign, or a special offer for an existing product, to drive a special event, seasonal or holiday sales or promote a particular product/ service.
Generally, POS/ POP displays are constructed from a substrate that is light and disposable (i.e.: cardboard, paper, or foam-board), making them easy to transport, easy to set-up and easy to remove.
Interrupting a shoppers internal list making and pulling them towards your product is the name of the game, so, bright colours and attention-grabbing graphics are perfect on POS/ POP displays – any Key Visual you’ve developed for your product is perfect to adapt for the promotion!
An effective (but, potentially more costly) consideration, that can take your display to the next level, is to incorporate die-cuts, or engineer a moving mechanism, screen or audio component into the design (just check with the outlet you are activating in before pursuing these options, they may have rules/ guidelines regarding these elements).
EXAMPLES OF POS/POP DISPLAYS
There are many ways to activate your promotion in-store, however, a couple of the more common ways utilised are:
Wobblers/ Shelf Talkers
Cost effective, small and eye-catching. A correctly positioned wobbler or shelf talker serves as a powerful way to guide and educate customers to your products or promotion.
Standee displays
A free-standing display provides shelf space or a shroud to house a product along with an opportunity to create a unique, and engaging display which can provide valuable information for potential purchasers.
Floor Decal
Floor Decals pull customers in as they walk down an aisle, signalling from afar where a particular product can be found.
Bold and fun visuals, potentially incorporating an optical illusion playing with the positioning of the graphics on the floor, work to capture a shopper’s attention and draw them in.
Dump Bins
A free-standing dump bin can be strategically placed for maximum engagement with customers. Often, filled with small products that can be easily shopped, with the right design, Dump Bins offer great opportunities for unique displays
Other POS displays include Posters, Fridge Decals, Pull Up Banners/ X-banners and many others.
HOW TO USE POS EFFECTIVELY
Make it eye catching
Developing an eye-catching Brand or Key Visual for your campaign from the beginning is essential for engaging customers. However, the effective and consistent use of that artwork across all POS and media will help them recognise your product when they see it on the shelf.
Location! Location! Location!
While it might seem obvious, and commonly accepted, that the most beneficial position for your POS/ POP display is directly where your product is, this isn’t always the case.
Co-positioning a Wobbler, Floor Decal or Fridge Decal near a complimentary product can trigger shoppers to purchase your product with the complimentary product, for example, positioning a Soft Drink wobbler near crisps or other snacks, may serve as a reminder for the shopper to grab a drink, as well as chips for a special treat or an upcoming event.
Other displays, such as Standee Displays or Dump Bins, are suited to easily shoppable, high traffic areas. Aisle ends or check-out lines are key locations to entice and capture impulse purchases.
Educate
Educating customers about your product and brand through the POS offers a great opportunity to expand your story, build trust and inform the consumer.
Logos, slogans and key product points can all be incorporated (if space allows) building the story of your product or brand in the shopper’s mind.
Be relevant
Make sure your messaging is in lockstep with any social or special occasions that are happening, there is nothing more off-putting for a customer than seeing Christmas themed POS still being used to promote a product at Easter.
Using relevant and up-to-date POS conveys to the customer that you too are relevant and up to date.
CONCLUSION
Point of Sale displays are fantastic tools to promote your product or service. They’re effective ways to educate and inform customers, they’re flexible enough to be used almost anywhere within a retail space and when used cleverly they command the attention of shoppers.
Don’t leave this important tool out of your budget when planning your next campaign, and don’t leave their execution in the hands of those who might not be aware of their nuances.
With decades of experience and expertise up our sleeve Adlab can execute, produce and roll out all of your POS display needs – talk to our team today.