Counter Displays: 7 Layout Principles

The aim of any POS display would be to win the hearts and minds of consumers by means of successful branding while selling more merchandise. Successful point-of-purchase screen design is the result of a careful decision-making procedure which unites marketing strategy, analytical thinking about customer experience and an inborn ability to utilize the visual and physical attributes of a screen to forge an emotional connection with a client --to catch their attention and prevent them mid-stride.

We've written previously about how in-store signage acts as a silent salesperson, and the exact same observation can be made about point-of-sale counter displays. Arriving in a design solution for an in-store screen that meets all of the requirements can be challenging. There are several layers of requirements to be considered that influence a design aesthetic, and these are not always seen or known at first glance when seeing the finished product. We are discussing here some significant, critical things that will need to be known when focusing on creating counter display units.

Retail Destination and In-Store Environment

An understanding of the in-store retail environment your counter display will be present within is vital. Can it be in a large box store such as Walmart or Target? A warehouse area such as Costco or Sam's Club? Will the space be well-lit and easy to navigate like Bed Bath & Beyond? Each environment is different and comes with its own different set of challenges.

Before starting the design process, it is instructive to walk the store and see how people interact with screens. Will the display be found on an endcap? In an aisle? Location will determine dimensions. Can it sit eye-level? How well-lit is it? Will the display have to be pitched in an angle to improve visibility? How much visual clutter will encircle it?

When Medallion Retail designed the Hickies magnetic shoelace counter display, its principal purpose was to help introduce the new brand and innovative product to the retail sector. The display was originally targeted for smaller chains, independent athletic and specialty retailers. However, as a new brand, Hickies was allotted only a tiny footprint on the cash wrap counter. Medallion augmented the footprint by developing a two-sided, rotating screen that made browsing and selecting product easy for the customer. The display was located at the cash wrap counter, advantageously sized, and ideal for impulse buys during the checkout procedure.

Shelf Life, Budget and Time Frame of Counter Shows

Understanding how long your display should last is nearly as important as understanding your customer's budget and time frame--and all three notify the materials selection procedure. Shelf life is segmented into the 3 types of temporary, semi-permanent and permanent, which dictate the sturdiness of the materials which will be used to make the display.

• Temporary screens are tasked with lasting two to three months and their low per-unit cost makes them attractive for promotional or seasonal applications. Temporary displays are often meant to be changed out or replaced many times annually, along with the low cost permits a retailer or manufacturer to appear current and fresh without a major expense.

• Semi-permanent displays are designed to last 3 months to a year, and are constructed from more durable materials. Semi-permanent screens are a much better solution when consumer interaction with the item or screen is desired since the materials will withstand regular use for a longer time period.

• Permanent screens are constructed of very sturdy materials. As a larger business investment with a greater ROI than other kinds of screens, permanent displays need to be able to withstand regular use for a few decades. The plan should be flexible enough to allow all of the product to be changed out.

Temporary vs. Permanent Displays--Which One?

Both display styles provide benefits. The advantages of a temporary or semi permanent structure will probably outweigh those of a permanent one as it takes years for the return on a permanent display to pay off.

Flexibility and Versatility of Counter Shows

Designing displays which are flexible, versatile, modular and configurable increases the usefulness of your screens while ensuring the greatest possible return on investment. The flexibility, meaning that the adaptability of your own design in signage or display, opens up more opportunity on the sales floor. Modular designs are the perfect way to fulfill the spatial inequities of different retail environments while also addressing different product combinations and seasonal or promotional opportunities. It is also easier to replace components or parts in modular displays, as opposed to replacing complete fixtures in case of damage or obsolescence.

Will the display be easy to set up and take down? Can the media or graphics be easily upgraded? Can components like video displays, audio or additional images be added? Can the screen be scaled and made bigger or smaller depending on positioning in store and accessible footprint?

As a deeper explanation of what we mean by flexibility, Medallion's layout for Zwilling's Fresh & Save counter screen was initially designed for Bed Bath & Beyond and put a display with an instructional video. During the last stages of the design process, Bed Bath & Beyond removed the movie screen because of concerns regarding Covid-19 transmission.

So Zwilling made a new strategy, this time also between Crate and Barrel. Flexibility and modularity in Medallion's designs for the screen allowed us to consecutively create two renditions of the identical design: one unit using a video display for Crate and Barrel, and one without for Bed Bath & Beyond.

Target Customer

Ensure that your client offers demographic information that comprises a target customer profile and design your own screen and graphics to communicate with that target client. Know who they are, what they value and what motivates them, and design around those behavioral insights. Create a psychological and conceptual connection together by crafting a story about the brand that's both engaging and attractive. And do not allow your client to leave empty-handed. Make certain your messaging and communication are clear and the client walks away with a thorough comprehension of the best three brand or product insights that will sell your product.

Working with Zwilling to design their counter display for the introduction of the new solution, the Fresh & Save Vacuum Storage System, Medallion recognized the target audience in this lifestyle merchandise. Those interested in healthy living, progress meal prepping and ecological consciousness would help determine the look, feel and messaging of this screen piece--linking with that shopper distinctively and striking a direct connection in shop. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but if it does not resonate with the beholder, it is only a gorgeous display and one which does not drive sales.

Point of Differentiation

Before starting the design process, it's imperative to comprehend the points of distinction about your customer's product or brand. Factors of distinction about a product ought to be identified by analyzing how it'll be used throughout the whole life span with the customer, and include points of distinction within messaging is of enormous strategic importance.

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Great point-of-purchase displays enable the consumer to quickly zero in on the key points of differentiation of a product relative to other goods by clearly conveying the points of distinction, and for that reason, customer value. Differentiation becomes exceedingly important when your customer's product will be closely located near to a rival within a crowded in-store atmosphere.

K-fee, the German espresso and coffee system firm, sought Medallion's help in designing a counter display for its first foray into the American market. The counter display was located on an endcap at Bed Bath & Beyond, near its rivals Nespresso and Keurig. The most important point of distinction the K-fee screen messaging needed to convey is that the system takes both Mr. & Mrs. Mill and Starbucks pods, which makes it more convenient and more flexible than the Nespresso system. The secondary purpose of differentiation is the broad assortment of kinds of coffee drinks the K-fee system makes, and the next point is that the exceptional pressure technology which the system uses that makes barista-perfect java.

Medallion efficiently worked all these points of differentiation to the design of this screen, and when lined with the sumptuous K-fee product photography and selection of high-end substances used to design the screen, the outcome is one of highly effective messaging paired with a superbly elegant appearance.

Customer Interaction

When a shopper can touch, feel and interact with the real product or screen, sales of merchandise growth --and the design process gets more complicated. Will the consumer be turning on a movie screen? Are they filling out electronic forms or browsing through information on a touch screen? Are they scanning multiple pages of product information? Will they're picking up a product to find out how it turns off and on, how thick it is, how easily it comes apart or reassembles and how it functions? Are they touching surfaces, experiencing materials and analyzing a product's ergonomic properties? And what happens when there are criteria that have to be met? Does your design take these things into consideration?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires counter screens that allow for client interaction be located at no greater than 36" for ease of wheelchair accessibility. Height isn't specified for displays that aren't interactive, and both alternatives are available concurrently within the same retail location.

When working on the Henckels Capri Granitium Nonstick Cookware for Costco, Medallion had to supply a design that allowed both standing customers and clients in wheelchairs to easily pick up and go through the item. The pans, a set of three in graduated sizes, remainder in a groove specifically designed to support each pan so that it stands firmly on end whilst permitting the consumer to easily select, consider and return the pan to the exact same groove.

Zwilling's Fresh & Save screen has several items that will need to be accessible for client interaction. The screen that landed in Crate and Barrel had to be 36" high as the movie display has a push to begin attribute. The vacuum food storage containers which are part of the Fresh & Save starter kit are glued to the screen for safety reasons, and the hand-operated Fresh & Save vacuum pump is tethered to the screen to permit clients to experience how it feels in-hand.

Aesthetics

Last, but certainly not least, are aesthetics. In this time of Instagram, we know for sure that amazing images prevent individuals from scrolling through a feed or by creating an uninterrupted beeline into a cash register at the end of a trip whilst shopping in store. Beautiful graphics are arresting and lasting and make an instant emotional connection with customers. Beautiful surfaces and materials lure customers to reach out and touch. Beauty, when in support of branding and used to appeal to a targeted audience, sells.

Medallion's K-fee counter display is an exceptional example of beauty in support of branding. Luxurious product photography and luxury materials come together to make a screen that exudes elegance and sophistication, placing K-fee apart from the competitive landscape of high-end java systems.

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