Point of Purchase (POP) Displays: Definition and Benefits
Point of purchase (POP) displays are a powerful marketing tool that can influence customers' buying decisions in-store. They are particularly effective because retailers strategically position them next to the products they want to highlight, increasing the items’ visibility and appeal. By understanding how to design effective POP displays and the advantages they offer, businesses can make better use of high-traffic areas to boost sales. In this article, we’ll explore what POP displays are, their key benefits, share some examples, and offer practical tips for creating impactful displays.
Key Points:
Point of purchase (POP) displays are an effective way to sway customer purchasing decisions by enhancing product visibility and appealing to impulse shoppers.
These displays are usually placed in high-traffic areas and can take various forms, including freestanding units, shelf talkers, dump bins, floor graphics, and aisle end caps, all designed to draw attention to featured products.
To maximize impact, businesses should use bold visuals, highlight the product’s unique features, tailor messages to specific target audiences, and create a compelling brand or product story to boost brand recognition and customer engagement.
What Is a Point of Purchase (POP)?
A point of purchase (POP) refers to the location within a store where marketing or promotional materials are displayed to attract customer attention. It’s the area where shoppers interact with products, making it an ideal spot to place promotional content alongside merchandise to boost sales. POP displays can include printed or digital materials placed near products in physical retail stores, at checkout counters, or as virtual banners and pop-ups in online stores.
The primary goal of POP displays is to enhance the in-store experience by drawing attention to special offers, featured brands, or new products. They are especially effective because many customers enter a store without a specific purchase in mind. By positioning eye-catching displays along common shopping routes, retailers can influence spontaneous buying decisions and drive sales for targeted products.
Benefits of POP Displays
Capture Customer Attention
One of the primary benefits of POP displays is their ability to quickly grab shoppers' attention. While many customers casually browse store aisles, product packaging alone is often too small or subtle to stand out. POP displays, with their larger and more eye-catching designs, provide a visually engaging way to highlight specific products and increase the likelihood of a purchase.
Educate Shoppers
POP displays give retailers an opportunity to share additional information about a product or brand that might not fit on standard packaging. By offering details about product features, benefits, or usage tips, these displays can enhance the shopping experience and help customers make more informed buying decisions, potentially boosting sales.
Appeal to Impulse Buyers
Many customers enter a store without a clear idea of what they intend to purchase. POP displays strategically placed along shopping routes or at checkout areas can influence these spontaneous decisions by showcasing the unique value or limited-time offers of certain products, encouraging impulse purchases.
Lower Marketing Costs
An effective POP marketing strategy can help reduce overall advertising expenses. By using affordable paper or digital displays placed directly in high-traffic store areas, retailers can promote products at a fraction of the cost of traditional ad campaigns. Additionally, POP displays can reflect messaging from larger campaigns, reinforcing brand awareness without the higher spend.
Enhance Retail Merchandising
Brands can also improve their in-store visibility and product presentation through POP displays. By supplying displays along with merchandising guidelines, brands help retailers showcase products more effectively. This approach saves store staff time and effort while ensuring products are presented for maximum customer engagement.
Product placement flexibility
Point of purchase displays may offer brands and retailers more flexibility in product placement, which helps boost visibility. Instead of being placed in an obscure location on the shelves, POP displays allow brands to place their products in high-traffic areas where customers can see them and quickly decide whether to purchase them.
Examples of POP displays
Shop In Shop
A Shop In Shop is a dedicated retail space within a larger store that’s exclusively designed to showcase a specific brand or product line. It functions like a mini-store inside the main store, offering a customized shopping experience with branded displays, signage, and product arrangements. This setup helps build brand presence and gives customers a focused environment to explore a particular brand’s offerings.
Island Display
An Island Display is a freestanding display unit placed in an open area of a retail store, often in high-traffic zones. Accessible from all sides, it allows customers to browse products easily and increases product visibility. Island displays are typically used for promotions, seasonal products, or new launches to capture customer attention from multiple directions.
Floor Display
A Floor Display is a standalone fixture placed directly on the store floor, separate from standard shelves or racks. Often made of cardboard, metal, or wood, these displays are positioned along customer pathways or near featured product sections. They’re ideal for highlighting promotions, bestsellers, or impulse-buy items in eye-level, high-visibility areas.
Endcap Display
An Endcap Display is located at the end of a store aisle, facing the main walking path. Because of its strategic position, it naturally draws customer attention and is one of the most effective retail display options for boosting product sales. Endcaps are commonly used for featured products, limited-time offers, or brand promotions.
Countertop Display
A Countertop Display is a compact display unit placed on store counters, checkout areas, or reception desks. Designed to promote small, impulse-purchase items like snacks, accessories, or travel-sized products, these displays capitalize on last-minute buying opportunities as customers complete their transactions.
Tips for creating an effective point of purchase display
Here are some tips for creating POP displays which you can use to help increase product awareness, which may boost sales:
Use bold images
When designing POP displays, the primary purpose is to grab a customer's attention using bold images and wording. Ways to grab a shopper's attention include using:
Bright colors
Large print
Fun and catchy words
Visually appealing pictures
Irregular shapes
Choose the right location
For the biggest impact, place POP displays in areas with high customer traffic and that offer easy accessibility to the products being promoted. These include open spaces for freestanding displays, the end of shelves or hang-tags on aisle shelves. For smaller items, you can position the POP displays in the register line where people can see them while waiting to check out. Retailers can also place displays around complementary items. For example, placing pots around fresh produce or bread beside butter and margarine products.
Highlight unique qualities
An effective POP display can show customers the unique qualities of a product or brand. It should include the key selling points of the product, the colors most popular with the brand and any other information that may encourage people to buy.
Be concise
A good POP display should be short and to the point. Keep the messaging clear and include action words that will entice people to buy and remember your brand next time they are shopping.
Know your audience
It is important to tailor your message to a specific audience when creating point of purchase displays. That will allow you to craft a message that appeals to them for increased acceptance, brand awareness and sales.
Tell a story
To make your POP display interesting, use it to tell a story unique to your brand or product. For example, the display can emphasize the founding date of the company, its secret recipe or specific health benefits.
