01POP vs POS: the same thing, mostly
Point of purchase and point of sale are used for the same displays. Some marketers keep "point of sale" for the checkout area and "point of purchase" for anywhere a shopper decides, but suppliers and buyers use both words for the same cardboard. What matters is what the retailer's own display standard calls it, because that document sets the sizes, board and approval process you have to meet.
The display trade has its own association. Shop! (the Shop Environments Association) formed in October 2015 when the Association for Retail Environments merged with Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), which dates to 1936. POPAI ran the shopper studies that trade press still quotes, such as its 2012 report that 76% of purchase decisions were made in store, as reported by NACS. We could not find the original report, so treat any "most decisions are made in store" figure as a headline, not a planning number.
02Counter displays
A counter display sits on the checkout counter or a shelf: a printed tray or box with a header card that holds small, cheap, grab-and-go items. Lip balm, snack bars, keychains, stickers, phone accessories and single-serve drinks live here. It is often a folding carton or E flute corrugated tray that ships flat or arrives filled, so the store opens it and sets it down.
- Best for impulse items at a low price, where the shopper decides in seconds.
- Counter space is small, so a compact footprint and a stable base matter more than a tall header.
- A pre-filled counter display is often called a PDQ. See PDQ displays for that term.
03Floor displays and pallet displays
A floor display stands on its own in an aisle or at the front of the store: shelves or bins in a printed corrugated frame with a header on top. A pallet display is a floor display built on a pallet so it can go from the truck to the sales floor in one move, stocked.
Retailers publish hard limits for these. Academy Sports + Outdoors' vendor standard caps a full-size floor display at 48 x 40 x 58 inches and a half-size one at 48 x 24 x 58 inches, says pallet displays ship to stores fully assembled and stocked, and does not accept quarter pallets or floor-stand displays. It also defines a "sidekick", a slim display that hangs in a wire or slatwall fixture at the end of an aisle, at up to 14 inches wide and 3 inches deep. Costco's structural packaging spec says it merchandises on 48 x 40 inch pallets and wants packaging display-ready with no handling. These are two retailers, not the industry, but they show the kind of document your buyer will send.
04Endcap displays
An endcap is a display of products placed at the end of an aisle (Merriam-Webster). It is the end of a shelving run facing the main walkway, where shoppers walking the store pass it. Endcaps are often the store's own shelving, set with product and signs for a promotion, so the brand may supply the product, shelf trays, header and price signs rather than a full structure.
Ask your buyer how endcap space is assigned, whether it comes with a promotion (a flyer, a price cut), and what fixtures and signs you must supply.
05Types compared
| Counter | Floor or pallet | Endcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Checkout or shelf top | Aisle, store front, action alley | End of an aisle |
| Holds | Small items, a few dozen units | Larger items or a deep stock of small ones | A promotion's worth of stock on store shelving |
| Usual build | Folding carton or E flute tray with a header | Corrugated frame, shelves and header, often on a pallet | Store fixture plus your trays, header and signs |
| Who sets it up | Store staff, in seconds | Arrives built (pallet) or assembled in store | Store staff, to a planogram |
| Main constraint | Footprint and stability | Retailer size and weight limits | What the retailer lets you supply |
06Materials and structure
Temporary displays that last a promotion or a season are printed corrugated board, because it is light, ships flat and recycles with the store's other cardboard. Permanent fixtures that stay for years are metal, wood, glass or acrylic, and cost more. For corrugated, the retailer may name a minimum board strength: Academy's standard asks for ECT 32 board or stronger (see corrugated boxes for what ECT means).
Ask each maker how it will print the graphics, on a printed sheet laminated to the board or directly on the board, and how that changes the price and the color. Every display starts as a dieline, and it is worth asking for a plain, unprinted structural sample loaded with your real product before paying for print.
07Who makes POP displays
Display makers range from corrugated box plants with a display department to specialists who design, print, pack and ship to stores. Many packaging factories that make folding cartons and corrugated mailers also make counter trays and floor displays. Our packaging manufacturer list shows packaging factories by country and what they make, and The Vault in the Product Sourcing Secrets course has the contacts.
08How to spec it with a supplier
Start from the retailer's display standard: it decides most of these lines. Then write the rest so every maker quotes the same display.
| No. | Field | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Display type | Counter, floor, pallet, sidekick or endcap kit, and the retailer it is for |
| 02 | Outside size limits | Width, depth and height maximums from the retailer standard, and the pallet footprint if it is a pallet display |
| 03 | Product load | Units per display, units per shelf or tray, and the weight of a full display |
| 04 | Board | Board grade or strength the retailer requires, flute, and white or kraft liner |
| 05 | Litho-laminated or direct print, colors, coating, and which panels carry graphics | |
| 06 | Header and signs | Header size, price sign holder or pouch, and any shelf strips |
| 07 | Delivery | Flat for store assembly or built and stocked, assembly instructions, and how displays are packed for freight |
Questions to ask the supplier
- What is your minimum per display design, and the unit price at two quantities?
- How long from approved artwork to a structural sample, and to production?
- Can you pack and stock the displays with our product, or do we ship product to you?
- Have you made displays to this retailer's standard before, and can we see one?
09FAQ
Q01What is a POP display?
A point of purchase display is a stand, tray or fixture that holds and promotes a product in the store, usually away from its normal shelf spot: on the counter, on the floor or at the end of an aisle.
Q02What is the difference between POP and POS displays?
In practice nothing: both names are used for the same displays. Some people keep point of sale for the checkout area. Follow the words in your retailer's display standard.
Q03What are the types of POP displays?
Counter displays by the register, floor displays (including pallet displays and sidekicks that hang on a fixture) and endcap displays at the end of an aisle. Retailers name and size them in their own standards.
Q04What are POP displays made of?
Temporary displays are usually printed corrugated board. Permanent fixtures are metal, wood or acrylic. Some retailers set a minimum board strength for corrugated displays.
Q05How much does a POP display cost?
It depends on size, print, quantity and whether the maker packs it with product, and we have no reliable public range to quote. Get the same written spec quoted by two or three makers at two quantities.