What Are Point-of-Sale Displays?

With hundreds of products on the market for any given industry, brands are constantly fighting for consumer attention. Point-of-sale (POS) displays help companies stand out from the competition by highlighting their products in a way that piques shoppers’ interest.

Through this guide, you’ll learn how to attract customers and drive sales using POS retail displays.

What Are Point-of-Sale Displays?

Point-of-sale displays are printed promotional materials situated near the point of sale where transactions are completed in a retail establishment. Retailers display goods on these structures to attract customers’ attention and encourage them to buy products.

Transactional purchase locations like checkout counters are considered premium advertising spaces because shoppers are required to approach them to make a purchase. In addition, customers heading to the point of sale have already made the decision to buy something, making them more likely to be open to purchasing additional items.

Strategic POS locations play on consumers’ impulses to buy, allowing retailers to influence their purchasing decisions at the last minute. As a result, POS displays allow retailers to increase customer spending and upsell products in the final moments before shoppers complete their transactions.

Types of POS Retail Displays

There are various types of point-of-sale signage you can use to promote your brand and its products. Some of the most effective POS displays for retail establishments include:

Countertop displays: These displays are located on sales counters, making them ideal real estate for small, fast-moving products like food, beverages, and toiletries. Countertop units put goods at arm’s length from consumers so they’re easy to see and grab.
Free-standing display units: FSDUs are tall, highly customizable floor units that showcase substantial quantities of products. These free-standing structures are lightweight and portable, enabling brands to seamlessly display special offers and high-margin products.
Lightboxes: Lightboxes are display fixtures comprising transparent graphic film illuminated from behind using backlit devices like fluorescent lightbulbs and LED light strips. These POS retail displays are highly visible to consumers, providing a bright contrast to their surroundings.
Dump bins: Retailers dump large quantities of small products like candy, gadgets, and shooters into these large, free-standing bins. Customers can interact with dump bins at all angles, allowing them to easily grab merchandise on their way to the checkout counter.
Shelf talkers: Shelf talkers are printed retail display fixtures that attach to shelves using clips or adhesives. These eye-catching POS displays communicate information about the products on the shelves to customers.
Posters: You can use posters to make an impact at the point of sale with engaging, high-definition graphics to promote products and special offers.

POS vs. POP Displays

Though point-of-sale and point-of-purchase (POP) displays are two different types of retail fixtures, these terms are often mistaken as being interchangeable. What differentiates these promotional materials from one another is where they are positioned within a store.

The point of purchase is the place where consumers buy products, such as grocery stores, retail establishments, or any other brick-and-mortar location. That means POP displays can be placed anywhere within a store, such as entry points, aisles, or in the middle of the building. POS displays can only be found at the point of sale, limiting them to checkout lines and counters.

Benefits of Effective Point-of-Sale Signage

When you implement POS displays into retail establishments, you can expect several significant advantages for your brand, including:

Increasing brand exposure: Point-of-sale displays are highly customizable, meaning you can purchase attractive branded materials that promote your products in a highly visible manner.
Attracting customers: POS displays use eye-catching visual elements to make your products stand out among hundreds of other options, making customers more likely to notice them.
Driving sales: Because shoppers are naturally attracted to POS signage, these displays will help you generate more sales for your brand.
Improving engagement: When you install POS retail displays, you encourage shoppers to interact with your products, increasing brand awareness, engagement, and loyalty.
Leveraging cost efficiency: Point-of-sale signage offers a cost-effective means of promoting your products and communicating your brand. These structures are affordable, durable, and long-lasting, helping you get the highest value from your investment.

POS Display Best Practices

Now that you know what POS retail displays are and why they’re beneficial, consider the following best practices to get the most out of your signage.

1. Identify Your Goal

Though the main goal of a point-of-sale display is to sell a product, the more specific you are about your goal, the better you can further it using the ideal displays. Are you trying to upsell a product, advertise new merchandise, or sell discounted items? Knowing your retail display’s intention will help you select the signage best suited for the objective.

2. Understand Your Product

To create an effective POS display, you first need to understand the product you’re trying to sell. Consider the product’s characteristics. Is it stackable? Can it be arranged in a unique way? Would it be better displayed on a shelf or in a bin? Can it be color coded? By asking yourself these questions, you can determine the most noticeable and appealing way to display your products using point-of-sale materials.

3. Embrace Versatility

With so many point-of-sale signage options available, it would benefit you to explore more than one. If you’re selling multiple products, try mixing and matching POS retail display types. If you use the same type of structure for all of your products, the effect of your signage may be lost on customers. Showcasing goods in different ways makes for a more dynamic and engaging experience for shoppers.

4. Ensure Accessibility

It’s crucial to place your point-of-sale displays somewhere accessible. Your POS structures should be positioned where customers can pick up products and workers can restock them without difficulty.

Because POS materials are stationed at or around the checkout counter, you’ll be working with limited space. To ensure accessibility, make sure your design is compact enough that it doesn’t overwhelm the area. You should also stock as many items as possible into your POS structure while ensuring the display is not overcrowded.

5. Make Your Products Stand Out

There are dozens of products out there, and POS displays allow you to make yours stand out among the competition. Be sure to implement an eye-catching design that will draw in shoppers and drive sales. Try incorporating vibrant colors, large fonts, and bold graphics that can be seen from a distance to attract your customers’ attention.

Explore Our POS Display Capabilities

At BrandMuscle, we help our clients overcome the challenges of print execution and amplify their brands through our high-impact print and fulfillment services. When you come to us for point-of-sale signage, you’ll experience compliant, on-demand printing with exceptional speed to market and error-free accuracy.

Some of the many products we can print include:

Banners
Posters
Shelf talkers
Ceiling danglers
Window clings
Pennant flags
Menu books
Table tents
Coasters
Giant checks
Custom cutouts
Office supplies
Promotional items
Truck wraps
QR codes

Print Point-of-Sale Displays on Demand With BrandMuscle

If you’re looking to drive more sales for your brand, consider purchasing POS displays and other printed materials at BrandMuscle. We’ve spent over 20 years empowering local business partners through our state-of-the-art marketing platform, and we want to do the same for you.

What Are Point-of-Sale Displays?