One of the great mysteries of retail life is why so many aspiring brands settle for mediocrity when it comes to the design and execution of their custom POP display. In our work with thousands of brands over the last 35 years, we have seen this over and over again. Some brands arrive at mediocrity because they mistake their display program as a cost instead of an investment. “You know, we have to give these displays away,” is a common refrain we hear. Others fail to realize just how challenging it is to stand out in an intensely competitive and overly crowded retail environment where choices are plentiful, and shoppers are distracted and preoccupied with social media and endless streams of text messages. Achieving exceptionalism starts with the fundamental understanding that your custom POP display may be the first and only opportunity available to introduce your brand or to convert a shopper to a customer. Striving for exceptionalism should be a categorical strategic imperative for any brand looking for a breakthrough opportunity in the world of brick-and-mortar retail.
The word “exceptionalism” is rooted in 2 primary attributes that make it a worthy objective for any brand’s custom POP display program. First, exceptionalism necessitates being unique, different, or special in some way. Second, it implies superiority. Simply put, for brands this means finding ways to stand out by being different and also being better than the competition. Let’s look at some examples of how brands can achieve exceptionalism through their POP displays.
Shoe Dog Kisok. We created these Shoe Dog kiosks for RoadRunner Sports retail stores. As you can see from the opening hero image of today’s post, these kiosks serve as the centerpiece of the store and stand out not only because of their colorful and powerful branding but also because of having multiple kiosks in the same area. The kiosks are positioned near treadmills so that knowledgeable sales associates can assist customers in determining what shoe is best for them based on their walking or running mechanics. A camera in the bottom of the kiosk films the shopper on the treadmill, and then the video is displayed on the screen. The sales consultant then reviews the video with the customer and recommends a few styles/brands of shoes to try on. It’s a brilliant form of customer engagement while creating a unique, helpful, and fun shopping experience. As importantly, the approach sells shoes- lots of them.
Romo Counter Display. A few years ago, we created a unique display for ROMO, a small robot comprised of an iPhone that sat in a tractor chassis cradle. Not only was ROMO mobile, but he was cute and friendly. He could make facial expressions and show off his personality. We dubbed this project “Saving ROMO” because our challenge was to create an environment for ROMO with all of the outer space trappings that would make him feel at home during his time here on Earth. The environment needed to be secure so kid shoppers could watch ROMO move around and express himself but not touch him. We had to be able to duplicate the environment since ROMO was being put up for adoption in 220 Brookstone stores for the initial rollout.
From a merchandising perspective, our ROMO retail display was designed to stop traffic and capture the imagination of shoppers young and old. It was a unique combination of art and engineering. The display featured a folded acrylic frame, a blow molded acrylic dome, an airbrushed latex moonscape, a 7″ digital media player, LED lighting, fully integrated electronics to support a live ROMO robot, and digitally printed graphics that focused on the unique messaging of the ROMO brand. Like other exceptional custom POP displays, the ROMO display stood out and drove sales that exceeded expectations. It told a story and accomplished its objective of focusing attention on the product rather than the display.
Woodbridge Wine Floor Display. POP designs that are not only unique but also create an element of surprise are much more likely to stand out and be remembered relative to the host of everyday displays that typically populate today’s retail stores. Woodbridge, a Robert Mondavi classic California wine that has a rich heritage of fine wine making, seemed deserving of an exceptional display. Our objective was to design a display that not only brought shoppers into a home environment where they typically enjoy a glass of Woodbridge, but also to create an element of surprise that would make the in-store experience more memorable. After all, who would expect to see a staircase in a grocery store? We incorporated the Woodbridge logo surrounded by homey framed family photos while featuring high quality millwork craftsmanship typically found in a real in-home staircase.
Brighton Collectibles Jewelry Floor Spinner. The Brighton Collectibles floor display we designed and manufactured qualifies as exceptional in our opinion based on its unmatched versatility, configurability and durability, For more than a decade, this high capacity display has been a popular fixture in 180 Brighton stores nationally, as well as in airports and many boutique retailers. Its durability alone has contributed to an extraordinary return on Brighton’s fixture investment.
The entire display spins as does each of the 4 panels. We made the base out of MDF with a dark wood stain and a sheet metal accent band. The four spinning panels were made using an aluminum frame with interchangeable fabric panels on 2 sides. We designed the crossbars using a sliding pin mechanism so they could easily be removed and placed in different positions within the frame. The crossbars were designed to accommodate various hooks and accessories such as necklace hooks, bracelet hooks, bangle bars, mirrors, and graphic frames. The decorative top finial was made of cast steel, adding a premium finishing touch to this highly configurable and versatile display.
Today we have highlighted just a few examples of custom POP display exceptionalism. Each of these displays stand out from the competition and possess a set of characteristic that make them superior to run-of-the-mill retail displays. In Part 2 of this series, we’ll review some additional examples and discuss the basis for their exceptionalism.