THE PERFECT DISPLAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jerry Smith, Rhino Global Solutions

Phone: (856) 817-6281

Email: [email protected]

A visual representative of the perfect POP display

By Jerry Smith

[MARLTON, NJ, February 27, 2019] What makes the perfect POP display? That’s something that we have talked about before, focusing on choosing the right colors, the right header and the right shape to create a focus, tell a story and make customers want to interact with – and then purchase – your product.

To truly understand each of the elements of the perfect POP display, though, it’s best to take a look at a real-world example, and hear from people who have utilized these displays in their business.

Today, we’re going to use a POP display we created late last year for Darford, a company that has been producing premium dog treats for more than 30 years. Not only will we take a look at the aspects of the display itself (which is pictured here), we’ll also interject insight from the company’s Director of Sales, Patrick Westbrook.

By approaching the subject in this way, we’ll give you a visual representation of exactly what makes a POP display so effective, and the kind of feedback you can expect when creating one for your company.

The Background

Before we dive into the elements of the POP display, it’s important to have some background on Darford. Last year, the company was looking for a new merchandising solution.

They had a rack for the last few years that was more of a utilitarian type of metal and wire display. The boxes of dog treats sat on top of the metal display, and the customers would need to open the boxes to see the product. 

Still, the metal racks were much sturdier and nicer than the company’s original wooden racks it used in the early days, which is why they made the switch to them about five years ago. And they were working well.

But according to Westbrook, Darford was looking to introduce a display that was much more appealing not just to the customers, but to the retailers as well – and especially the mom-and-pop retailers that are the heart and soul of Darford’s business. 

Rhino Global Solutions helped Darford create a significant visual upgrade to their displays that was light and airy, that displayed a clear header and showed off the product front and center, while keeping it fresh at the same time.

The closed and sealed acrylic bins not only showcase the premium dog treats wonderfully, they also allow customers to smell the freshness of the product once they open the containers, Westbrook said. In fact, “This aspect of the display is what helps Darford’s product stand out from other packaged products that customers can’t feel, can’t see the texture of and definitely can’t smell.”

He continued, “The display is something that is not only visually appealing. It keeps the product sealed tightly to prevent any contamination. All those things together are a winning solution. Not only do we offer a great product, a quality product, but we want to offer our retailers the best product.”

 The Display

Taking a look at Darford’s new POP display, one of the first things you’ll notice is the product is featured front and center. The acrylic bins Westbrook mentioned allow for a visually-pleasing presentation of the product, giving customers a chance to see what they’d be buying, instead of seeing a dingy old brown bag like other similar products feature.

The acrylic bins are not the only reason why Darford’s premium dog treats stand out. The subtle light colors of the outside of the display, plus the smooth, rounded edges draw your eyes into the center of the display, instead of potentially distracting you like bold colors or rough, sharp edges would.

The soothing shape of the POP display is created with two dog bones – which both serves as a creative way to anchor the outside of the display while reinforcing the fact that the product is a premium dog treat. The pictures on these dog bones tell the customers they’re purchasing a quality product. 

The header lets you know exactly what the product is and who is producing it, emphasizing Darford’s focus on the finest ingredients for its oven-baked treats and the fact that they have been in business since 1987. The elements on top of each acrylic box explain what each treat is and what it’s made of in a visually pleasing way as well, using imagery to convey the message with as few words as possible.

Another benefit to this new display was that it created a much smaller footprint than Darford’s old display, which is one of the requests retailers had about the metal rack display they were using before.

The Results

The success of the POP display is essential to Darford’s business. It was a significant investment the company decided to make in the product, and it’s also a significant investment that retailers choose to make in Darford when they decide to feature the display in their store.

Westbrook said Darford has been developing a whole new marketing strategy around the POP display, and that’s an excellent idea – to re-launch an entire marketing strategy using the POP display as the centerpiece, much in the same way the POP display features the product itself.

While Westbrook said it is a little too early to provide definitive Return on Investment data of the new POP displays – since they just started to hit the marketplace over the last few months – he categorized the feedback the company has gotten so far as “phenomenal.” 

At the Super Zoo national pet retailer show in Las Vegas last year, Westbrook said people described the new POP display as “stunning.” He even heard from a major pet retailer that it was the best vertical merchandising display he’d ever seen in the pet industry.

He added, “There are some really big hitters that I’ve opened the door with this rack, and if the rack performs like I think it will, it’s going to be really great for the company.”

This goes to prove just how powerful a well-thought-out and well-designed POP display can be, and how essential of an investment it should be for any product manufacturer, no matter the industry.

###

Jerry Smith is the president of Rhino Global Solutions. Rhino specializes in the design, production and delivery of Point of Purchase displays with the goal of helping companies increase their sales by differentiating their product from their competition. Rhino has delivered thousands of displays for large companies, medium-sized companies and small companies across various industries, which gives Rhino unique insight.