Why price really isn’t an option when choosing over speed, and quality: it can cost you more in the end.

The trinity of product development

Like nearly everything in life, the trinity of product development revolves around three core choices: speed, quality, and price: pick any two. In this article, we’re focusing specifically on price, and if it’s really an option at all.

Price: lowest is rarely best

Applied to our industry, when brands and retailers spend their time and money with fixture packages (cash wraps, shelving, and various types of displays) in new locations, going with the lowest cost is never really a viable option. Brands have a lot to protect: their values, customer base, look, feel, and recognition among other things. Choosing the lowest priced option as the primary value is the fastest way to throw all that good work out the window. Plus, the direct cost of re-work, indirect cost of lost time, and reality of stress and frustration that comes with it, makes you wonder why you even chose to go with someone on price at all.

Redefining the importance of price

So if the lowest price option is out, where do you choose from? This is exactly where design and manufacturing interests intersect. However, typically these two important roles are part of separate teams (ex: architect and builder interest in building a home), and syncing vision and real world costs across a variety of materials and techniques is challenging. The sweet spot, we’ve found, is getting the best possible quality at the most you can afford. Our honest opinion: if you can’t afford to do it right, don’t do it.

So if we can’t afford a fixture package, what do we do?

Just like building a home, when outfitting your retail space with the best possible visual merchandising, there are typically good, better, and best options available. So, if a permanent fixture package is more than you can afford, take a look at semi-permanent materials (PVC, foam, acrylic) - they often look and feel like the real thing from 5 ft away. If that’s too expensive, or using plastics is not an option for your brand, try something temporary and paper based. Note that the trade off for this would be the time and effort it takes to engage new vendors - likely multiple - as a wood millwork manufacturer is not likely to also have the latest wide format digital printing press. Also, communicating your specific brand or company’s image across these different mediums can be a challenge.

Design for print and store fixture packages are different languages

The ideal output depends on the right input. Wide format printing and store fixture production have different inputs: software, techniques, suppliers and timelines to name a few. Just like with language, you’ll need someone fluent on your team that speaks each language - and if you’re lucky, someone that speaks both. However, what if you don’t have the resources to do this? The manual way is to lean on your vendors’ knowledge. Ask their sales teams to educate you about your options, and do our own research to validate it. While this can be time consuming, it is very effective. Just be clear about your vendor’s billing policies surrounding design services.

Is it even possible to do anything?!

Are there companies out there that are well versed in both printing and store fixture package manufacturing to help accelerate your project? Yes, but it’s kind of like finding a great doctor and car mechanic in the same person - they’re not out there as a business model and may not have the long experience you’d feel comfortable working with. If you do find them, they’re probably not going to look how you expect. We do this at TGS Elevate, and have minority ownership in a wide format digital printer, wood shop, metal shop, warehouse, and transportation / logistics companies to control our pricing and lead time. While we are not the low price leader, the value we bring across all of these services pays for itself.

Explore your options—message me here or visit our website at?www.tgselevate.com.