Even with ecommerce growth on an upward trajectory, physical stores remain a significant part of how consumers discover, compare, and purchase products. In the first quarter of 2026, ecommerce accounted for 16.9% of total U.S. retail sales, leaving most retail spending outside the online channel.
Recent consumer research also found that 82% of shoppers had spent money in a physical store, compared with 71% who had purchased online. Consumers visited stores an average of 6.4 times per month, giving brands repeated opportunities to influence decisions at the shelf.
A well-executed POP display helps a product stand out during those visits. It can introduce an unfamiliar item, reinforce a promotion, explain a product benefit, or encourage an unplanned purchase. Yet its performance depends on more than an attractive design. Materials, product weight, packaging, assembly, transportation, placement, and replenishment all affect what shoppers eventually see in the store.
Meeting customers where they shop
The customer journey no longer follows one predictable path. A shopper might discover a product on social media, compare it on a phone, examine it in a store, and complete the purchase through whichever channel offers the right combination of convenience, price, and availability.
That said, physical retail gives shoppers something ecommerce cannot fully reproduce. Customers can see the product’s scale, feel its materials, compare colors, test features, smell a fragrance, or sample a flavor. That experience can reduce hesitation, especially when a product is unfamiliar or difficult to evaluate through a screen.
Stores also remain an important part of omnichannel shopping. More than nine in 10 holiday shoppers made purchases in physical stores during the 2025 season, while approximately three-quarters shopped both online and in-store.
A strategically placed POP display connects those digital and physical experiences. It can reinforce messaging shoppers have already encountered online while giving them an immediate opportunity to interact with the product.
What is a POP display?
A point-of-purchase display is a branded merchandising fixture positioned where customers are considering or selecting products. Unlike a point-of-sale display, which generally appears near a checkout area, a POP display can be placed near an aisle, on an endcap, inside a department, or anywhere else along the shopping path.
If you’ve ever taken young children to the grocery store or a big-name pharmacy, you know kids are POP display magnets. It could be the display’s placement, shiny colors, unusual shape, or hard-to-miss design grabbing the attention of anyone who crosses its path, which is the whole point.
Some displays rely on graphics and structure, while others incorporate video, sound, lighting, samples, demonstrations, or QR codes. Regardless of the format, the display must communicate quickly. A shopper should be able to understand what the product is, why it matters, and what to do next without stopping to study complicated instructions.
Why POP displays influence buying decisions
Most shoppers enter a store with at least a general idea of what they need, but many decisions are still made after they arrive. Product availability, packaging, price, promotions, shelf position, and visual presentation can all affect the final choice.
A POP display interrupts the visual repetition of a standard aisle. It separates a product from nearby competitors and creates a dedicated space for brand messaging. This can be especially valuable for a number of reasons, including:
- Product launches
- Seasonal merchandise
- Gift sets
- Limited editions
- Items that need a short explanation
Displays can also make decision-making easier. Grouping related products, showing how an item is used, or highlighting a clear benefit gives shoppers more context than packaging alone may provide. The strongest displays support the purchase rather than overwhelming shoppers with copy or design elements.
Common POP display types
Creativity given to a product’s packaging can be complemented by a point-of-purchase display. However, the right format depends on campaign duration, store requirements, product weight, available floor space, and how often the display will need to be replenished.
| Display type | Typical use | Planning considerations |
| Temporary | Seasonal products, short promotions, product launches, and limited-time offers | Often made from corrugated cardboard. It should be lightweight without becoming unstable during shipping or use. |
| Semi-permanent | Programs lasting several months or recurring promotional campaigns | May use heavier cardboard, plastic, wood, metal, or mixed materials. Assembly and replacement-part planning become more important. |
| Permanent | Long-term branded areas, store fixtures, and regularly replenished product lines | Durability, maintenance, store compatibility, and the ability to update messaging should be considered early. |
| Digital | Demonstrations, educational content, product comparisons, and interactive storytelling | Requires access to power, reliable hardware, approved content, and a process for maintaining or replacing equipment. |
| Robotic or motion-activated | Products that benefit from movement, demonstration, or an attention-grabbing experience | Moving components increase packaging, installation, testing, and maintenance requirements. |
How to build an effective POP display
Designing an effective in-store display is like owning a small business. You’ll wear a lot of hats. You want to draw traffic to your product and convert that interest into sales, but the display must also make sense for the customer and the store.
The display
How can you distinguish your brand from all the others in-store? In a sea of products, it comes down to capturing customers’ visual interest. Take the expected and add something unexpected, such as an unusual shape, size, or structural feature, while keeping the product easy to see and reach.
The design must also account for what the display will hold: Product dimensions, total loaded weight, shelf spacing, hooks, trays, and the center of gravity can determine whether the structure remains stable. A concept that looks effective in a rendering may not perform once fully stocked.
The messaging
If you don’t have a brand book or sales brief for your product, create a profile of your ideal customer and document the product benefits most likely to matter. Once you understand who the product serves, you can begin writing the POP display messaging.
Keep the main message brief and readable from the expected viewing distance. Supporting copy can explain a product, promotion, ingredient, or use case, but the display should not require shoppers to read several paragraphs before understanding the offer.
The placement
POP displays can look different depending on where they are placed, and location will affect the customer experience. Think carefully about sizing: Will the design and messaging be as impactful from six feet away as they are from 12 inches?
An endcap may need to capture attention from farther down an aisle. A countertop unit may be viewed at close range but have very limited space. A floor display must remain visible without obstructing traffic or creating problems for store employees. Testing the display from several angles can reveal blocked messaging, inaccessible products, or structural issues before production begins.
The experience
Big-box stores such as Costco and Walmart understand the value of interactive POP displays, and many customers are eager to explore and participate. Experiential elements might include samples, demonstrations, testers, videos, or product comparisons.
QR codes can extend the experience beyond the store by connecting shoppers to instructions, product details, reviews, recipes, or additional sizes and colors. The code should lead to a mobile-friendly page that directly supports the product shown on the display.
The replenishment plan
A display may look impressive when it is fully stocked but loses its impact as inventory sells through. Product facings, shelf depth, case-pack quantities, and the expected rate of sale should be considered during design.
Stores also need clear instructions for replenishment. If products must be loaded in a particular order or placed in designated spaces, diagrams can reduce inconsistency among locations. Components should be labeled so employees can understand how the display is assembled and stocked without relying on guesswork.
How to get POP displays into stores
Logistics plays a substantial role in POP display design and delivery. A display may need to be manufactured, assembled, packed with product, labeled for a specific store, shipped within a narrow delivery window, and installed before a promotion begins.
Maria Madrigal, WSI | Kase West Coast Director of Operations, has experience with POP display design and fulfillment for food and beverage and apparel programs. She has seen how decisions made during the initial design phase can create problems during assembly or transportation.
“Apparel POP displays use cheap materials, cardboard for the foundation, which is okay until the customer wants to add flimsy metal hooks, ripping the display during transit. It isn’t just about the completed piece, but what’s going to happen when it’s shipped and delivered,” Madrigal says. For displays going to multiple stores, she says a uniform design is necessary, and colors matter. “If the colors are too light, it won’t stand out in the store.”
One point-of-purchase display Kase | WSI created for a food-based customer represented optimal design, she added. “The design had bold colors with black and white messaging that was easy to read. These were seasonal displays made from cardboard too, but they added corner boards making it stronger and impossible to bend,” Madrigal says.
Built for transit as well as the retail floor
A POP display has several environments to survive before a shopper sees it. It may move from a manufacturer to an assembly facility, through a distribution center, onto a parcel or less-than-truckload network, into a store receiving area, and finally onto the sales floor. Each handoff introduces the possibility of bending, crushing, shifting, missing components, or surface damage.
Something many brands don’t consider, according to Madrigal, is that cheaper design materials may cost them more in warehouse labor and fulfillment resources. “The displays have to be shipped in boxes and properly secured. Depending on the size and complexity, it might require extra dunnage, which adds more time to get it packed and ready to ship.”
Packaging tests should reflect the actual shipping method. The process may include testing a fully loaded display, evaluating the outer carton, protecting corners, securing hooks or shelves, and determining whether the display should ship assembled or flat. A small material adjustment can sometimes prevent significantly more labor or damage later.
Plan kitting and assembly before production
Madrigal says when POP displays require additional care, fulfillment may involve removing product from the display, re-kitting, and sending it as a bundle. Once the store receives the package, the manager or product representative can scan the barcode on the box or boxes to know what pieces are inside.
Not every store may receive the same quantity or product assortment. Some programs require location-specific kits based on store size, regional demand, shelf capacity, or promotional participation. Accurate item data and store-level instructions are essential when each shipment has a different configuration.
The assembly plan should answer several questions before the rollout begins:
- Will the display arrive fully assembled, partially assembled, or flat-packed?
- Will products be preloaded or shipped separately?
- Which components need individual labels or barcodes?
- Are tools required for setup?
- How will missing or damaged pieces be replaced?
- Who confirms that the display reached the floor before the promotion begins?
Store POP displays until the campaign begins
For non-perishable items, “It’s also better to plan ahead, build out multiple point of purchase displays, and store them in warehouse locations so they’re ready to go when you need them,” Madrigal suggests.
Building ahead can reduce pressure when a campaign has a fixed launch date, but storage introduces its own requirements. Completed displays may occupy more space than flat components and can be vulnerable to dust, moisture, crushing, or accidental movement. Inventory records should distinguish display components from sellable products and identify which items are already allocated to specific stores.
Staged rollouts may also require displays to leave different facilities on different dates. Coordinating assembly, storage, labeling, and transportation helps each store receive the correct configuration within its delivery window.
POP display planning checklist
Before approving a design, confirm that the program accounts for:
- Product dimensions, weight, and quantity
- Display materials and load capacity
- Retailer size, placement, and labeling requirements
- Assembly and product-loading instructions
- Protective packaging and shipping method
- Store-specific assortments and delivery dates
- Replenishment and replacement components
- Storage needs before and after the campaign
Treat execution as part of the design
A successful POP display must do more than look good in a presentation. It must hold the intended products, remain stable, survive transportation, fit the assigned retail space, arrive with the correct components, and be simple enough for store teams to set up and replenish.
Planning those operational details early helps protect the creative concept and gives shoppers a consistent experience from one store to the next. The final measure of the display is not how it looks before production. It is how well it performs after it reaches the retail floor.
