Getting a display program with a major retailer like Walmart or Target is a huge win for your brand! But with a huge win comes the huge responsibility to get the perfect display delivered on time — one that an experienced display manufacturing partner can help with through a retail display campaign program.
A retail display campaign program (RDCP) includes all the services a display manufacturer provides for a brand on the concept, design, production, and transit of retail point-of-purchase displays. These services include design, production, packout, logistics, and data management.
When it comes to developing your next big retail display campaign, it's important to understand that this is one road you don't have to travel alone. A RDCP is a holistic approach to getting your displays and products in stores with minimal friction so you can stay focused on your wins. Here’s what you need to know about this service:
1. Get a Plan in Place
One of the biggest reasons you always want to work with a display partner is the insight they bring to the process. An experienced partner and their project managers will work from the beginning with key stakeholders to help outline and define the project's scope, required budget, and appropriate timelines for design and production.
This plan puts the display partner in a better position to monitor progress. It also helps all parties control risk and communicate with one another. Having a partner involved as early as possible is a major help in putting together the end-to-end project plan necessary for success.
Learn how retail displays enhance your brand’s marketing strategy.
2. Leverage Your Display Partner’s Relationships
Enlisting the help of an experienced display partner ties your brand in with the relationships that they've already forged with major retailers. At Bay Cities, for example, we've worked hard over the years to develop and hone relationships with a wide range of retailers. We know how their processes work and how to facilitate open and thorough communication between ourselves, brands, and retailers.
3. Understand Critical Materials Like Style Guides
Retailers all have their own unique requirements and specifications for POP displays. This information is detailed in their retail style guide.
Inside this document will be an overview of all requirements pertaining to the various display types you might be working with. Specific displays will be required to be in precise locations, while others are very rigidly controlled in terms of elements like their dimensions.
An experienced display partner is well versed in the different style guides for major retailers, giving you an advantage in the development phase to create designs that meet these requirements without sacrificing the overall vision.
4. Get Products Into Stores Safely
So you have the perfect display that meets all the retailer requirements, encapsulates your brand’s vision, and fits your products perfectly. Getting displays and products into stores on time and in pristine condition is its own hurdle — one that an experienced display partner can help you with.
Logistics and packout are tricky with a lot of moving parts — literally! An experienced display partner can help your brand in a few key areas to get everything delivered safe and sound.
- Develop the right way to pack and ship displays so they are less likely to be damaged in transit.
- Confirm this packing strategy through ISTA testing to verify that all materials have gone through the appropriate packout and shipping processes.
- Pack up displays with your products before shipping, when applicable.
- Help your brand manage transit logistics and address any hiccups along the way.
5. Don’t Overlook the Customer Experience
The retail display campaign process has a lot of balls in the air, but one you don’t want to drop is delivering on the customer experience! What’s the feeling you want to evoke from shoppers when they see your display? What about your brand and products do you want to communicate? How do you want them to interact with the display?
A display manufacturing partner has the knowledge to combine your brand’s visions and products with the retailer requirements of your display program to create the right experience for shoppers. Your display partner has experience with retailers and their shoppers and a wealth of knowledge and flexibility from working with many different brands. So long as you can provide the information about your customers and the experience they associate with your brand, your display partner can help you develop an on-brand retail display experience that attracts and converts.
In the end, working with a retail display partner simply ensures your display program flows smoothly and removes much of your brand's stress. An experienced display partner also helps you create a better experience for your customers with their knowledge — which may be the most important advantage.
If you'd like more information about the benefits of Retail Display Campaign Programs, check out our RDCP services and see if we’re right for your brand.
