Your Complete Guide to an Effective End Cap Display

The end cap area is prime real estate and offers several advantages for your customized POP display. In regards to consumer behavior, these are some of the first displays customers see when they enter the store, and as they circle through the aisles, their eyes naturally gravitate to the end cap display.

So how can you maximize this opportunity to your advantage? We’ve outlined some important aspects to keep in mind when creating your customized end cap display.

Before you begin: Put yourself in the customer’s shoes

To captivate your customer, you must think like a customer. The next time you go to the grocery or retail store, observe the end cap displays. Which ones grab your attention? Ask yourself why it makes you take notice. The most effective end cap displays take advantage of the following elements:

  • Color
  • Clear messaging
  • Vertical structure
  • Lighting
  • Customization – effective displays clearly convey brand strategy.

It’s only by understanding the subtleties of consumer psychology that you can strategically communicate the value of your product.

Follow the rule of thirds

This is one of the golden rules of art and professional photography. The theory is that the human eye naturally tends to gravitate toward certain points when looking at an object. By dividing the area into thirds, you can easily calculate where viewers’ eyes will take them, and you should place the items of greatest interest and importance in that area.

When you create your end cap display, use this information to your advantage. Look at a preliminary design and “divide” it into thirds vertically and horizontally. You want to be sure your most important information is located on the “intersections” of these thirds. Our experienced designers will be happy to discuss how placing your verbiage and products at these strategic locations can enhance your sales.

Take full advantage of the banner

The banner can be considered the “headline” of your end cap display. It will showcase your main message, branding and should clearly display your logo. Because it will be one of the most prominent features of your display, you should be sure you’re using eye-catching design and clear text. After all, this is where you set up your “story” of what you are offering. Customers won’t spend time reviewing your display unless it contains a strong meaning.

Utilize vertical space

For an end cap display, the banner should occupy the top space, the messaging about the product the second third, and the bottom third should be dedicated to the product. This not only establishes a clear message, but it presents an organized, polished look to the customer.

Some end caps will need to be smaller than others depending upon the space available. But don’t let that discourage you. If you adequately take advantage of vertical space, you can easily make the most of a small amount of space.

Make sure customers are easily able to reach your product

When we were creating this end cap display for Milwaukee’s heavy duty tools, we knew the end cap display had to have two important elements. First, for the endcap display installation, it had to have a way for customers to safely and securely touch the product so they would be able to feel the difference for themselves. Second, we had to have easy access to the product to encourage a swift purchase.

You can see that we accomplished this by using a design that reserved the bottom two shelves for product while still allowing plenty of space for them to closely examine the tools.

Keep your end cap display stocked…but not cluttered

So often, businesses concentrate on the visual elements of the display and overlook the simple logistics. Not only do your customers have to be able to reach your product, but you have to trust your retailer that the product will be restocked regularly. Likewise, cramming too much product in a limited amount of space will make your display look sloppy and disorganized. Make sure your instructions are made clear to your retail staff.

Don’t forget the importance of POP display storage, warehousing and distribution

While good design and customization are important, they represent one facet of the display. You have to know who will warehouse it, who will deliver it, and who will assemble it (if not delivered fully assembled.) If you don’t carefully plan for getting your end cap display to its destination, you’re in for a logistical nightmare. The cliché rings true: Time is money. The more time your end cap display spends lost in transit means you’re losing money you could be earning in a retail store.

That’s why we offer extensive warehousing and distribution services. We know that you may need one order warehoused for later use while another order may need to arrive at a big box retailer fully assembled. We’ll also install lighting, video components and graphics to streamline this process. We even offer a turnkey option if you’d like for the shipment to be delivered with the featured product.

McIntyre Manufacturing is your leader in distribution, warehousing, design and creation

 

End cap displays represent a great advantage to your business—be sure to use it to your advantage with an effective display

Creating an effective end cap display sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be. We have a team of engineers who have an eye for design and technical expertise to overcome any challenges and provide the customized POP display that matches your vision. We’re proud of our team—many of our employees have been with us for two decades—and we find nothing more gratifying than helping our clients succeed.

Our team of display rack manufacturers have helped hundreds of customers design and create captivating and award-winning end cap displays that have resulted in concrete sales increases. We take pride in working with you step-by-step throughout the whole process, and you can rest assured it will be finished within budget and on time.

Do you have questions about how we can make your dream a reality? Contact us and let’s get started on your stellar end cap display!


Since 1977, McIntyre Manufacturing Group has created custom-designed displays with an uncompromised dedication to customer service. We utilize the latest technology and attention to detail to create the finest products with excellent craftsmanship. If you can dream it, we can create it. Contact us to see how we can bring your vision to life.