POP Displays & Signs: 10 Retail Display Ideas You Can Create Yourself
Why great point of purchase (POP) displays are so important for retail stores
You may think of advertising as something you put elsewhere to attract people to your store, but the effort shouldn’t stop there. POP displays, including things like in-store banners and signs, help to draw customers in, focus their attention, and keep their interest.
There’s an abundance of choices and competitors in a market like New York City. Not only are you competing against other stores, you’re competing against the possibility of online sales. The best point of purchase displays can convince your customer to buy in store rather than online.
Keeping your signs up to date and frequently changing your displays can help you attract repeat business. Fresh signs also keep your customer informed about things like special hours, events, sales, and new products.
When you frequently change your signs and displays, you keep your retail space inviting. That gets expensive! And it’s hard to change things up quickly when you have to wait for someone else to produce your signs. Luckily, you don’t have to rely on outsourcing to make all of your great retail display ideas a reality.
POP displays: the DIY solution
Instead of paying a fortune to outsource, make a relatively small initial investment in a large format printer so you can create new displays anytime you want them.
You may think that it’s difficult or expensive to create displays, signs and banners yourself, but that’s not true. There are some ideas that are simple to produce with no equipment at all. For others that require design and print, Canon offers entry-level wide format printers that come with all the tools you need to create unique, attention-grabbing POP signs for all of your products and special events.
Before we talk about how you can create them yourself, here’s some inspiration. Take a look at these retail display ideas and imagine what you can do in your store.
10 retail display ideas you really can create yourself
1. Get creative with poster holders
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You don’t have to stick with the same old poster frames or taping things up on walls. Use an a-frame, an easel, or a clipboard stand to turn a poster or sign into a 3D display.
2. Use chalkboard art to make custom signs
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If you have a menu or other signage that needs daily updating, a chalkboard can be a great choice. You can even get chalkboard spray paint and make a chalkboard right on the wall, or spray a portion of a printed sign to get a customizable portion for changing hours or specials.
TIP: For a sign that needs less-frequent updating, having your own wide format printer lets you easily and inexpensively) make changes and print any time you like!
3. Make things easy to find
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No one wants to waste their time searching for what they need in a store. When you have a lot of inventory to display, it can be difficult to make it all easily accessible. Use large banner posters on the end of aisle for a fun visual way to direct your customers to what they need.
4. Get crafty
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Here’s another option for displaying rapidly updating information. All it takes is a roll of paper and a permanent marker for a artsy, rustic look. Have craft supplies or other materials laying around? Think about how to turn them into a creative display.
5. Keep it simple
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Think you have to be a design whiz to make your own signs and banners? Think again! There are many simple online tools for putting together your own poster, and if you invest in a large format printer, it may even come with the software you need. Stick to two colors and fonts, and a simple poster can often have greater impact than a complicated, overcrowded design.
6. Use a template
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Not confident about your graphic design skills? You can still take advantage of the cost savings of having own printer by simply modifying a template to fit your store and your needs. Canon’s wide format printers include easy-to-use design software with free templates you can use to make a custom creation of your own, even if you’re not a designer.
7. Combine small signs for a bigger impact
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Your displays don’t have to be limited by the size of your poster printer! Make an even bigger display by using several signs together to make one message.
Cut apart posters and paste them on the sides of cardboard boxes for a cost effective and interesting 3D window display.
8. Use posters as a backdrop
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Signs and banners can be a lot more versatile than merely serving as in-store ads. They can be used as a backdrop for displaying products or incorporated into a window display for a layered, dynamic look. (Also notice the creative use of boxes as shelves to display products in this example.)
9. Make the best use of window and door space
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One great benefit of making your own POP displays is that it’s much easier to get custom displays that are the right fit for your space and your business.
A DIY solution can be easily and cost-effectively tailored to your exact needs. For example, you can take advantage of any unused and odd-sized window or door space with custom-sized signs or posters.
10. Don’t forget the ceiling
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If you have a small retail space, it can be tricky to find room for POP displays.
Luckily, you can put posters and signs where products can’t go, up high! Draw eyes up towards otherwise unused ceiling space with a banner. All you need to put one up is some wire and binder clips. Make sure to also put clips on the bottom to weigh down a lightweight paper poster.
What do you need to create your own POP displays?
Investing in an entry level wide format printer makes sense if you have many retail display ideas and always want to keep your store fresh.
To make your own displays, you also need design software, which might seem intimidating. Actually, it’s surprisingly easy to use Canon’s Poster Artist Lite software, which comes bundled for free with many Canon imagePROGRAF wide format printers, including the entry level models.
This software provides you with everything you need to get your own poster ready to print, including easy editing tools, clip art, templates, royalty free stock photos and more.
Want some save yourself some time figuring out exactly which wide format printer model works for your business and your budget? Superior Office Systems can pinpoint the solution that’s perfect for you. Give us a call: we’re here to help!
