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Countertop, Floor and PDQ Displays: Which Retail Display Fits

A good retail display ships safely, sets up fast and puts your product where shoppers look. Corrugated displays come in a few common formats, each suited to a different store setting. Here is a plain comparison.

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Countertop displays: small footprint, close to the register

A countertop display sits on a counter, a shelf or beside a checkout. It gives a product extra visibility in a small footprint, which makes it a good match for lower-cost, grab-and-go items.

Because a countertop unit is small, it is easy for a store to place. It also has to hold its shape on a busy counter. Ask your supplier to recommend the material and structure based on the weight of the product and how often shoppers will touch it.

Countertop units suit small products, so check that your product is easy to pick up and put back. A display that is awkward to use loses the sale it was built to win.

Floor displays: a freestanding statement

A floor display box stands on its own on the sales floor. It offers room for more units and a larger print area, which makes it useful for launches, seasonal products and anything meant to draw attention from down the aisle.

The larger the display, the more the structure matters. A full floor unit has to survive shipping, stand steady once loaded and be straightforward for store staff to set up. This is where an experienced structural designer earns the fee.

PDQ displays: built for speed

PDQ stands for pretty darn quick. A PDQ display is a low-cost corrugated unit meant for shelves and checkout areas that sets up in moments. The product often ships already loaded in the display, so store staff open the box and place it.

That speed is the appeal. Retailers value anything that cuts handling time, and fast setup tends to help a display actually get used rather than left in the back room.

What to tell your supplier first

Give the supplier the product size and weight, the number of units per display, where the display will sit, and who sets it up. Share your artwork or ask for graphic design help.

Ask for a physical sample before the full run. A sample lets you check that the product fits, the structure holds and the print looks the way you expect, before you commit to quantity.

Mention retail-ready packaging too. Some boxes can go straight to the shelf as shipped, which lets one package do double duty as shipper and display.

Materials, print and shipping

Most displays in these formats are made from corrugated board, though the right substrate depends on the weight of the product, the size of the unit and the budget. A supplier with display specialists will recommend a material for structural soundness and cost, so describe the load honestly.

Print is the next choice. A display is a billboard on a small scale, so the artwork has a large effect on whether shoppers notice it. Ask who handles design, how proofs are approved and what a printed sample will look like.

Finally, plan the logistics. A display has to travel to many stores, so ask how it ships, whether it ships flat or pre-assembled and what the store has to do on arrival. A display that is hard to set up is often the one that never makes it onto the floor.

Ask about quantity too. Many retailers want displays to arrive in a set number per case or per pallet, so confirm any store requirements before the design is locked, and bring the retailer into the conversation early if you can.

Choosing between the three

Think about where the product will sell. Near a register, a countertop or PDQ unit makes sense. Out on the floor for a launch, a floor display gives you more presence.

Flint Packaging designs, manufactures and prints countertop displays, floor display boxes, product display units and PDQ displays in-house, using its own graphic design team or your artwork. Send the details of your product and where it will sell and ask for a recommendation.