Buyer's Guide to POP

Step 1 - Knowing what you want

To ensure you receive the correct feedback and receive meaningful designs and prices from the first stage of your brief. Fully review your requirements. Include elements such as:

• Is the display going to be
  permanent or temporary?
• What are the dimensions going to be?
• How many units do you require?
• Are you clear on all of your deadlines?
  • Approval of designs
  • Acceptance of costs
  • Agreement on final production standard
  • Approval of prototype (if you require one)
  • Involvement of trading partners, e.g. retailer (if you believe it beneficial)
  • Delivery to site(s): when are your installation timing requirements?
  • Have you allowed sufficient time for discussion, refinements and final approvals?
• Will you have all units delivered to one location at one time, or would you require delivery to several locations or at several different times?
• Are there any materials you particularly wish to use or indeed any you don't want to use in your POP?
• Are there any health & safety or packaging considerations that must be incorporated in the design and manufacture?
• Do you have any specific requirements that your trading partners have raised with you that you would like to have included or excluded in any final design?
• Do you have a budget figure to work to?

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Step 2: Have you written a specific brief?

• Have you given a background about your company, your products and your method of trading within your market place?
• Have you given an overview of your market place together with your core competitors' details?
• Have you clearly stated what your objectives are, including the primary requirement of the point of purchase display you wish to have produced?
• Have you indicated who your consumer targets are?
• Have you indicated who your trading (retail or wholesale) partners are, including where you are trading now, and where you are attempting to exploit new opportunities to trade in the future?
• Have you laid out any secondary requirements from the POP you are seeking to achieve?
• Have you detailed any competitive POP that you liked or disliked as this will assist both the design and costing teams to ensure that you get the most appropriate response to your brief?
• Have you listed your products out in priority and included a detailed "MUST have on display" and "nice to have on the display" list as well?
• Have you detailed any brand or promotional messages, any photography or other elements that must be included on your POP?
• Have you indicated if you have any glorification, testing or sampling requirements to be included in the display layout? Have you detailed any specific colours that must be included or cannot be used?

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Step 3: Find a supplier

• A good place to start is POPAI whose members adhere to the Association's professional standards.
• Does the firm have a track record?
• Do they have the skills and resources required?
• Will they offer you a definite price for the job or is there a possibility of unexpected extra charges?
• Can the firm make you a prototype? A prototype can be a great help in ensuring that the design will work and meet your expectations
• Will the firm be able to offer full project management services?
• What is their reputation for quality? Ask to see examples of previous work - you may be able to visit high street stores and see examples.
• What sort of after-sales service can you expect? In a busy retail environment there is always the possibility of damage therefore a spare parts service is important.
• Is the firm financially secure? Will they still be there when you need them to be?
• Are they good people to work with? You need to feel comfortable with what may be a lasting successful partnership.

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