Display packaging has a different job from a retail carton. It is a fixture as much as a package: it holds a set of units, it presents them at an angle a shopper can reach, and it has to survive being filled, shipped, opened and restocked. This guide covers how to specify one. To order, see display packaging boxes.
Start with the count, not the box
The size of a display is a function of how many units you want to sell before a restock. Work it out in this order:
- Decide the unit count, based on how fast the product sells and how often the store restocks.
- Measure one unit at its widest, in the orientation it will face the shopper.
- Lay out rows and columns. Count across for the internal width, count back for the internal depth.
- Add board thickness for every divider between cells. On a display with several dividers this adds up quickly.
- Check the total footprint against what the retailer will allow on a counter or a shelf end.
The display formats and what each is for
| Format | Where it sits | Specify it when |
|---|---|---|
| Counter display with a tear away front | Checkout counter | Impulse products at low price points, high unit counts |
| Display lid box | Shelf or counter | The shipping box becomes the display, which saves the retailer a step |
| Auto bottom tray | Counter | The display carries real weight and needs a base that locks |
| Easel back display | Counter | A printed card has to stand up behind or beside the product |
| Tiered or stepped display | Counter | Rear rows need to be visible over the front rows |
Board grade: specify to the loaded weight
This is where displays most often fail. An empty display made from light board looks fine. The same display holding thirty-six filled units bows in the middle within a day, and a bowed display gets taken off the counter. Weigh a full display and give us that number. Corrugated flutes give you the scale: E flute at about 1/16 inch prints well and suits light products, B at about 1/8 inch resists crush, C at about 3/16 inch is the general shipping grade, and double wall is available for heavy loads. Many displays use a heavier board for the base and tray and a lighter one for the header.
The header is the advertisement
The header card is the part a shopper reads first, and it is usually the only element visible from more than a few feet away. Keep it to the brand, the product and one reason to pick it up. Make sure the header is structurally supported, because a header that flops forward defeats itself. If the display is shipped pre filled, the header needs to either fold flat for transit or be protected by the shipping outer.
Shipping a display
Decide early whether the display ships assembled and pre filled, ships flat for the retailer to set up, or ships inside a plain outer that is discarded. Pre filled is easiest for the retailer and the most likely to actually be used, but it needs the structure to survive transit fully loaded. Flat packed is cheaper to freight and asks more of store staff. Say which you want on the quote, because it changes the structure, not just the packing.
Ordering, minimum and turnaround
Minimum order is 100 displays. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, with board grade, size and print coverage reflected there. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints are included. Turnaround is quoted per product in three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight, premium about 7 to 25% depending on the job), standard by air and cost saver by sea, from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 days for delivery. Specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks. We produce in West Chicago, US, and Guangzhou, China.
Send your unit count, your unit dimensions and the loaded weight, and we will spec the board and the layout at /quote/. Order at display packaging boxes, and if the product is going into a planogram slot rather than a display, read how to package for retail shelves.
