FUELING THE IMPULSE-BUY PHENOMENON Birmingham AL

Point-of-sale (POS) signage is increasingly becoming one of the more important aspects of advertising because of its efficiency in targeting the consumer in the buying environment. Retailers are placing more emphasis on programs focused on influencing consumer behavior at the moment of purchasing decision—the 'impulse-buy' phenomenon. POS is a cost-effective method of increasing in-store revenues. Various studies suggest that up to 70 percent of buying decisions happen at the point of purchase.¹

Whether you're a retailer with your own print department, a print-for-pay service bureau, or a sign systems supplier, you are always looking for some new and interesting ways to capture your customer's attention. Why not try creating your own in-store promotional signage on a variety of materials that will differentiate your company? You have the capability to make a valuable contribution to brand marketers, POP display fabricators, and traffic conscious retailers by creating attention-getting and purchase-motivating prototypes, signs and displays.

Point-of-purchase (POP) and point-of-sale (POS) refer to promotional graphics typically found in retail environments. The purpose of these graphics is to impact buying decisions in favor of a specific brand or product at the point where the purchase is imminent. Using the acronyms POS or POP is really dependent on the viewpoint of the promotion: are you the buyer or the seller? Since the seller creates all of the signage, I'll be using POS throughout this article.

Digital signage today can be split into two separate categories: digitally printed signage and digital/dynamic displays which are typically liquid crystal displays (LCD) or plasma screens with static or animated graphics.

Although there are many applications where dynamic displays meet the requirements of POS advertising, this article will be focusing on digitally printed POS signage.

Why Digital POS Signage?

Digitally printed graphics are ideally suited to creating POS signage for several reasons:

• Models and prototypes are often necessary to gain approval for large-scale POS programs and projects. For in-house creative departments, adding a wide-format inkjet printer and using it to create prototypes can make sense.
• National, regional, and local retailers can differentiate themselves with a custom message or campaign. Short runs focused on local requirements allow for a precision message to be delivered. The concept of focused, narrowcast messages is gaining widespread acceptance. It can be a powerful tool that complements a retailer's or vendor's broadcast messages.
• Digital signage materials are available that can create a multitude of advertising applications including wall, mural, window, floor, banner, poster, fabric, label, menu, cooler, shelf, and package graphics.
• POS is often the last piece created in a marketing campaign and all too often needs to be done yesterday. Digital print-on-demand offers the flexibility to print what you need, when you need it.
• POS campaigns are typically short lived but regularly changed out. Refreshing the message frequently prevents viewer burnout.
• Flatbed inkjet printers are nearly ubiquitous and have contributed exponentially to the growth of the digital POS signage industry. The ability to print directly onto rigid media—bypassing the manual mounting and finishing stages to create final, installation-ready graphics—has opened new worlds for retailers and print shops alike.

Applications to Pique Buyers' Interests

There is a array of materials and methods for creating POS signage, and the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Here are some ideas already in use by many companies that have helped retailers increase revenues.

By printing onto rigid foam board materials and die-cutting the sign to shape, you can create life-sized, "standees" of a product, person or sign. Space permitting, these free-standing displays are a good way to draw a customer's attention to a targeted product for sale.

For retailers with limited aisle space, floor graphics can be effective. Floor space is often not considered for use as retail advertising space, but it can be a great alternative to retail shelves already crowded with 'shelf-talkers'. Store aisles are blank canvases that can draw a shopper to a specific brand. A floor graphic is typically printed on a pressure-sensitive vinyl that includes an application-specific adhesive that resists the abuse of floor cleaners and is overlaminated with an anti-skid film that prevents slippage in high traffic areas.

Fabrics for digital printing come in many textures, weaves, and types, many of which have been treated with fire-resistant or fire-retardant chemicals. Fabric banners, especially some of the more translucent polyester fabrics, not only drape well but also offer the ability to see through the display. This type of material can catch a prospective buyer's attention as it isn't an everyday "opaque sign material" that is commonly used. New fabric printing technologies exist that take much of the hassle out of digitally printing and fixing the image, which in years past required a separate time-consuming and messy steam fixing process.

Hanging banners are not new but are the best options for making use of overhead space. Banner material can pose a specific dilemma—if there is no blockout layer or if the material is not at least 95 percent opaque, the image printed on the reverse side may show through. Not all banner materials have a blockout layer or are opaque and smooth enough to print both sides, so a little research will go a long way. Some of the best hanging banners today are made from vinyl, polyethylene or polypropylene. Vinyl and polyethylene exhibit the best "drape" or "lay flat" characteristics. Polypropylene will likely have cost advantages over the other two but this material tends to be stiffer and may not fully "relax" to hang straight when suspended.

In restaurants, the menu card is one example of where digital printing can flex its "print-on-demand" muscle. Restaurants that vary the menu on a regular basis or offer a variation in their daily/weekly/seasonal specials will find that printing menus digitally provides the flexibility and quick turn-around needed to keep ahead of the competition. Usually a heavy paper stock (200 gsm or more), often textured to give that high-end quality look and feel, will be used. Laser printing on a base paper stock is a better option over aqueous inkjet printing to reduce "bleed" when wet. However, eco- or low-solvent wide-format inkjet printers can also be used to create menu cards, and because their sizes aren't limited to letter or legal, oversized menus and even special shapes can be created. Laminating aqueous inkjet prints will fix the bleed problem but adds unnecessary costs and changes the texture of the final print. Eco- and low-solvent printers do not need lamination and are a good alternative here.

Options abound for the types of media that can create effective window (including cooler/freezer door) POS displays. Fabricating these displays depends on what effect the retailer wants to create. Optically clear films are available that enable the customer to see not only the signage but also what's behind the sign. This is a great idea for refrigerated-products companies to promote their products on cooler doors while ensuring that what's behind the glass can still be seen. Keep in mind that the graphics will need to adhere to a surface that's cold and possibly wet. If an adhesive is used to apply the graphic, it has to be optically clear and adhere to glass under all conditions. Furthermore, if you want to print the color white on a clear film, many digital technologies are limited, and the available media are restricted to the printing technology itself (e.g. the technology, the white ink and the media must be matched). Opaque white window materials don't have the same problem, but obscure the customer's ability to see through the glass. Be sure to specify adhesives that remove cleanly over the graphic's lifetime. A class of adhesives called "permanent/removable" may do the trick when a strong bond and clean removal are required. Another feature to look for is an adhesive with channel patterns to help evacuate unwanted bubbles during the application process. This can make the difference between a professional looking window sign that appears optically clear and smooth and a bubble-filled disaster.

There are several digital options to make package prototypes. Some of the simplest methods use a low-cost digitally printed paper with an adhesive mounted to a card stock. The ability to fold the graphic may be important here so test different materials before you plan to display them. Typically a thinner, less rigid graphic can be more easily folded, scored, or rolled when laminated into the final construction.

A step up from this simple method would be to print directly onto the package stock itself, a process now made much easier with digital UV flatbed printers. Some UV flatbed printers can print-and-cut in one step, making the process easier. Since UV flatbed printers can print onto virtually any material that can be fed into it, there are very few restrictions on media types. This technology is growing rapidly and expanding into all venues of POS signage including posters and many forms of rigid board displays. Some vendors now offer complete finishing solutions with flatbed or roll-based printers, digital cutting tables, and appropriate software for a complete printing and finishing workflow.

The Durability Factor

A graphic's longevity depends greatly on the environment in which it is displayed. Most POS signage does not need to last more than a few months, and nearly all technologies can product prints that last indoors for that timeframe. The most demanding requirements will be where graphics are exposed to sunlight or directly to outdoor weather. If you're not up-to-date on this topic, working with a reputable media manufacturer, sign supply company, or service bureau will take the guesswork out of which combinations of printers/media/inks/laminates will do the job.

Creativity Gets Attention and the Buy

For POS signage to work, it must first capture the consumer's attention by incorporating unique and creative designs as well as a compelling message. It must also be professionally produced and installed, regardless of the brand or store. No matter how creative the graphic, if it's produced incorrectly—if it falls down, rips, delaminates, bleeds, yellows, cracks, fades, or just falls apart—the retailer and the sign producer will certainly capture attention, but for the wrong reasons. And who wants to risk that?

Dan Halkyard is Director of Marketing for Océ Imaging Supplies. He is responsible for all wide-format media including display graphics, reprographics, photographic, proofing, and CAD product lines as well as the brand management and positioning of Océ Imaging Supplies. For additional product information, visit www.oceusa.com/imagingsupplies.

1Source: "P-O-P Metrics: Quantifying P-O-P Effectiveness" by Jim Litwin, © Advertising Research Foundation, New York NY, October 1998. © 2008 Copyright and database rights owned by WARC.