Point-of-Purchase materials are a marketing must-have. They are key for in-store marketing. This is true when promoting special prices, limited-time offers (LTO), new products, and other programs sensitive to time or availability. Why? They are proven to work because they are displayed at the moment of decision. POP attracts attention, holds a customer’s interest, drives desire, and leads to action. All of which typically occurs within easy reach of the product being promoted.
However, POP doesn’t accomplish any of that if it doesn’t get posted. Unused POP is akin to an undelivered text message. No matter how important the note, it will never have an impact.
Unposted POP is unacceptable. Not only is it a missed opportunity to influence customers, but it also becomes wasted marketing dollars. Those dollars accelerate exponentially when you multiply the per-store POP investment by the number of locations.
The Hidden Costs of Unposted POP Materials
- Production waste
- Freight costs
- Lost incremental revenue
- Inconsistent brand experience
Here are five key pillars of POP execution. They will help you post your in-store POP on time, in the right spots, and as planned.
The Five Pillars of POP Execution:
- Store Manager Buy-In
- Location Specific Kitting
- Installation Ready Kits
- Compliance Verification
- Continuous Store Manager Feedback
1. Store Manager Buy-In: Why Good POP Kitting Stays in the Box
The store manager is the gatekeeper to in-store POP placement. Often, the duty falls on their shoulders. Or it’s up to them to assign the task and then follow up to make sure it’s completed correctly.
Your POP’s success starts with their mood and willingness to comply with the company’s in-store marketing. How can you win them over? By keeping POP simple and routine.
If the in-store POP program is hard to build or install, it will likely stay in the box. That’s not because store managers are lazy. Quite the opposite. They are very busy with a ton to accomplish, oversee, and address each day. They rarely have the time to deal with a complex POP kit.
Not posting POP materials is as frustrating to the store manager as it is to the corporate office. Store managers know the importance of POP and how it drives sales. They also understand their compensation is often tied to the store’s profitability. That said, they can only accomplish so much in any given shift, and complex POP kits might become the important tasks they never have time to complete.
2. Location Specific Kitting: Why Location-Specific Custom Retail Display Kits are Important
Only sending out what a store actually needs is among the most effective ways of making your in-store POP kit seem simple. It also builds confidence that everything will be installed correctly.
Sending out only what is needed means POP kits must be tailored to each store location. That is accomplished using detailed store profiles powered by powerful marketing technology.
One such example is The Engine from Momentara. It is a robust proprietary platform with four modules tailored to a business’s workflows, campaign building, management, and reporting needs. Store profiles within The Engine outline the exact POP needs and opportunities for each store location. It accounts for things such as the number of doors, the dimensions of all windows, details like cooler doors, the type of menu board, the ability to use counter mats and floor graphics, and more.
A properly created store can even account for any local laws or regulations regarding marketing materials, especially outdoor materials. So the store profile not only maximizes opportunities, but it can also protect the store from violations.
Want to take things to the next level? If your store profiles are really dialed in, site-specific install guides are the operational cheat code that guarantees absolute compliance. When managers see their precise store layout and details, it removes all guesswork and eliminates any excuse to leave materials in the box.
Delivering this level of hyper-customization at scale is notoriously difficult, which is why Momentara is uniquely positioned to execute it. Powered by The Engine, we are the only partner capable of reliably generating and deploying perfectly accurate, site-specific installation guides for thousands of unique retail footprints simultaneously.
3. Installation Ready Kits: Simplifying Location-Specific POP Installation
The last thing a store manager has time to do is shop for any materials needed to install in-store POP materials properly. Things like hangers, clips, or zip ties must be included in the POP kit.
When a store manager opens the box, it should be tailored to their location as described and include everything needed to execute it. If a brand trusts the store managers to have something on hand to use, they are creating a scenario for failure. Or, if they expect the store manager to figure it out, well, the POP materials go back into the box.
Ways to Enhance Your POP Kits
- Pre-assembled components
- Numbered installation instructions and parts
- Visual installation guides
- QR code linking to install videos
- Time expectations (e.g., “This display takes three minutes to assemble.”)
Including all installation materials helps keep the installation process simple, painless, and efficient. When you take care of the little things, it leaves the manager no room to skip posting the materials.
4. Compliance Verification: The Power of Brand Compliance Monitoring
How does a brand know if each store is posting POP materials on time and as intended? It would be nice to operate on trust, but we advise you to verify.
Every in-store POP campaign is a significant investment, and your brand must know it is deployed correctly across locations. Verifying campaigns is a process called auditing. It’s not an optional add-on. Auditing needs to be a built-in component to achieve maximum ROI.
A respected partner like Momentara has field personnel across the country who will enter locations, conduct POP audits, and report their findings in a timely manner.
Advice to Improve Compliance Monitoring
- Real-time photo verification
- Dashboard reporting
- Compliance scoring (per campaign/quarter/year)
Audits allow brands to determine POP compliance. They also put pressure on stores to post the POP as intended. A robust, well-reported auditing program lets store managers know the corporate office is paying attention.
5. Continuous Store Manager Feedback: How to Invite POP Feedback from Store Managers
A great way to improve store-level participation in POP programs is to invite their feedback. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Maybe a sign you think is easy to install turns out to be problematic for some reason, or the Velcro just won’t hold. You may also hear suggestions for messages or product types that perform better in specific markets/areas. Yes, sales data will provide insights, but in some cases, it’s the store manager’s perspective that explains why a program was successful or not.
Inviting store manager feedback also creates collaboration and shared effort. By involving the store manager in the process, they feel empowered and more willing to make a POP program successful. Gathering feedback can be done in several ways, including during POP audits. The auditor can ask why something wasn’t posted, what’s working, and what types of executions they’d like to see more of in their location. Brands might find that floor graphics are of little value, but counter mats and cooler door clings always perform. That insight allows brands to tailor campaigns and improve marketing ROI per dollar.
Ready to Improve POP Installation and Compliance?
In-store POP advertising is just one aspect of in-the-moment marketing — a strategy created by Momentara. We turn in-store, out-of-home, and event promotions into useful touchpoints that sync with the customer’s routines to encourage behaviors. The Momentara approach makes your marketing messages a welcome, impactful, and natural part of the customer’s day.
Whether your media buying needs are focused on in-store POP marketing or you’re intrigued by the in-the-moment opportunities offered by Momentara, we invite you to reach out. We bring you the technology, experience, production, scale, resources, and national presence to build certainty and programmatic success.
