3 Critical Steps to Take Before Developing a Pre-Packed POP Display

Before starting any pre-packed POP display development, do this first. Establish these 3 key guidelines:

💵 1. Minimum Profit & Dollar Volume Hurdles*

⏱ 2. Minimum Lead Times

➡️ 3. Exit Strategies

Determining these 3 sets of guidelines upfront enables you and your team to quickly assess which opportunities are both physically feasible and worth pursuing. They are your blueprint for vetting display opportunities, faster decision-making, and ensuring key stakeholder alignment.

Creating effective guidelines requires cross-functional input from Marketing, Sales, Finance, Demand Planning, Supply Planning, PMO, Technical Packaging, Master Data, and Procurement. It also requires early alignment with display suppliers and co-packers to ensure all organizations are working toward the same objectives.

*Assumes display program is required to be accretive to the business.

1. Minimum. Profit & Vol. Hurdles

💰📈 Minimum Profit Hurdles - Determine how much margin (based on the total product value on each display) you are willing to allocate toward display costs — including both materials and tolling/assembly/co-packing.

💲🎯 Minimum Dollar Volume Hurdles - Align on the lowest program value that justifies the added risk and complexity. Example: $100 per display × 500 displays = $500,000 total program value

2. Minimum Leadtimes

⏱ Minimum Lead Times Across all Touchpoints - Account for every stage in the process:

✅  Plant capacity for product (open stock) production

✅  Display program development (acceptable structure and P&L)

✅  Cross-functional leadership approval (BLT, BSTL, ELT)

✅  Final specs/dimensions, SKU setup, activation, 1WS visibility

✅  Artwork – 3D renders, artwork development & art release deadlines

✅  Sell sheets or SED publication – dimensions, specs, bracket/LTL  pricing, etc.

✅  Display material pricing finalization (based on final forecast)

✅ Forecast milestones: Customer acceptance, initial & final forecast dates, first & last order and ship dates

✅ PO dates: Material, co-packing, turnkey

✅ Display manufacturing, material delivery, and packout

✅  DC network distribution, arrival to customer DC or distributor

3. Exit Strategies

➡️ One of the most significant and common risks in POP display programs is order shortfall from customers. Ideally, all displays should be Made to Order with a binding commitment or purchase order — but this is not always possible.

Work with your cross-functional key stakeholders to develop clear exit strategy guidelines for handling excess inventory, such as:

🤝  Partnering with account teams to identify alternative buyers

✂  Price reductions to accelerate sell-through (aka "salvage")

🔨💰  Selling through reverse auctions

Key Takeaways ---------------------------------------------------

📝 Getting POP display programs right starts with disciplined pre-work. By aligning on profit & volume hurdles, lead times, and exit strategies, your team can avoid costly mistakes and focus energy on the opportunities that truly drive growth.

💡 CPG brands - If you're a Marketing, Sales, Technical Packaging, PMO, or Procurement leader looking to streamline display development, reduce risk, or work more effectively with display suppliers, this is the work I specialize in.

💡 Display suppliers – Experiencing process and/or communication challenges with your CPG customers? I help suppliers by educating customers on display development, requirements, and implementing process-based solutions. Having been a CPG display customer for 18 years, I can provide insights regarding customer needs & expectations and how to manage them effectively.

Final Thoughts ---------------------------------------------------

🔗💼 If smoother, faster, and less risky POP display programs sound like a win for your team, let's connect. I specialize in bridging gaps between brands and suppliers to optimize display development, execution, and management.

👉 When you’ve worked on display programs, have you seen these guidelines set upfront, or are they usually figured out along the way?

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