Are you feeling lost in the world of retail displays? Choosing the wrong one wastes your budget and leaves your product unseen. I'll guide you through the essential types.

Cardboard Point of Purchase (POP) displays come in several main types. These include small countertop displays for checkouts, larger floor displays for aisles, bulk pallet displays for high-volume goods, and strategic endcap displays. Each is built for a specific location to boost visibility and sales.

Understanding the right name for each display is your first step to success. You've seen these sales tools in every store, but knowing exactly what they are and what they do is key. Let's start with the basics so you can confidently discuss your needs with any supplier. After that, we'll explore all the amazing options that can make your product the star of the show.

What Are Retail POP Displays?

Do your products get lost on busy store shelves? Without a special showcase, customers can easily walk right past even the best items. POP displays create a dedicated stage for your product.

Retail POP (Point of Purchase) displays are marketing fixtures placed next to the products they feature. Their job is to grab shoppers' attention and trigger impulse buys at the critical moment of decision. They turn empty store space into a powerful sales-generating tool.

In my 16 years of experience, I've seen firsthand that a POP display is much more than a product holder; it's your silent salesperson on the retail floor. Imagine you're in a busy store. What makes you stop and look? It's usually a well-designed, colorful display that stands out from the regular shelving. This is the magic of POP marketing. I’ve worked with clients who have seen their sales numbers climb dramatically just by switching from a standard shelf placement to a custom-designed POP unit. It works because it interrupts a customer's routine.

The Purpose of a POP Display

The main goal is to break the shopper's pattern and draw their eyes. It needs to be visually appealing and clearly communicate what your product is about. Often, it will also highlight a special price or promotion to create a sense of urgency.

Key Locations and Terminology

• Point of Purchase (POP): This is a wide term for any spot in the store where a customer can see and interact with your product.
• Point of Sale (POS)¹: This refers specifically to the checkout area. This is where countertop displays² shine, perfect for encouraging last-minute additions to a customer's basket.

Knowing this difference helps you and me as designers select the perfect display for the right spot to get the best results.

What Are Cardboard Displays Called?

Do you sometimes struggle to find the right industry term for a cardboard stand? Using the wrong name can cause confusion when talking with designers and manufacturers. Let me clarify the common terms.

Cardboard displays go by many names, including POP displays, POS displays, FSDUs (Free Standing Display Units)³, or simply corrugated displays⁴. The term used often depends on the display's location, structure, and the region where it's being used.

I've heard them called all sorts of things over the years. For a designer like you, Peter, knowing the correct terminology is vital. It ensures your conversations with clients and production teams are precise and that everyone shares the same vision from day one. It prevents costly misunderstandings and speeds up the entire process. Let's look at the most common names so you can use them with confidence.

A Glossary of Industry Names

The names for these displays usually describe their location in the store or how they are built. Think of it less as a set of strict rules and more as industry shorthand. I give this simple guide to all my new team members to get them up to speed.

Term	What It Means	Common Use
POP Display	Point of Purchase	A catch-all term for any promotional display in a store.
POS Display	Point of Sale	Used specifically for displays located at the checkout counter.
FSDU	Free Standing Display Unit	A common term, especially in Europe, for a standalone floor display.
Corrugated Display	-	A technical name that refers to the cardboard material used.
PDQ Display5	Pretty Darn Quick	Describes a shelf-ready display that is easy and fast to set up.

When you use these terms correctly, the entire workflow becomes smoother. If a client requests a PDQ, I immediately know they need a solution that's efficient for store staff to handle.

What Are the Cardboard Movie Displays Called?

Have you ever walked into a movie theater and seen a huge, life-sized cutout of a superhero? Ever wondered what those are actually called? Not knowing the name makes it tricky to ask for one.

Those large, life-sized cardboard displays in movie theaters are called standees⁶ or cutouts⁷. They are a special type of POP display designed to create a massive visual impact, often becoming a photo attraction for fans and making the promotion feel more immersive.

Designing standees⁶ is one of the most fun parts of my job. They give you so much room for creativity. And they aren't just for movies. I've designed custom standees⁶ for new product launches, trade show booths, and special holiday events in stores. Their main job is to create an experience and a memory connected to the brand. They get people talking and, more importantly, taking pictures.

Why Standees Work So Well

Their success comes down to a few simple things. First is their scale. A life-sized standee is almost impossible for people to ignore. It has a real presence. Second is the interactive element. People love posing for photos with their favorite characters or celebrities, and then they share those photos on social media. That's free advertising for your promotion.

Key Design Factors for Standees

• Stability: This is the most critical technical aspect. A wobbly standee looks cheap and unprofessional. We typically use a large, foldable easel-back structure for support.
• Material: The cardboard itself must be strong and rigid. We use thicker corrugated board to ensure it stands straight and can handle being bumped in a busy environment.
• Print Quality: High-resolution printing is a must. The image has to look crisp and realistic, even when people are standing right next to it.

What Are the Different Types of Cardboard?

Do you think all cardboard is created equal for making displays? Using the wrong type of cardboard can cause your display to bend or collapse. I'll explain the key differences to ensure your designs are strong.

The "cardboard" we use for displays is usually corrugated fiberboard⁸. It comes in different thicknesses known as flute profiles⁹ (like E, B, or C), which define its strength. For lighter parts, we might use simple paperboard or cardstock.

As a designer, understanding your materials is just as important as the graphics you create. The best design will fail if it's made from the wrong material. I learned this lesson early in my career when a display I designed sagged under the weight of the products. It was an embarrassing but valuable experience in structural engineering. Your material choice affects the display’s strength, its final cost, and even how well the colors print on its surface.

Corrugated Fiberboard Explained

This material is an engineered sandwich. It’s made of flat sheets called liners and a wavy layer in the middle called the medium or flute. It’s this wavy flute that creates air pockets and gives the board its incredible strength and cushioning properties.

Common Flute Profiles for Displays

The size of that wave, or flute, determines the board's characteristics. Here are the types I use most often:

Flute Profile	Approx. Thickness	Key Features	Ideal Use Case
E Flute10	1.5 mm	Very thin with a smooth surface for high-quality printing.	Countertop displays, small boxes.
B Flute11	3 mm	A great all-rounder, balancing strength with a good print surface.	FSDUs, standard floor displays12.
C Flute13	4 mm	The most common shipping box material; very strong and durable.	Pallet displays, heavy-duty structures.
BC Flute14e](https://gifts-pack.com/what-gives-corrugated-cardboard-its-strength/)[^13]	7 mm	A double-wall board that is extremely tough and rigid.	Large dump bins, pallet skirts.

As designers, we often mix and match. For example, we might build the main body of a floor display from strong B flute and use a printable E flute for the header card.

Conclusion

You now know the main types of retail POP displays and the cardboard used to build them. Choosing the right display and material is the key to making your product succeed.

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