Point of Purchase Displays Can Make or Break Sales

Corrugated POP displays are widely used at trade shows and in retail stores to convey branding messages, influence customers, and sell products and services. An eye catching POP display attracts attention as well as conserves space. In many applications, point of purchase displays need to be durable, modular, easily movable, and multi functional – not an easy list of design demands.

In a down market such as we are experiencing now, trade show exhibitors and retail merchandisers are caught in a difficult bind – how is it possible to increase sales with dwindling budgets for marketing and sales support? Redesigning POP displays in these conditions may seem like a low priority, but a display that “pops” makes the difference between mediocre sales and strong sales.

If a trade show display looks as though it were designed in 1980, potential customers will keep walking. Even if you offer the best quality in your industry, you visually convey the message that your company is old fashioned, with out of date products and out of step with the market. In today’s business environment, where innovation is so highly valued, such a branding message is not only ineffective, but potentially destructive.

For retail displays, creative design is more important still. It is no easy task to capture the attention of shoppers in a grocery store, hardware store, electronics store – you name it. POP display and graphic designs – as well as the products themselves – have become more sophisticated and innovative. A bland design runs the risk of being virtually invisible in today’s retail store.

Our corrugated packaging designers use state of the art CAD/CAM equipment and a wealth of practical experience to help you create POP and floor displays that attract attention – and sales. We will work with you to understand your sales challenges, your product, display, and logistical requirements, and then provide quick turnaround on prototypes. Our design team has learned how to balance creative design with cost effectiveness – we believe effective POP displays must be affordable and practical as well as pleasing to the eye.

If it’s been a while since you reevaluated your display designs, consider giving us an opportunity to take a look. A small investment in time could lead to a significant improvement in bottom line results.

POP Displays, Packaging Materials, Packaging Equipment, Cost Management

Cost Management through Better Box Design

If you are using standard corrugated shipping boxes or have not reviewed your custom box design recently, you could be leaving money on the table. A well designed shipping box reduces cost in a number of ways.

Lower cost on corrugated boxes. A new box style or modification of the existing style can reduce the amount of material used to make the box – without sacrificing quality.

Lower cost on packaging materials. An efficient box design will reduce or eliminate the need for inner packaging materials such as polystyrene peanuts, bubble material, and dunnage paper. The savings can be dramatic, especially when converting from stock corrugated boxes that may be considerably over sized for the application.

Increased throughput. Reducing or eliminating inner packaging materials generally allows boxes to be packed more quickly. For large volume shippers, the increased efficiency can have a material bottom line impact. In many cases, packaging speed can be further accelerated by a simple design change allowing for faster closure and sealing.

Lower shipping costs. For full truckload and LTL shippers, even small changes in box dimensions can increase the number of boxes packed on a pallet and in a truck. For parcel shippers, changes in package size and weight can maximize shipping efficiency, often saving considerable expense.

Pioneer Packaging’s in-house design team can assist you in evaluating options for your corrugated shipping boxes. We also conduct testing on new designs and provide quick turnaround on samples, making it as easy as possible for you to find packaging solutions that reduce cost and improve performance.
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Packaging Materials, Packaging Equipment, Shipping Boxes

Shrink film is highly efficient method of packaging items when appearance and protection are both important. Shrink wrap packaging has been around for a long time, and as a result, users need to evaluate their systems on a regular basis. Here are five reasons why.

Changes in shrink film technology. Today’s films are stronger, more versatile, and – less expensive. We can assist you with film testing to ensure you are using the best shrink film for your application.

Changes in shrink wrap equipment technology. Shrink wrap machines have become faster, more energy efficient, and easier to maintain. If your machines have been in service for many years, new equipment might reduce per package costs significantly.

Complete packaging solutions. In many cases, shrink film and overall packaging costs can be significantly reduced by considering the packaging process as a whole. For example, instead of using a corrugated tray and a shrink film overwrap, consider a corrugated slip sheet, or eliminating corrugated material altogether in favor of a shrink bundling system. Our sales staff has seen a host of applications and can bring you ideas that have been implemented successfully in related industries.

New shrink wrap applications. Manufacturers and distributors of consumer packaged goods (CPGs) have found that bundling like products or related products is a highly effective marketing approach. There may be new sales opportunities within your existing product lines that can be tapped by utilizing a new shrink system or modifying an existing one. In addition, simply upgrading to a higher quality shrink film can make an existing product more attractive, giving the product more “shelf appeal”.

Equipment service. Regular maintenance is a must in order to keep shrink wrap systems operating at peak efficiency. We offer users in Phoenix and Arizona a wide variety of service and replacement part options.
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Packaging Materials, Packaging Equipment, Cost Management

Packaging Equipment for Hard to Stretch Wrap Products

The Lantech Lan-ringer® is a horizontal stretch wrapping machine designed for products that are too heavy and/or too large for conventional turntable or overhead stretch wrappers. Some of the many applications the Lan-ringer has been used for successfully include -

• Aluminum Channel
• Building Construction Materials
• Carpet
• Catalogs
• Clothing
• Doors
• Fabricated Metals
• Industrial Motors
• Windows

Stretch wrapping with a Lantech Lan-ringer offers dramatic benefits over strapping, wood, shrink films, and other palletization/load consolidation options.

• Reduced labor cost. In some applications, time to secure a load will be reduced from half an hour or more to a few minutes – or less.
• Reduced packaging materials cost. Stretch film is far less costly than steel banding, wood, shrink polyethylene films, etc.

If you are looking for ways to increase throughput and reduce cost in your palletization process, the Lantech Lan-ringer is a time tested packaging solution. Please contact us to discuss your application. As a leading Lantech distributor in Arizona, we’ve worked on the most demanding applications and can provide you with complete sales and service support.
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Packaging Materials, Packaging Equipment, Cost Management

The wine industry is alive and well in Arizona, a multi million dollar industries with roots going all the way back to the 17th century. Soon, Arizona wine growers will be coming together for the first time, for a festival of wine tasting, exhibits, and competitions.

The Arizona Wine Growers Festival Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 on the grassy, 12-acre lawns of the historic Farm at South Mountain pecan grove.

Packaging has always been an important part of bringing wine to the consumer. Wine packaging must serve two important purposes -

• Protect the product from damage during shipping, handling, and storage
• Attract customers with eye catching design

Creative Wine Packaging from Pioneer

Browse through some of our recent retail packaging projects and you will see two examples of our creative approach to wine packaging – a collection of six bottles in an oversized cigar box, and a sliding cabinet design for elegant single bottle packaging.

We work with the full spectrum of wine packaging materials -

• Eco friendly molded fiber shippers and case pack trays
• Foam shippers and trays
• Totes – plain and custom
• Wooden boxes – plain and custom
• Gift packaging

One thing we’ve learned from our years in the wine packaging business – the wine industry is always evolving. For that reason, we stay hard at work developing more versatile packaging materials and creative design approaches to meet the ever changing demands and tastes of the consumer. If it’s been awhile since you evaluated your packaging, the time might be ripe for us to conduct an informal evaluation.

More information on Arizona Wineries

• See a geographical list of Arizona wineries, with detailed descriptions
• The Arizona Wine Growers Association
• Touring the Arizona wine country

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Packaging Materials, Packaging Equipment, Cost Management