5 Trends in Corrugate POP Displays for 2023

When it comes to POP displays, a cardboard box is definitely not just a cardboard box. From changes in technology to evolving customer preferences and behaviors, visual merchandising trends continue to emerge and shift, and corrugated POP displays are front and center.

Want to make your POP cardboard displays stand out in 2023? Read on for a roundup of five corrugated POP display trends to put to work for your business in 2023.

1. Immersive Experiences

While customers are returning to stores, they’re also returning to a changed world with transformed expectations. (We live in the era of “retailtainment,” after all.) Today’s retailers need to tap into their creativity to compete with the ease and appeal of online shopping. Immersive displays utilizing experiential marketing are one way to attract their attention.

This starts with shifting the focus of marketing from merely selling to providing meaningful experiences that surprise and delight. How products are arranged and promoted matters more than ever. Not only do well-executed POP cardboard displays help products stand out, but with the right strategies in place, they have the potential to surprise and delight customers.

2. Relationship Building

If you expect customers to pay for your products and services, you need to do more than sell — you also need to build relationships with them. This is where brand storytelling comes in. It's the thread connecting your products and services with the feelings you want your brand to evoke in customers' minds and hearts.

Your POP display is a valuable touchpoint for sharing your brand story in an authentic and meaningful way—both to stand out in stores and to customers. This starts with considering your target demographic and what will appeal to them. For example, a POP display for children’s products may incorporate bright colors and fun graphics for a playful feel, while one for an outdoor retailer may utilize natural and earthy tones and graphics for a more organic aesthetic.

Another way to build relationships with customers through your POP display? Provide value. Today’s consumers crave information about products and services prior to purchasing. This is no better evidenced than by the fact that 81% of shoppers conduct online research before buying something. Using digital printing to incorporate everything from text to rich graphics at the point of sale can do everything from communicating information to consumers to prompting them to engage with a product in a particular way.

3. Social Share-worthy Design

There's a reason why social media spend is skyrocketing. With customers relying heavily on this channel, social media has become a powerful communication tool. This isn’t limited to information shared from businesses to customers. It’s also about what customers share with each other.

Social media goes hand-in-hand with other trends on this list. By cultivating interactive, immersive, and experiential POP displays that inspire shoppers to share on social media, you turn customers into marketers eager to promote your brand for free. The “Instagramability” of your display directly impacts whether they want to share it. The more “Instagramable” it is, the better you’ll position your brand to leverage word-of-mouth marketing when people take pictures and share.

4. Sustainability

Sustainability is increasingly important to businesses and brands, with implications spanning all sectors, including retail, marketing, and packaging.

From incorporating messaging about your sustainability initiatives to using sustainable materials in your display, POP displays offer the perfect opportunity to demonstrate—and embody—your brand’s commitment to sustainable practices. In doing so, you’ll make a positive impression on consumers while also increasing the long-term value of your business.

5. Digital Experiences

When we think of retail and technology, online shopping may come first to mind. However, technology also supports the in-store experience in terms of convenience and entertainment.

There’s no better example of this than QR codes. When integrated into POP displays, they support contactless shopping and can be used for everything from gaining access to coupon codes and deals to entering contests and giveaways.

QR codes benefit brands, as well. For example, linking the QR codes on POP displays with your social media profiles can drive new customers to your account. QR codes on packaging can lead customers to tutorials, engage them in fun games, and encourage them to provide feedback about a transaction or customer service.

As the traditional in-person shopping experience continues to rebound from and react to the impact of COVID, it’s more important than ever for retailers and brands to engage shoppers and entice them to make purchases. POP cardboard displays are an effective strategy for doing so—especially if you gain an inside edge on your competition by putting these trends to work.

The team at Bay Cities Packaging & Design can help. Learn more about our corrugated POP and POS displays here.