The Perfect Display Stand

What is the perfect display stand? Is it brightly coloured? Heavily lit? Full of text and images? As with most things, the right stand to choose depends very much on the product being displayed. A larger product, for example, may benefit from a clear, plain stand that allows the product itself to do the advertising; while smaller items could be best displayed in cases or on stands that have room for product cards, information slips and so on. That way the surroundings of the product, the stand itself, make a statement on behalf of the item being sold.

The product display stand is all about attracting attention and showing an item off to its best advantage. As a general rule, then, simple is best: the simpler the stand itself, the less it will distract attention from the item or items it is holding. Jewellery stands are an excellent example of this. Whatever material a jewellery stand is made out of, it is designed to offset the items it holds – providing either a good contrast so the jewellery is clearly visible (as in the case of black or blue pseudo velvet jewellery stands), or allowing it to stand clear of the surrounding area. A clear Perspex jewellery display stand performs a similar function with a different technique. Clear stands allow jewellery items to make their own statement by removing all colour and distraction from their surrounding area.

A stand designed to show off rings might take the form of a stylised hand or finger: and a stand meant to show necklaces could well mimic the form of a human neck. Stands like this are meant to show the potential purchaser what their item will look like when it is worn. It’s all about showing products to their best effect: with jewellery, which obviously is supposed to be used, a shopper is more likely to be tempted into buying if he or she can see, thanks to the display stand, how the ring, necklace or bracelet will sit when it is on finger, neck or wrist.

What else, then? The point of sale display stand is another excellent example of less is more. Products being sold at point of sale tend to be quite small: they’re meant to induce customers who are already spending to throw one or two extra items into their haul, so they have to be small enough to temp without seeming like a significant purchase in their own right. A point of sale display, then, has to show these items in their most tantalising light: whilst neither crowding the counter area nor obscuring people’s view of the till. That means simple shapes and the right material – again, quite probably clear Perspex. The point of sale display stand, done right, is an invaluable weapon in the shop owner’s arsenal. Done wrong it can actively discourage people from completing their purchase: more evidence that a good display stand can make all the difference between buying and not buying.

What makes the perfect display? Simplicity. Less is quite definitely more.