PDQ Displays: A Complete Overview

What Does PDQ Stand For in Retail?

The spelled-out meaning of PDQ is surprisingly simple. PDQ stands for Pretty Darn Quick or Product Displayed Quickly.

Usually, PDQ is used in the context of PDQ displays, which are retail-ready displays that come fully assembled and stocked. As the name implies, PDQ displays are fast. The idea is that no one needs to spend much time on setup. Getting a PDQ display ready for the floor is as simple as popping open some cardboard and placing the display in the right location.

Pretty Darn Quick (PDQ) displays have a lot of benefits and advantages for consumer product companies. With a PDQ display, your products spend less time on the shelves and provide valuable advertising space to improve your brand’s recognition in the industry.

Continue reading to learn more about PDQ displays and how they can help sell your products.

Table of Contents:

• What is a PDQ Display?
• What Does PDQ Mean in Retail?
• What Are the Benefits of PDQ Displays?
• Best Products for PDQ Displays
• Where Do PDQs Work Best?
• Latest PDQ Trends

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What Is a PDQ Display?

Essentially, PDQ displays are bins, trays or racks that can be installed fast and with little effort. Corrugated cardboard PDQs offer small and lightweight product displays, typically used in the impulse purchase sections of shops, checkouts or at sales counters. Sometimes, you can place PDQs in aisles that get a lot of foot traffic. They are versatile point-of-sale devices used to sell a variety of products.

While PDQ displays work well any time of year, their ease of assembly makes them a good pick for short-term goals and seasonal promotions. With the right design, cardboard PDQ packaging can also be sturdy, so you can use them for long-term goals and displays. They’re incredibly customizable, so you can use them for unique brand goals, products, and designs.

Key Features of a PDQ Display Tray

A PDQ display is commonly seen in a tray design on shelves or countertops in stores. However, these displays also come in a wide variety of custom options, including:

• • Rack displays
  • Bin displays
  • Pallet displays
  • Endcap displays
  • Floor displays

• Retail displays
• Multi-tiered displays
• Corrugated displays

These displays, which are often comprised of cardboard and other lightweight materials for easy shipping and setup, help businesses have some control over how their product looks on the shelves. Typically, these displays are reserved for areas of high foot traffic in a store, such as at the checkout or sales counters, but they can really be placed anywhere in the store.

While early PDQs were created to help make stocking products easier and faster, they’ve evolved to provide much more value to businesses today. These unique customized displays function as both stocking space and advertising space.

Here are the key features of cardboard PDQ displays:

• Easy to open and close for fast setup
• Displays custom compelling graphics and signage
• Keeps products and merchandise well-organized
• Maintains ideal presentation
• Prevents items from being knocked over
• Quick to manufacture
• Efficient loading of products by keeping everything together
• Provides another option for marketing and packaging

What Does PDQ Mean in Retail?

In retail, PDQ displays are also known as Shelf-Ready Packaging or Retail-Ready Packaging. They are vital for selling products in retail spaces.

Consumers probably don’t add brands next to each item when writing their shopping lists. They might have a mental note of which brands they prefer, but pricing and branding can sway them. Using PDQ packaging and displays, you can get your products in front of customers quickly and efficiently. Improving your products’ shelf visibility can help them stand out and increase impulse purchases.

There are two main functions of PDQ displays — they fast-track product stocking, and they are advertising spaces. Most PDQ displays require little to no setup. You can stock trays, bins, and racks with products before going to a retail store. Once you have arrived, all you have to do is place your display in its designated spot. The ability to set up multiple displays ensures your product can be in as many stores as possible.

Another element of PDQ packaging is that it provides additional free advertising space. The sides and backs of PDQs can showcase product pictures, extra product information for consumers, and QR codes for your app or website. This is particularly useful if you run a competition or promotion where you can easily add callouts and information to consumers. If you want to host a tasting at a store, PDQs can reinforce your brand’s identity and offer consumers additional information. Providing customers with all this extra information can help you influence their purchasing decisions.

PDQs are a convenient way to stock your products and a powerful communication tool for brands. Used correctly, they can significantly impact your product’s sales.

What Are the Benefits of PDQ Displays?

What will a PDQ display mean for your product or merchandise? Aside from providing an additional space to advertise outside of your actual labels and logos, PDQ displays can put your product and brand on the map and encourage customers to buy. Here are the top advantages you can expect with custom PDQ displays:

1. Provides Easy Assembly

PDQ displays can be set up in seconds. This means store employees can spend less time assembling your product and more time selling it. Easy setup also means efficient restocking, so your products are always available for interested customers.

2. Offers Versatility

Because there is such a wide variety of PDQ displays, you can use them for any unique products, designs, or brand goals you have in mind. Many brands will have promotions or seasonal changes throughout the year, which PDQ displays can accommodate.

3. Maximizes the Space on the Shelf

There’s only so much space a store can hold for your product, so using a display that works for smaller, limited spaces is important. No matter the size of your product, PDQ displays help you maximize every inch of real estate. 

4. Encourages Impulse Buying

Customers waiting in line at the checkout may see your product displayed neatly and make a last-minute impulse decision to purchase it. PDQ displays can easily turn your items into grab-and-go products that catch their eye and quickly relay what your product can do without thinking too much about it.

5. Offers Customizable Branding Options

Perhaps the most exciting benefit of using PDQ displays is that you can completely personalize them according to your brand or product’s visuals, logo, language, and colors. These options make it easy to blend your stocking space with your marketing strategy to attract customers

6. Applies to a Large Product Base

PDQ displays are ideal for many different industries and products. From beverages and food to pet supplies to electronics to home goods, you can display your product efficiently in an eye-catching corrugated cardboard display.

7. Improves Visibility

The sooner customers find your products, the faster you can make sales! PDQ displays include stunning visuals and icons to create a cohesive image, making it easier for customers to locate your items in the stores and develop brand recognition.

8. Provides Environmentally Sustainable Options

While highlighting your brand’s best qualities, you can also boost your brand’s sustainability efforts using PDQ corrugated displays made from cardboard. This means your displays can be reused, recycled, or even used to produce more display units.

Best Products for PDQ Displays

Smaller products work best in PDQ displays. You can stock them with any number of items, but you generally place merchandise in multiple rows or stacks. Anything from chapstick to earbuds to foil packs can work in a PDQ display. But it’s more than the product you’re selling — how you brand them can make a difference.

Eye-catching colors and graphics, bright logos, quick, sharp one-liners, and value propositions all make PDQs practical tools that grab customers’ eyes, educate them on the product, and encourage them to buy.

 

Things to Consider When Designing a PDQ Display

Before dreaming up your unique PDQ corrugated cardboard displays, consider the following factors to make the process seamless.

1. Type of Product

The first element to consider is the type of product or products you plan to display. Corrugated cardboard displays often work best with smaller and medium-sized products, including

• Cosmetics
• Toys
• Snacks/Food
• Beverages
• Candy
• Gum
• Hand sanitizer
• Lip balm
• Accessories
• Hair products
• Batteries
• Cleaning products
• Greeting cards
• Travel items
• Earbuds

Try to match your PDQ display design to your product’s overall aesthetic and function for a cohesive look. For example, a display for batteries would likely look much different than a display for children’s toys.

2. Number of Units

The next step is to consider the number of units you will need for your product. Are you selling to local retailers only? Are you going nationwide? Either way, the number of units you require to fit all of your products will determine your overall costs for your displays, so it’s something to note.

3. Store Placement

In some cases, you may know where a store is going to display your product ahead of time, such as near the cash register, at the electronics sales counter, or in the toy aisle. If your product can fit in a smaller PDQ display, you have a better chance of being put in an impulse-buying section, such as right before customers check out.

No matter where your item is placed, you can use the store placement to create a unique strategy for grabbing your customer’s attention by advertising in a visually stunning yet functional way.

4. Demographic

The customer base of your brand and specific product can influence where the display will be in the store. For instance, if you sell makeup, your product might be displayed in the cosmetic aisle or women’s care section. If you sell hand sanitizer or another grab-and-go product, your product will likely be in the checkout line.

You may also want to consider whether your customers are more male or female-oriented, their average income, or anything else that can help you build a thorough customer profile. This can help you provide maximum benefits to your customers and set you apart from other retailers, creating loyalty.

Where Do PDQs Work Best?

PDQ displays are right at home in many different retail settings. Since they support all kinds of products, you can find them in everything from gas stations to car dealerships.

Some of the best retail spaces for PDQs include:

• Airports kiosks and stores
• Supermarkets
• Gas station retailers
• Grocery stores
• Convenience stores
• Pharmacies
• Electronics shops
• Mall kiosks
• Truck stop retailers

While PDQ displays work well in almost any setting, you’ll want to consider their placement within that setting. If your item is related to another purchase, such as coffee pods to go with a coffee maker, try putting them next to the larger purchase. Putting items next to the main attraction can also make them seem more affordable and remind customers of other items they may need. Placing your PDQ displays is just one part of the larger puzzle of maximizing their benefits.

Latest PDQ Display Trends 

As we’ve explored above, PDQ is beneficial for several reasons. It is used in numerous applications and is prevalent in retail stores nationwide. Now, we’ll explore some of the latest trends in PDQ displays.

Increased Use of Digital PDQ Displays

Although many retail stores still use corrugated cardboard displays, some are shifting to digital displays for convenience and to stay updated with modern technology and customer preferences. Retail stores increasingly incorporate displays with interactive features, such as touchscreen, light, and sound capabilities.

An example is the LCD TV displays in stores that promote products, usually in carousel format. Content is updated in real-time to reflect current and new promotions. Another example is an interactive mobile phone display, which holds the device in a secure casing as the customer explores its features. These displays are usually accompanied by video messages explaining product features and benefits, presented by a company representative or familiar figure.

These digital displays encourage customers to engage, as they are attracted to the live visual aspect. Learning about a product by watching a video saves them time reading, as the videos are informative and answer prospective questions. With technological advances, digital displays use QR codes to make product information accessible on consumer devices. They also use the opportunity to upsell products by offering discounts and other special offers that can only be claimed using the QR code.

Eco-Friendly and Recyclable Materials

Many retail stores invest in sustainable practices by using eco-friendly and recyclable materials for PDQ displays. Whether they drive these practices for tax and other gains or personal beliefs, their values often align with promoting sustainable practices and reducing their carbon footprint, so they benefit both ways.

Retailers impact the environment positively by using recyclable materials such as corrugated cardboard and other eco-friendly materials for PDQ displays. When they reach the end of their life, these materials can be discarded safely. Customers appreciate sustainability efforts and are likelier to trust companies that enforce these practices, spurring loyalty and increasing sales.

Customization Options

On the back end of PDQ display marketing, retailers use data analytics to target consumers by personalizing offers based on their buying behavior. The process is easier for digital displays and can require intensive manual intervention in static displays. By understanding customers’ buying behavior, retailers can customize their displays to attract specific audiences.

PDQ displays with modular designs allow retailers to customize their layout to reach a wider audience and increase revenue. They often use LED modules to display images and adverts, delivering high-performance results.

The benefits of modular design displays include scalability, flexibility, cost-efficiency, consistency, and reusability.

Augmented Reality (AR) Integration

Augmented Reality (AR) lets smartphone users view digital images and content superimposed onto real objects. Customers can use AR glasses to enhance their experience, although they aren’t necessary. AR differs from Virtual Reality (VR) in that VR requires a headset that projects the individual into a computer-generated situation of a 3D setting. 

Incorporating AR into marketing strategies enhances customer interaction with products. They spend more time engaging with products and learning their capabilities through a full-sensory experience. With such exposure, customers are likelier to purchase an item than others who only see items at their surface level and face value.

Omnichannel Implementation

By providing a seamless buying experience across multiple online and offline channels, retailers can capitalize on the exposure and potentially increase sales. For example, click-and-collect shopping allows customers to browse and purchase products online and pick them up in-store. There, they are presented with more opportunities to explore products in person via digital and static PDQ displays. 

They’ll also be incentivized to shop online to promote omnichannel e-commerce cross-channel communication and purchasing.

Enhanced Performance Metrics

Retail stores have high foot traffic daily, allowing them to track sales linked to specific displays. Data analytics and performance metrics analyze customer behavior through interaction with digital PDQ displays to better understand their purchasing behavior. Retailers use the information to strategically place displays in areas where customers are likelier to engage with them.

Incorporating AI technology is another emerging trend that helps predict consumer preferences and future trends based on past buying behavior.

Create Custom Cardboard PDQ Displays With Creative Displays Now!

If you’d like to learn more about PDQs and see how and if they can make a difference, contact Creative Displays Now or give us a call today at 1-855-284-6922. Our experienced team will help your design custom PDQs that will help get your products the attention they deserve, helping you drive profits.

Creative Displays Now has over 60 years of experience in the custom retail display business and has won over 100 industry awards. With the help of our team, we can tell you what will sell and use tested methods to sell your products. Speak to a member of our team today!

*Post was last updated on April 23, 2024 at 11:25AM EST*