MAIN TAKEAWAYS:
- Franklin Display Group is a full-service, turnkey retail display manufacturer with in-house design and manufacturing capabilities.
- Franklin’s displays prioritize function, form, fit, and finishing.
- Franklin’s design and engineering process relies on collaboration and partnership with customers to ensure a high-quality display.
The performance and effectiveness of a retail display hinges on a well conceived, thoughtful design. Store placement, mobility, type of product being displayed, and construction materials all play a vital role in the functionality, flexibility, and lifespan of a display.
For brands, accounting for these variables can be key to increasing sales and maximizing their investment in retail displays.
Franklin’s Andy McMannis discusses the importance of the retail design process, and how Franklin prioritizes guidance and partnership in creating high-quality retail displays that increase sales and maximize marketing dollars.
What does a typical consultation process with customers look like?
Andy: It usually starts with some kind of inspiration the customer has seen out in the field — a display they’ve seen that they’ve liked or feel would work for their brand. This of course means we have to ask a series of seemingly basic questions to understand how the display will function — questions like the dimensions of the display, the amount of product that it needs to hold, those kinds of questions.
Another important question we need to answer is: Where is this display going? Is the display going into a distributor environment, or is it going into a retail environment, like a big-box store? This makes a difference. The same is true when it comes to beverage displays. Is the display going into an on-premise account like a restaurant or bar, or is it going into a retail account? These are things we need to know.
How do these factors impact display engineering?
Andy: Let’s say the display is going into a big-box hardware store. This means the display will have to work in-line with large gondola racks. Retail spaces are usually more crowded, meaning space is a bigger concern compared to other environments. While distributors also sometimes use gondola racks, this kind of application is less cluttered because there’s more floor space to work with.
Let’s talk about Franklin’s prototyping process. How does that work?
Andy: Prototyping for Franklin comes down to the four F’s — function, form, fit, and finishing. These are the main things we try to dial in with our prototyping process. Form is really about the shape the display takes, and fit includes making sure all the components of the display fit together properly. This also encompasses how the individual products will fit on the display itself.
With function, we’re looking at how sturdy a display needs to be. Finally, with finish, we’re looking at different finishing techniques, whether the display needs graphics, and just how it will look on the retail floor.
What makes Franklin’s engineering and prototyping process unique?
Andy: One thing that makes Franklin unique — one thing I hear from customers a lot — is that we produce everything we prototype in-house. It’s not uncommon in the retail display manufacturing industry for one company to design a display and then have another actually manufacture it. This often results in discrepancies between the design plans and the fabricated display.
Many of the display houses out there are what we call sourcing companies. They have the design capabilities but they don’t have the resources or in-house capability to produce these designs. Unlike these companies, we’re a full-service retail display house, from design and development to manufacturing and distribution.
"We’re a full-service retail display house, from design and development to manufacturing and distribution." Andy McMannis, Franklin Display Group
We also really understand the different environments for retail displays. We know the importance of weight and durability and how these things play into a display and how it’s used. We know the nuances of different retail environments, the little things that come into play, and we know how to account for these things.
With years of experience in the end-to-end retail display manufacturing process, Franklin has the in-house resources and equipment to create high-quality, custom displays that help brands boost sales and grow their business. We emphasize the use of sustainable construction materials and techniques to ensure eco-friendly displays that also elevate brand recognition.
Plus, we operate our own distribution center to help facilitate display warehousing and fulfillment.
Browse some of our recent projects or contact us today to get started on your next custom retail display.