For global brands, selecting a Point of Sale (PoS) partner that can help you successfully roll out campaigns worldwide is no easy task. You can either build a network of local suppliers to launch campaigns in each country or look for a global provider to support you with their network.
To help, we wanted to share the three key things to consider when choosing a point of sale provider—whether a local partner, supplier or a global behemoth.
Do they think like engineers?
OK, while we are not building the next Golden Gate Bridge, providers that use an “engineering” perspective to create PoS displays and campaigns can set apart the great PoS providers.
Let me explain.
First and foremost, engineers are problem solvers. They will analyze and look to understand the challenge or problem, then come up with creative solutions to meet the needs of their clients.
In a PoS context, engineers will consider your requirements, such as budget, product size, weight, environmental impact, and assembly, and look to deliver solutions that maximize output without compromising brand integrity.
That means engineering displays so anyone can assemble them easily once they reach their final destination. It means considering freight costs and transportation requirements. And factoring in how the product will actually sit on the shelf and how it will look in the environment it will be living in.
An engineering mindset is, therefore, essential to ensure you maximize your investment in PoS displays.
So, do not partner with providers that just have designers. Look for those firms that celebrate their engineers and their ability to do more with less. Who revel in the technical and creative challenges rolling out global campaigns present.
Can they deliver on-time, every time?
There is nothing worse for a brand than getting all your marketing ducks in a row, ready to go live with a big global campaign and activation, only for displays to be delayed in China. Or to find materials that are unavailable in India. Or your logistic freight delays mean you can not get your campaign out of a port in Los Angeles due to congestion.
It is vital to ensure that your partner has the resources, suppliers, and knowledge in place to ensure that every campaign is delivered on time every time.
When looking at providers, ask them about the strength of their supply chains and how they can ensure the delivery of campaigns from production to in-store.
Ask them about the challenges they have experienced in rolling out global campaigns, such as unexpected material shortages or transportation delays, and how their logistics team overcame them.
And understand their factory partnerships and how they govern the production of displays. The last thing you want is to be promised one thing only for a rogue factory to produce something different due to the lack of supply for some materials.
The best way to engage with a provider about their supply chain is to ask them to communicate their process from start to finish. This will enable you to understand the overall timeline, approval process, and their network of suppliers, producers, and transporters.
How do they assure quality?
There is much more to a PoS campaign than getting the displays from point A to point B. You also want to ensure it gives off the right signals to consumers. Whether it is highlighting your sustainable credentials by using sustainable materials, or giving off an air of luxury by creating a unique display with a strong build.
You also want to ensure it can do the job at hand. There is nothing worse than coming up with a creative display concept only for the weight of the product to dash any hopes of actually using it.
As such, it is important that you select a POS provider that places quality assurance high up on their priority list – if not at the top of it.
This means understanding their QA process from start to finish and ensuring that independent quality control teams, not just the factory employees, are responsible for approving raw samples, the unit after powder coating, and the order when loaded into the container.
But it should not just be an independent team checking the quality of your products. At Communisis Brand Deployment, our engineers also sign off on the sample and production prior to manufacturing. Our graphic design team approves the artwork. And our entire team receives the QA report to ensure someone does not miss something. It is baked into our process, and any provider worth their salt should have it built into theirs too.
Choosing a POS provider is never easy, but if they can provide you with clarity and confidence over their engineering capabilities, supply chain and quality assurance processes, you can expect your campaigns to go off without a hitch, every time.
