Custom Counter Display Boxes

Products That Suit Counter Display Boxes

The best counter products are small, low-priced and easy to grab. Snack bars, chocolate, sweets, mints and gum are the classic examples. Lip balms, hand creams, nail files and travel-size toiletries sell well at pharmacy and salon counters. Keyrings, badges, stickers, lighters and phone accessories suit newsagents and gift shops. Sachets of coffee, tea or sauces work well in cafés and delis.

If your product is new, a counter display is a good way to introduce it, because shoppers can pick one up without committing to a larger purchase.

Ask the retailer what sells beside the till already, and design your display to sit comfortably next to it. Single items that hang rather than stand suit our hang tab boxes with a window instead.

Sizing Your Display

Counters are small, so the display needs to be compact. A typical footprint is around 150 to 250 mm wide and 100 to 200 mm deep. Decide how many units you want in the display, how they stand, upright, lying flat or angled, and how many rows you need. Measure one unit, multiply by the layout and add the wall thickness and a little clearance.

Header cards usually rise 80 to 150 mm above the back wall. Taller headers are more visible but can get in the way at a busy till, so keep them proportionate. If the display is going into chain stores, ask about any size limits for counter units before finalising.

Angle matters too. A tray whose base slopes slightly toward the shopper shows the products more clearly and makes the next unit slide forward when one is taken. We can build a gentle slope into the base for products that lie flat, such as snack bars or sachet packs. For a bigger footprint on the shop floor, our larger printed display boxes use the same construction.

Designing for a Glance

Shoppers look at a counter display for a second or two, so the design has to work at a glance. The header should carry the brand and a short, clear message: a product name, a flavour, a benefit or the price point, if the retailer agrees. The front lip of the tray can repeat the brand or carry a small call to action. The inside walls, seen once the products are taken, can show a pattern in your brand colour so the box still looks tidy when half empty.

Bold colour, large type and simple imagery work best. Fine details and long sentences are lost at a till.

Remember the retailer's view. A display that shows the product name and a reorder code on its side helps shop staff note when stock is low and order more from you, rather than replacing your display with someone else's. The same quick-read rules apply to display trays with a cut-out front.

• Header: brand name and one short message
• Front lip: product name or a call to action
• Inside walls: brand colour or pattern
• Sides: product details for the retailer

Board and Strength

Light products such as lip balms and keyrings sit happily in 350 to 400 gsm folding boxboard. Heavier products like chocolate bars or snack packs need E-flute corrugated, which keeps the tray from sagging and the header from bending. Corrugated also survives being shipped full, which matters for shipper-style displays.

A gloss or matt lamination protects the print from handling and spills on a busy counter. Plain kraft displays with one or two colour print suit natural and artisan brands.

If the display stands near a coffee machine or a sink, a laminated finish helps it shrug off splashes and stay presentable for longer. Board choices are compared on our board and finish options page.

Ordering Displays for Your Stockists

Send us the product size, the number of units per display, the style you want and your artwork. Within one working day you receive a custom quote by email, followed by a free design proof showing the flat layout and the assembled display. Production takes 4–7 working days after approval, and displays ship flat on free tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses.

Any misprinted or damaged displays reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded. Minimums are low and quoted per job, which makes it easy to test a display with a handful of stockists before rolling it out more widely.

Many brands order displays alongside their retail cartons, so the products and the display share the same design and arrive together for a launch.