Custom Display Boxes

Planning How Many Units to Show

Decide the number of units per display before thinking about dimensions. Retailers often prefer a display that holds enough stock to last a few weeks without looking empty after a few sales. Too few units and the box looks sparse quickly; too many and it takes up more counter than the shop will allow.

Arrange the products as they will sit, in rows and columns, standing or lying, and measure the footprint. Add a few millimetres around each product so it can be lifted out easily. For tall, narrow items such as lip balms or pens, a card divider grid keeps them upright as stock runs down. For flat items such as sachets, a stepped insert raises the back row so every label can be seen.

Counter space in most independent shops is limited, so aim for a footprint not much bigger than an A4 sheet unless you know the retailer has room. Our guide on measuring units for a tray explains how much clearance each cell needs.

Making the Header Do the Selling

The header panel is the first thing a shopper sees, often from a few metres away. Keep the message short: your brand name, the product type and one reason to buy. A price point can help impulse sales but locks the retailer into that price, so many brands leave it off or use a sticker.

Print the header on both sides if the display may be seen from behind, such as on an island counter. Die-cut shapes, such as a header in the outline of your product or a speech bubble, attract the eye but need to be strong enough not to bend over. For heavier header panels, a fold-back support or a double thickness board keeps them upright.

The front lip of the tray is valuable space as well. A short line there, close to eye level when the shopper reaches in, is a good place for a flavour list or a tagline. Headers read best with full colour header print on a white-lined board.

Board Strength and Print Quality

Lightweight products such as cosmetics, sweets and accessories sit well in folding board displays around 350 to 400 gsm. Heavier items, such as bottled drinks or jars, need corrugated board, usually E flute, which is thin enough to print sharply but strong enough to carry weight. Corrugated displays also survive shipping better, so they are a sensible choice when displays are sent out to many stockists by courier.

Full colour print on white board shows off photographs and bright branding. Kraft board suits natural and artisan products. A gloss laminate keeps colours vivid and wipes clean, which matters on a busy shop counter. Matt laminate gives a calmer, premium look.

Inside print, where the tray floor is printed, makes the display look intentional even as products sell out.

Shipping Displays to Stockists

Most brands ship displays pre-filled. That means the display box needs to be strong enough to travel, or it needs an outer shipper. For small quantities sent by courier, a corrugated display with a tear-off lid usually manages alone. For larger wholesale orders, several filled displays go into one outer carton.

Include a short instruction on the lid, such as tear here and fold up, so the shop assistant sets it up correctly. Displays that are set up wrongly, or left closed under the counter, do not sell anything.

It also helps to send a spare header or a few loose units with the first order, so a shop can replace a bent panel or top up a display without waiting for the next delivery. Small gestures like that keep your display on the counter rather than in the stockroom. Displays sent by courier usually go as display mailer boxes for stockists, which protect the header in transit.

Decide How Many Units the Display Must Hold at Week Three

The most useful number for a display box is not how many units it holds when full but how many are left when it still looks worth buying from. Count a typical stockist's weekly sales, multiply by the number of weeks between visits and add a few, then size the tray so it looks full at that figure rather than at the maximum. Measure one unit at its widest and tallest points, say whether units stand or lie, and tell us if the display ships filled, because a filled display travels assembled in an outer carton. Brands sending displays to many shops often choose a display mailer with a tear-off lid that becomes the header.

Send the unit dimensions, the count per display, the format and the number of displays, and a custom quote comes by email within one working day. The free proof shows the display flat and a preview of it folded. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after approval, delivery to UK mainland addresses is free and tracked, and misprinted or damaged displays reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded.