Are you a retailer in need of display units for your products? Maybe you’re interested in a custom acrylic display, or a point-of-purchase countertop display, or a custom pop display. If you’re interested in showcasing jewelry or smaller accessories, perhaps a cosmetic display case is right up your alley.
Regardless, if you’re shopping around for a retail display manufacturer, then you should know what you’re getting yourself into. Below are five questions you should think about as you reach out to various manufacturers.
1) Is the manufacturing done in the U.S.?
You’ll find retail display manufacturers who work both in and outside of the U.S. Yes, you’ll likely find much cheaper rates if work is being shipped over to China. But you may be sacrificing quality, and your turnaround time might be longer as well.
If you’ve never considered using a retail display manufacturer who designs and fabricates in the U.S., it’s worth comparing the costs. There might not be as big of a difference as you think, and you can ensure top quality and a quick turnaround time.
2) Do you do drop-shipping?
This might not be something you need from retail display manufacturers, but it’s worth asking to get a sense of how the final product will make it your way. If you have tens or hundreds of retail locations around the U.S., some retail display manufacturers can drop-ship the final units directly to each destination. How’s that for convenience!
You should also ask about the bulk packaging of the final units. If you’re sending everything to one location but still ordering in bulk, you might be able to save on shipping if everything can be packaged together.
3) Do you offer volume discounts?
Most acrylic retail display manufacturers will offer volume discounts, but it’s worth discussing what your options are. You might want to have extra cases laying around, and if ordering a few extra will save you on a per-unit cost, then it can be worth it.
4) What kind of materials do you work with?
Acrylic tends to be the most popular choice amongst retail display manufacturers, but it’s certainly not the only choice. Companies like ours can work with metal, PETG, polycarbonate, and a handful of other materials. Here’s a good list of retail display materials that you can consider.
Ask your manufacturer about what material is best suited for your particular case and the kind of environment it’ll be in and use it’ll serve. Materials have different costs, different strengths, and varying use cases.
5) What kind of custom work can you do?
If you’d like to employ a retail display manufacturer for a custom display case, then ask about the customization process. Each manufacturer works a little differently. Ask them if they’ve created similar units in the past. Ask them what their design process is like, and how long a custom job takes vs. a regular job. You might be surprised to find that a large custom order is easier (and more cost-effective) to fabricate than you think.
Ready to chat about your next project? Request a quote here.
