Different marketing strategies require the use of different materials and advertising aids. The choice of equipment and campaign implementation method should also depend on the industry in which the advertised brand operates and the type of product it offers. Marketers have POS, POP, and POSM materials and strategies at their disposal. However, it's not always clear how they differ from each other, and therefore, their intended use. We offer suggestions and explanations on the differences between POS, POP, and POSM.
What does POSM mean?
There are certainly plenty of "experts" in the marketing and advertising industry who will claim that POSM and POS mean exactly the same thing. Perhaps this is true when it comes to SEO keywords. However, a deeper dive into the meaning of these two acronyms reveals differences.
POSM stands for point-of-sale materials, which translates to sales-stimulating materials. This refers to everything we encounter while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. Materials in this group range from smaller shelf decorations like wobblers, stripe ties, and shelf liners to larger marketing materials like advertising stands and shop-in-shop displays.
The division, demarcation, and classification of POSM , POP, and POS is easiest to imagine as a tree. The overarching category, from which all three others derive, is BTL ( below the line ). Just below that, we can locate POSM . The next line, category, or subgroup includes both POS and POP materials, although they still derive directly from BTL, not POSM . BTL encompasses all forms of advertising outside of mass media . Therefore, it includes event marketing, PR, and all types and forms of direct advertising, meaning that which establishes contact with customers. Initially, this may seem somewhat confusing, but as we delve deeper, this division begins to make more sense and make more sense.
What does POS materials mean?
As mentioned, POS materials are short for point of sale , while POP stands for point of purchase . POS refers specifically to the checkout area, the area where purchases and sales are finalized. This is an excellent place to display smaller items that could easily get lost in the thicket of other products in the store. POS materials can be placed directly next to the cash register or on a counter that is often connected to the cash register. POS materials are most commonly used and work best for products such as accessories, small snacks, newspapers, tobacco products, or special, limited-edition offers on certain items.
The abbreviation POP, however, refers to the entire store, excluding the checkout area, which is reserved for POS. So where are POP materials used? The possibilities are almost endless. It can be a shopping mall, any shelves, display windows, or other types of store displays, shop-in-shop islands, or even display stands. This provides an excellent opportunity for a brand to become visible in the customer's mind and encourage purchases. It's in the sales area that shoppers decide to choose a specific product or brand. There's no better place to influence their decisions. When it comes to POP materials, there are virtually no limits to their location or the type of advertising medium used. Therefore, it's worth not wasting this potential, but rather choosing materials precisely and thoughtfully.
What is POS marketing?
POS materials and POS marketing are inextricably linked to advertising known as BTL advertising , or below-the-line advertising . What does this term refer to? We mentioned earlier that this type of advertising is not intended for mass media , but is aimed at a specific recipient or audience. Therefore, it will have its own target audience.
In POS marketing, the proper placement of media within the store is crucial. In this regard, it's worth referring to specific guidelines that specify how to place each type of POS media within the sales space to achieve the most effective and efficient results. These guidelines were developed based on years of observation and research into customer shopping behavior in various stores. To improve POS marketing, it's important to leverage the expertise of salespeople. They are the ones who spend their daily time in the store and interact with customers, and are the best source of knowledge about shoppers, their habits, and routines. It's worth leveraging this potential. Don't be afraid to test new solutions and vary the placement of POS materials within the store. Furthermore, promotional items and POS materials should be placed in the most frequently visited areas of the store to increase their effectiveness and customer impact.
What are POS materials?
As mentioned, POS materials are an incredibly broad group, offering a wide range of display options. POS materials should be clear and attractive to the customer, while also targeting a specific group of buyers. The most popular POS accessories include:
- toppers,
- shelf wobblers,
- shelfliners,
- shelfstoppers,
- cash trays,
- advertising hangers,
- pancards,
- flagettes,
- gondola ends. - shelf ends
- displays
- standby
- displays
Although the choice of advertising materials is very wide, their exact placement should be carefully considered and take into account the shopping behavior and habits of customers of a specific store.
