In the competitive world of retail marketing, capturing potential customers' attention is critical for increasing sales and maximising return on investment (ROI). Custom printed strut cards and shelf talkers are effective marketing tools that can raise brand awareness and influence shopping decisions. In this detailed blog, we will go over the benefits, design considerations, and strategic deployment of these technologies to help you maximise your ROI effectively.

What are strut cards?

Strut cards are little signs made of cardboard or plastic and mounted on a self-standing base. They sit immediately on shelves, strategically positioned in front of a product to display information, promotions, or branding.

Here is a breakdown of their main components

Sign: This visual element stands out as the show's main attraction. The design, which can be made of cardboard, plastic, or even metal, can range from simple to extensive, including product details, logos, graphics, or attractive incentives.

Base: This self-standing foundation keeps the strut card erect on the shelf, drawing attention from customers wandering the aisles. The base can be built of numerous materials, such as cardboard, plastic, or even wire.

Image Sources : VC Print

Why Do Strut Cards Maximise Your ROI?

Strut cards provide numerous benefits for both stores and brands, resulting in a larger return on investment:

Increased Visibility: Strut cards shine out on congested shelves, capturing shoppers' attention to your goods. This increased visibility means a greater likelihood of gaining attention and generating sales.

Enhanced Communication: At the point of sale, you may convey important information about your product directly to customers by using strut cards, which function as little billboards. Incentivize customers by highlighting new features, special discounts, or limited-time offers.

Brand Champion: By adding your brand logo and design components into the strut card, you enhance brand identification and provide a consistent brand experience to customers. This promotes trust and loyalty.

Impulse Purchase Trigger: Strut cards' eye-catching design can prompt impulse purchases. Customers who were not actively looking for the goods could be persuaded by the distinctive design or a tempting deal on the strut card.

Cost-Effective Marketing: Compared to other strategies for advertising, strut cards are a low-cost approach to promote items and reach a specific audience immediately at the point of sale. Their excellent ROI makes them a cost-effective solution for enterprises of any size.

 Impact of Shelf Talkers

Shelf talkers, often referred to as shelf wobblers or shelf barkers, are eye-catching signs mounted to retail shelves. They protrude or hang from the shelf edge, drawing customers' attention to certain products, promotions, or pricing information. Shelf talkers are important for influencing purchasing decisions and enhancing product exposure in busy retail situations.

Advantages of Shelf Talkers

Shelf talkers stand out among packed shelves, directing customers to featured products or special deals with their vivid patterns and careful placement.

Information Delivery: Communicate product features, benefits, pricing data, and promotional offers to customers at the point of purchase, allowing them to make informed purchasing decisions.

Brand Reinforcement: Consistent branding features such as logos, colours, and taglines on shelf talkers help to reinforce brand identity and boost brand recall among shoppers.

Promotional Flexibility: Shelf talkers may be quickly updated to match changing specials, seasonal themes, or new product launches, ensuring that your marketing initiatives remain relevant and timely.

Integrating Strut Cards and Shelf Talkers for Maximum Impact.

Synergistic Display: Using strut cards and shelf talkers in a cohesive marketing campaign boosts brand messaging and promotional efforts, resulting in a unified visual impact that grabs customers' attention and promotes sales.

Cross-promotion Opportunities: Use strut cards to promote featured products or seasonal deals, supplemented by shelf talkers that provide extensive product information or limited-time discounts, to encourage impulse purchases and return visits

Targeted Messaging: Customise strut card and shelf talker content for specific consumer segments or marketing goals, employing analytics and customer insights to deliver customised and impactful information.

Interactive Elements: Use QR codes, NFC tags, or augmented reality capabilities on strut cards and shelf talkers to increase interactivity, collect consumer feedback, or direct customers to internet platforms for more product information or purchases.

Strategic Placement and Monitoring

Strut cards and shelf talkers are both effective because of their attractive design as well as their clever placement in retail environments. Regular audits and monitoring of customer interaction data can help to fine-tune placement strategies and maximise marketing ROI.

Selecting the Suitable Materials and Printing Techniques

The materials and printing procedures used for your strut cards will be determined by your budget, desired durability, and special requirements. Here's an overview of some common choices:

Cardstock: A less expensive solution for simple strut cards with a shorter lifespan. Perfect for temporary promotions or seasonal products.

PVC Plastic: A more durable option with greater resilience to wear and tear. Ideal for heavy traffic locations or products that must resist client handling.

PETG Plastic: An environmentally friendly alternative to PVC that provides equivalent durability. An excellent choice for ecologically aware businesses.

Digital printing: Ideal for tiny quantities or elaborate drawings with brilliancolours. Ideal for generating distinctive and eye-catching strut cards.

Offset Printing: This is a low-cost alternative for producing huge quantities of strut cards with a simple design.

Environmental Impact of Strut Cards and Shelf Talkers

The materials used for marketing items like strut cards and shelf talkers can have a considerable environmental impact. Businesses must examine sustainable ways to lower their carbon footprint and contribute positively to environmental protection. Let's take a quick look at the environmental impact of various materials usually used for strut cards and shelf talkers, with an emphasis on sustainable options such as PETG plastic.

Traditional Materials

Cardboard: While cardboard is recyclable and biodegradable, its production frequently results in excessive water and energy use, as well as deforestation concerns if not supplied sustainably.

Foam Board: Foam board is not easily recyclable and may produce toxic chemicals during manufacturing and disposal, contributing to environmental pollution

Plastic (PVC): Although PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is long-lasting, it has a considerable environmental impact because of its non-biodegradability, the possibility of harmful chemical leakage, and recycling issues.

Image Sources : VC Print

Sustainable Alternatives

Recycled Paperboard: Using recycled paperboard for strut cards and shelf talkers lowers the need for new materials and waste. Look for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified solutions for responsible sourcing.

Biodegradable Plastics: Bio-based plastics manufactured from renewable sources like cornflour or sugarcane are biodegradable, which reduces environmental effect during disposal. However, adequate disposal methods are required for optimal biodegradation.

PETG Plastic: PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol) is a recyclable plastic renowned for its clarity, durability, and minimal environmental effect. It may be recycled again without losing quality, making it a sustainable alternative for long-term marketing materials.

Environmental considerations

Recyclability: Choose materials that are easily recyclable in local recycling systems to encourage circularity and prevent trash going to landfill.

Biodegradability: Biodegradable materials degrade spontaneously, minimising long-term environmental harm. However, make sure they are disposed of in proper composting facilities for optimal decomposition.

Life Cycle Assessment: To assist in making sustainable decisions, think about carrying out a life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental impact of materials from the extraction of raw materials to disposal.

Conclusion 

Custom printed strut cards and shelf talkers are great assets in retail marketing, providing a low-cost solution to increase exposure, communicate key information, and drive sales at the point of purchase. To ensure the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives, work with a reputable printing business such as VC Prints. VC Prints specialises in high-quality printing services that are suited to your specific marketing demands. Whether you need custom printed strut cards, shelf talkers, or other promotional items, we are committed to providing high-quality results that will help you meet your ROI objectives.