In the spirit of holiday sharing, please enjoy this short compilation of curated terminology commonly used in the retail display industry. Whether you’re new to the field and seeking resources, or simply looking to brush up on your display knowledge, this guide is designed to make navigating industry jargon a breeze!
Aisle Violator: A graphic on an inline display that protrudes into the aisle space. Typically narrow.
Caddy: A cardboard or plastic tray that holds many units of product.
Case Stack: (chiefly wine & spirits) A single stack of wine/spirits cases, usually with a cut case on top.
Case Topper: (chiefly wine & spirits) A display that rests on a group of cases.
Convenience Food: Small bags of nuts/seeds, usually merchandised in caddies.
Corrugate: A structural material with a ridged layer sandwiched between two flat layers (in most applications, this is synonymous with “cardboard”).
Counter Display: A merchandiser that displays a customer's products on a retailer’s counter.
Dieline: The outer boundary of a graphic. Art is placed within a dieline.
Dump Bin: A merchandising method wherein (typically smaller/soft) product is placed in a bin in an unorganized way.
Edgelit Acrylic: A type of accent/detail material that redirects received ambient light to illuminate the material’s edge without a power source.
Endcap: A merchandising area at the end of a gondola.
Face: To bring all the product forward so it reaches the edge of the shelf/display in a nice neat row.
FEM: “Front End Merchandiser.” Typically in small format stores, a 1-sided endcap-type display that holds chip bags and convenience food.
Floor Stand: A freestanding display, usually 2- or 4-sided.
Gondola: A island-like run of inline shelving, usually 2-sided.
Gravity Feed: Angling the shelf downward toward the customer to use gravity to face the product.
Hook-and-Heel: A construction method that allows wire shelves to be secured to wire side frames through friction.
Inline: A display or retail area that is associated with a gondola run (contrast endcap).
Kiosk: A small structure with one or more open sides that is used to vend merchandise.
Kiosks (Interactive): A stand-alone structure/device providing information and services on a interactive computer screen.
KD (Knock Down): Describes the ability of a display to be shipped in pieces (to decrease shipping costs) and assembled on site.
Large Format Retailer: Relating to grocery stores, big box retailers, etc.
Lug-On: A die-cut graphic that stands off another graphic for effect.
Pallet Display: Typical are Full Pallet (40 x 48), Half Pallet (20 x 48) or Quarter Pallet (20 x 24). These are merchandisers that display a customer's products on a pallet (wood or plastic) at retail.
PDQ: “Pretty [Darn] Quick.” A type of preloaded corrugate tray that can easily be removed from its packaging and set on the shelf. Common at large format stores.
Pegwall: A pre-perforated wall that accepts removable pegs. Usually wood, but can be metal also.
Permanent Display: Short for “permanent.” A display with a longer in-store life, typically made of materials like metal, plastic and/or wood.
Pinwheel Design: A 4-sided display form factor that resembles a pinwheel when viewed from the top.
Planogram (POG): The retailer- or client-dictated configuration of product on a particular display.
Pole Topper: (chiefly wine & spirits) A sign or other type of freestanding display that resides near a group or wine or spirit cases.
POS Strip: Point-of-sale strip. Another name for a shelf front graphic strip. Typically 1.25” high.
Power Wing: Seen often in large format stores, a wing raised off the ground, secured to the side of an endcap.
Proto: Short for “prototype,” a one-off, proof-of-concept sample made of a display prior to a production run.
Pusher: A paddle or similar device that pushes product forward as it shops down so that it will be faced.
Semi-Perm Display: A display with a medium in-store life. Typically made of lower-cost materials like plastic or wire.
Shelf Talker: A display, often battery-powered, that secures to the front of a shelf and provides an messaging area.
Shopability: A quality that relates to how easy it is for a customer to identify and access product off a display for purchase.
Shoparound (SAR): A 4-sided floor display that usually features food product in a small format context.
Small Format Retailer: Relating to convenience stores, gas stations, etc.
Slat Wall: A board with horizontal grooves that pegs and/or shelves lock into. Most slatwall is on 3” centers.
Spinner: A display with an element that rotates about a vertical axis.
Temporary Display: A display with a short in-store life. Typically made of corrugate or other low-cost materials.
Under Counter: A short display usually placed against a counter near the checkout area, designed to hold impulse purchases.
Value Engineering: A euphemism for the exercise of making a display less expensive.
Wing: A display placed next to (and usually perpendicular to) an endcap.
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