Guide / Box & packaging styles / Chapter 2.20
Counter display boxes.
A small cardboard display beside the register can encourage impulse purchases. Here's how counter displays work, what makes a good one, and how to get stores to put yours on the counter.
The short answer
A counter display box, also called a counter display unit or CDU, is a small open-fronted box that sits on a shop counter and holds products ready to grab. It often has a raised back panel, called a header, for your brand and message. Counter displays suit small, impulse-buy products like snacks, lip balms, cards, keyrings and small gifts. We sell stock A5 and A4 counter displays and self-locking counter displays in corrugated board, supplied flat.
How a counter display works
Most counter displays are cut from one sheet of corrugated board. They fold into a tray with a low front, so customers can see and reach the products, and a taller back panel that carries your branding. Self-locking styles fold together without glue or tape, which makes them quick to set up in store.
Many brands ship their display already filled inside an outer carton, so the store can lift it out and put it straight on the counter. Others send displays flat and let stores fill them from their own stock. Agree the approach with each retailer.
What makes a good counter display
- A small footprint. Counter space is precious. A display that's too big won't get a spot.
- A clear header. Your brand and one short message, readable from a step away.
- Easy access. A low front lip so customers can take a product without lifting others.
- Stability. It shouldn't tip when it's half empty, so heavier products sit low.
- Quick set-up. Staff should be able to put it out in seconds.
Stock or printed display?
| Option | Best for | Branding |
|---|---|---|
| Stock counter display | Testing a product in a few stores, markets, events | Add a printed header card or sticker |
| Printed counter display | Rolling out to many stores | Your full artwork on the header and sides |
| Display shipped filled | Wholesale to retailers | Store lifts it out of the carton and it's ready |
What it means for you
The same question, answered for where your business is today.
Choose your stage at the top of the page to open the advice for you.
Start-up · under 100 units
A stock A5 or A4 counter display with a printed card or sticker on the header is a great way to test your product in a few local stores or at markets.
Fill it with real stock and stand it on a counter. Can you read the header from a step away?
Growing · 100 to 2,499 units
Once stores are reordering, a printed display makes your brand consistent in every outlet. Ask stores what size fits their counters.
Try this: ship displays filled, so stores can set them up straight away.
Enterprise · 2,500 units and more
For national rollouts, specify the display, the outer carton and the fill quantity, and test how filled displays survive freight.
Plan display orders around launch dates, as printed packaging takes time to make.
Common mistakes
- 1Too big for the counter. Retailers turn away displays that take up too much room. Keep it compact.
- 2A cluttered header. Too many words and nobody reads it. Brand, product and one short message.
- 3Heavy products at the top. Displays tip as they empty. Keep weight low and use a stable base.
- 4Not agreeing delivery with the retailer. Some stores want displays filled in an outer carton, others prefer them flat to fill from stock. Ask before you ship.
Counter display questions
What is a counter display box?
What is a CDU?
What sizes do you sell?
Can counter displays be printed?
How do I ship a counter display to a store?
From our customers
Mangles Bay Jerky Co.Counter display units present their handcrafted jerky with a clean, consistent brand image on shelves.
Read their story →Keep reading
Shop displays
Getting your product onto store counters?
Tell us your product size and how many per display. Our Melbourne team will recommend a display, usually within 1 business day.