Executive summary

Well-placed counterdisplays consistently turn the checkout and service counter into a small but mighty profit center. Independent research associates secondary in-store displays with meaningful sales lift, particularly for impulse-friendly SKUs. At the same time, corrugated counter top formats ship flat, assemble quickly, and align with retailer sustainability goals, improving unit economics compared with bulky permanent fixtures. Meiyastand and its sister company Meiyaprinting provide an integrated path from design to delivery that makes rolling out high-performing counterdisplays fast, practical, and brand-safe.

What exactly is a counterdisplay and why it works

A counterdisplay is a compact point-of-purchase unit designed to sit on a checkout or service counter to capture attention during the final decision moment. Corrugated paperboard is the dominant material for short-run and seasonal CDUs since it prints well, ships flat, and sets up quickly. That combination makes counterdisplays ideal for small, high-margin add-ons such as confectionery, trial sizes, batteries, lighters, and phone accessories.

Behavioral impact at the point of decision
Multiple studies from POPAI and the Shop! Association have shown that a meaningful share of brand choices happen in store and that the presence of a display measurably increases selection. Findings frequently cited in retail trade press and academic summaries include that nearly one in six brand purchases occur when a display for that brand is present and that compliant mass-merchant displays can deliver double-digit category lift. For marketers, that means the last few seconds at the counter are not an afterthought, they are a profit lever. ‍

The economics: four levers that make counterdisplays pay back

1) Conversion lift during the run

Temporary and secondary displays are associated with robust incremental sales. Vendor and institute summaries report typical lifts ranging from roughly twenty to thirty percent for compliant executions, with higher effects when a price feature is present. Even cautious assumptions still translate into attractive paybacks at checkout. ‍

2) Logistics savings and speed

Paper-based counterdisplays ship flat and are tool-free to assemble, which reduces freight cube, shortens setup time, and limits the store labor needed for execution. The alternative, pre-built metal or acrylic units, often ship bulky and require specialized handling. That difference shows up directly in landed cost and in faster time to shelf.

3) Premium print without premium weight

Micro-flute boards such as E and F provide a smooth surface for high-quality graphics while keeping the structure thin and rigid, which is perfect for counter-height branding where shoppers view at arm’s length. ‍

4) Sustainability that shoppers and retailers notice

Corrugated remains the most-recycled packaging material in the United States, with AF&PA’s updated methodology showing a 71 to 76 percent OCC recycling rate in 2023. Retailers can install, use, and then recycle corrugated counterdisplays with minimal burden, which keeps “green friction” low for store teams and brand partners.

A simple ROI model you can reuse

Use this back-of-the-envelope to judge if a counterdisplay will pay back for a SKU family at checkout.

Inputs

• Baseline weekly sell-through for the items you will place, for example 200 units at an average margin of 1.20 dollars per unit
• Expected display lift, for example 20 percent for a compliant temporary placement
• Display cost per store including print, freight, and store setup, for example 85 dollars

Computation

• Incremental units per week equals baseline units times lift, so 200 × 0.20 equals 40 units
• Incremental weekly margin equals 40 × 1.20 equals 48 dollars
• Payback time equals display cost divided by weekly margin, so 85 ÷ 48 equals roughly 1.8 weeks

This model stays conservative relative to published lift ranges for temporary POP and will often beat the payback period when you pair the display with a time-bound price feature.

Market context: momentum, not hype

Industry analysts continue to forecast steady growth in POP displays as retailers refresh physical space and brands seek recyclable, fast-deploy merchandising. Recent reports size the POP or POS display market in the mid-teens of billions of dollars with mid-single to high-single digit CAGR through 2030, with supermarkets and hypermarkets as major channels. ‍

What Meiyastand and Meiyaprinting add to the equation

End-to-end capability that reduces coordination cost
Meiyastand was founded in 2014 and operates an integrated design, prototyping, production, and global shipping workflow across facilities in Shenzhen and Ningbo, with an additional design and service presence in Shanghai. That one-stop path shortens time to shelf and simplifies scale rollouts.

Counterdisplay focus with practical MOQs and lead times
Meiyastand’s FAQ lists countertop stands with an MOQ of 100 and a typical lead time of two to three weeks, which suits seasonal and test-and-learn campaigns.

Print quality on micro-flutes plus quick assembly
Meiyastand emphasizes premium branding, precision engineering, and tool-free assembly across countertop, floor, sidekick, and pallet formats, which is exactly what busy store teams need for front-end compliance.

Meiyaprinting’s counterdisplay and PDQ know-how
Meiyaprinting’s catalog includes counter top and PDQ units designed for the POS register that save space and present small boxed merchandise. Product notes highlight “easy assembling” and flat-pack practicality, which reduces freight and setup burden.

Why that matters

• Lower landed cost because units ship flat and assemble without tools
• Faster campaigns because MOQs and two-to-three-week lead times work for pilots and seasonal windows
• Better brand blocking because micro-flute print carries detailed graphics that read clearly at arm’s length

Where counterdisplays shine in grocery and mass retail

1. Checkout and service counters for last-second add-ons such as snacks, gum, lighters, OTC minis, and phone accessories. Displays at or near the front end enjoy above-average influence on category purchase.
2. Click-and-collect desks where a compact CDU can add a curated “good-better-best” upsell while customers wait. Findings show many shoppers use pickup or delivery to avoid impulse spending, which means the in-store counter is your remaining impulse moment.
3. Pharmacy counters where seasonal wellness items and trial sizes fit the format and benefit from high visibility at payment. (Generalizable from POP and front-end research on display proximity and purchase effect.)

Five quick best practices to maximize ROI

• Put counterdisplays within the shopper’s natural reach and sightline at the card terminal or cash tray, not behind clutter, and keep price communication ultra simple.
• Pair the display with a limited-time price feature for a synergistic boost.
• Rotate themes monthly or by season to keep novelty high without training shoppers to ignore the unit. ‍
• Track a small test-versus-control panel at store level. Use weekly unit lift and on-hand compliance photos as your core KPIs. (Standard retail practice described by measurement vendors.)
• Close the loop on sustainability. Provide stores with your OCC recycling plan in the setup guide, which aligns with updated AF&PA methodology and retailer goals.

Risks and how to avoid them

• Non-compliance at store level delays payback. Use simple, tool-free structures and big, single-message headers to reduce setup time.
• Over-wide SKU mix reduces velocity per facing. Curate for margin and “grab-and-go” packaging, not breadth. Evidence shows nearby front-end and shelf displays affect purchase and brand choice differently, so keep the counter unit tight.
• Greenwashing concerns erode trust. Cite OCC recycling facts and avoid mixed, non-recyclable add-ons when possible.

The bottom line

Counterdisplays convert the last few inches of checkout real estate into measurable margin. With flat-pack corrugated structures, premium micro-flute print, and fast MOQs, Meiyastand and Meiyaprinting offer a practical way for supermarkets and brands to lift conversion, cut cost to execute, and keep sustainability front and center.

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