All you need to know about promotional standees and cardboard cut outs
Whether you want to turn heads at a trade show, launch new merchandise or promote special offers, cut outs and standees are a great way to communicate with customers and grab their attention.
There’s much more to cardboard cut outs than just one-off party décor – they also make excellent retail promotional tools. A perennially popular way to advertise seasonal deals and show off your best products, you can choose from floor-standing or countertop standees, depending on where you put them.
Strategically placed
Retailers and supermarkets tend to position floor-standing cut outs and standees in prominent locations with high footfall, such as entrances to stores. Likewise, restaurants and bars will also often pop standees just outside their doorways to highlight menu specials or happy hour.
Conference organisers, on the other hand, may dot handy wayfinding standees throughout a venue to help attendees find their way around huge buildings with complicated layouts.
Countertop standees, also known as strut cards, are miniature versions of a floor-standing cut out, with a strut at the back to keep it upright. Retailers like to use strut cards at till points to highlight the terms and conditions of sale, such as refund and exchange policies. They’re also commonly seen at restaurant tables and bars to list menu items and drink prices.
The materials
Depending on your requirements, your standee or cut out can be made from a variety of materials. Choose from:
- Correx: otherwise known as corrugated plastic, this white, branded material comprises two flat sheets joined together with multiple plastic ‘bridges’ for extra strength, thickness and firmness. Resilient in bad weather, it’s perfect for outdoor use.
- Foamex: also a white, branded plastic made of PVC foam. It ranges from 1-10mm thick and is best for permanent installations, as it’s robust and long-lasting but also heavy to lift.
- FoamCore: incredibly lightweight, stiff and flat, this foam-centred board offers a fantastic surface for printing, resulting in high-quality results.
- Display board: this solid, heavyweight board comprises recycled material between high-quality boxboard liners and is available in a range of thicknesses.
- Re-board: uniquely composed of corrugated board cells in multiple layers, re-board is extra strong, lightweight and malleable. It’s also 100% recyclable. Find out how we used it for clothing company, Cotton Traders.
- Corrugated board: a popular eco choice due to its excellent recycling properties, corrugated cardboard is also lightweight and easy to ship and store.
The benefits
Cardboard or PVC cut outs and standees are usually made from recycled materials, making them an economical choice.
They can be folded flat, so they’re simple to store, transport and dismantle. They’re also highly customisable, meaning you can shape them into any design you like.
They’re cost-effective, so however big your budget, you’ll find a material and style that will suit your needs. And best of all, the life size versions are supremely eye-catching, meaning that they’re guaranteed to be seen by a captive audience.
Things to consider
While we think investing in cut outs and standees is a smart decision, there are some points to consider before you go ahead:
- Think about where your standee will go and for how long; will it be exposed to the elements? Will you need to replace it regularly or is it a permanent feature?
- If you opt for a heavier material, you’ll need a lengthier strut at the back to support it
- People will see your standee up close and at eye level, so it’s vital you use high-quality print technology
- You might want to add matching hanging cut outs to give your display an edge
- Think about adding a leaflet holder or shelving to your free standing display unit
Cestrian helps some of the UK’s biggest retailers get noticed with impactful visual communications. If you’d like any advice about promotional cardboard cut outs and standees, get in touch with our expert retail team.
