Certified Origins Magazine
- The Costco Packaging Guys
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
We recently contributed to Certified Origins Magazine to talk about the Elements of a Winning Costco Display
Link to article:
Here's the breakdown:
📦 Elements of a Winning Costco Pallet Display
What Separates the Winners from the Rest on the Costco Floor
Selling at Costco isn’t about having great packaging — it’s about having great structural merchandising. Your pallet display is your shelf, your billboard, your shipping unit, and your silent salesperson all at once. The brands that win understand this and design accordingly.
Here’s a deeper breakdown of what actually makes a Costco pallet display successful:
🏟 Costco Is a Different Retail Game
Costco is not a traditional retail environment. There are no aisles of shelves, no planograms, and no second chances.
Your display must survive manufacturing, freight, cross-dock handling, forklifts, and member interaction — while still looking perfect on the floor.
If it fails structurally, it never even reaches the member.
📏 Structure First, Design Second
A winning pallet display starts with engineering, not graphics.
Must meet Costco’s strict pallet and height requirements
Must pass ISTA testing and real-world abuse
Must be stable even when partially shopped
Must be safe for members and employees
Beautiful displays that collapse are dead on arrival.
👀 Win the 5×5 Rule
Costco members shop fast. You have 5 seconds from 5 feet away to communicate:
What is it?
Why is it special?
Why is it a great deal?
If that message isn’t instantly clear, the member keeps walking.
🔁 Three-Side Shoppability Is Non-Negotiable
Your display must sell from at least three sides.
Why? Because you never know how Costco will place it on the floor.
Smart brands design:
Open trays or tear-away panels
Clear product access from multiple angles
Displays that still look full as product sells down
🏆 You Must Beat Kirkland (Visually and Strategically)
Costco’s private label sets the value bar.
You win by offering something Kirkland doesn’t:
Unique bundle or pack size
Exclusive formula or flavor
Strong story or benefit
Obvious value communication
This is about differentiation, not decoration.
📦 Product Visibility Beats Logo Size
Members buy what they can see.
The most successful displays put product first, brand second.
Let the product do the selling
Make quantities visible
Show scale, abundance, and value
A big logo doesn’t move units — product presence does.
🎨 Simple, Bold Graphics Convert
Costco is a warehouse, not a boutique.
Overdesigned displays get lost in the noise.
Winning displays use:
Large type
Clear claims
High contrast
Minimal copy
Obvious value cues
Clarity beats creativity every time.
🌱 Sustainability Is Now Table Stakes
Costco increasingly expects:
Less plastic
More corrugate
Recyclable materials
Efficient cube utilization
Smart packaging is good for the planet and your margin.
✅ The Big Takeaway
A Costco pallet display is not packaging — it’s retail strategy made physical.
The brands that win treat it as:
A structural system
A merchandising tool
A logistics solution
A sales engine
Get those right, and the graphics become the easy part.
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