Fight your spellcheck: Shoppability is a word [new content]
- The Costco Packaging Guys
- Sep 9, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 13
Quick Answer: Shoppability is the degree to which a Costco pallet display can be seen, understood, and shopped — fast. You have 5 seconds to communicate what your product is and why a member wants it. The packaging IS the shelf at Costco, which means shoppability isn't an afterthought — it's the entire design brief. Three-side shoppable (TSS) pallet displays are the gold standard.
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What makes a pallet display Shoppable?
Or in other words, as the Oxford dictionary puts it: Conducive to shopping?
A Nielsen report from 2015 says the average consumer spends 13 seconds purchasing a brand in-store; We say you’ve got 5 seconds. 5 seconds to communicate what your item is and why the member wants it.
How is that communicated? Packaging.
Thankfully, we have impactful packaging at our disposal in Costco. For starters, we are shipping into the store our actual shelf! Think about that. The product leaves your facility and isn’t broken down, stocked, or even touched until it's sitting on the floor. We have a story to tell and brand owners, in Costco, have the luxury of telling the exact story we need to communicate member value
You have to be seen to be shopped, and the best way to do that is to advertise on all sides-- or at least three
Lets not make it hard on our customers.
We only have mere seconds of their attention and decisions happen quick.
Our store shelf system survived the Cross Dock and we’ve made it to the Club floor. What's next? Shoppability.
When thinking about the best way to layout your feature pallet I ask myself the following: What is the best way to be seen and how do I attract attention to the product?
With the countless ways to organize product on a pallet, it's important to consider the planogram-less, rotating aisles of Costco. How are we using our Shelves to our advantage?
This is where the TSS (three-side-shoppable) pallet display reigns supreme. Endcap, no problem. Under the steel, looks great.
Costco’s primary merchandising face is the 48” side of the pallet. A TSS pallet simply means product is merchandised, and can be easily shopped, from three sides of the pallet. Primary 48” side + both 40” sides. This allows for a flexible and premium shopping experience from any angle.
This makes it easy on your customer, and motivates store employees to place your pallet on an end cap-- driving sales velocity.
Make the product your hero by attracting attention to the product; not the packaging. Design to avoid distracting void fillers. Design from the start, and the add structural elements needed to cube out a pallet that is going to survive the rigors of the cross-dock system. IF done right, those structural elements become your void filler & your marketing area.
Work with your buyer, your designers and rely on a co-pack facility that is gong to ensure pallets are done right.
Cheers,
TCPG
Frequently Asked Questions
What does shoppable mean in Costco packaging? A shoppable Costco pallet display can be seen, understood, and purchased from without friction — ideally from three sides. Because members make decisions in seconds, your packaging must communicate product and value instantly from any angle.
What is a TSS pallet display at Costco? TSS stands for three-side shoppable. A TSS display merchandises product from the primary 48" face and both 40" sides — giving flexibility for endcap placement and a premium shopping experience from any angle.
How long does a Costco member take to make a purchase decision? Nielsen puts the average at 13 seconds. At Costco, the effective window is closer to 5 seconds — which is why the 5×5 Rule is central to Costco packaging design.
What makes a Costco pallet display shoppable? Visibility from multiple sides, a clear value statement, product as the hero, and structural integrity through sell-down. Done right, structural elements double as your marketing surface.
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