32 things to have settled before you commit to a display program.
Display programs rarely fail during assembly. They fail weeks earlier, when a corrugate order goes in late, or an artwork approval sits with a buyer, or nobody works the schedule backward from the set date to find out when product actually has to be on the floor.
The set date is the only fixed point. Everything else is negotiable right up until it isn't. Use this before you commit to a program, and again a month out.
THE PROGRAM AND THE WINDOW
☐ Do you have the retailer's set date in writing, not a verbal from the buyer?
☐ Have you worked backward from the set date to an in-DC date, and from there to a ship date and a build-complete date?
☐ Do you know the store count and the display count, broken out by any store clusters that get different configurations?
☐ Is this a one-time reset or a recurring refresh, and if it recurs, how often?
☐ Who at the retailer has final approval, and has the display been approved by that person?
☐ What happens to the program if the set date moves, in either direction?
THE DISPLAY
☐ Is the artwork final and approved, or still in revision?
☐ Has a physical prototype been built, not just rendered?
☐ Has a loaded prototype been shipped somewhere to confirm it survives transit intact?
☐ Does the display have its own item number in your system and in the warehouse's?
☐ Is there written, step-by-step assembly documentation, or does the process live in one person's head?
☐ What are the finished dimensions and weight when fully loaded?
☐ How many finished displays fit on a pallet, and how many pallets fit on a truck?
THE PRODUCT
☐ Is every SKU that goes into the display on hand, or scheduled with a confirmed date?
☐ Is the merchandising mix per display confirmed in writing, quantity by SKU?
☐ If one SKU runs short, do you ship partial displays or hold the whole program?
☐ Are any components coming from overseas, and what's the transit and customs exposure?
☐ Does the product need retail packaging or labeling before it goes into the display?
☐ Is there enough product overage to cover damage during build?
COMPONENTS AND MATERIALS
☐ Is the corrugate ordered, with a confirmed delivery date?
☐ Are headers, shelf strips, signage and any other printed components ordered on the same schedule?
☐ Who buys the shrink film, pallets, labels and tape, and is that settled?
☐ Where do materials get stored between arrival and build, and is that space accounted for?
☐ Is there overage on components to cover damage and rework, and how much?
COMPLIANCE AND LABELING
☐ Do you have the retailer's current routing guide, and has the warehouse been given the full document?
☐ Is the shipping label format and placement confirmed against that guide?
☐ Are pallet height, overhang, tier and high, and wrap specification confirmed?
☐ Does the account require an ASN, and is it clear who transmits it?
☐ Does the display itself need a UPC, retail-ready markings, or specific carton markings?
BUILD AND TIMING
☐ Has a sample run been built and timed before the rate was set?
☐ Is floor space reserved for staging components and building, for the full duration?
☐ Is there a written quality standard, and does someone other than the builder check against it?
☐ Are there buffer days between build-complete and ship, or does the schedule assume nothing goes wrong?
SHIPPING AND AFTERWARD
☐ Are delivery appointments scheduled at the retailer's DC, or at least is the process for getting them understood?
☐ Is freight booked, and is it clear who pays and who selects the carrier?
☐ Is there a documentation plan: photographs of a finished display, the pallet, the label, plus counts and the signed BOL?
☐ What happens to leftover displays, unused components and overage product when the program ends?
☐ If there's a reorder or a refresh, by what date do you need to know in order to hit it?
If you can't answer several of these
That's normal a few months out and a problem a few weeks out. The ones that hurt most are the lead-time items: corrugate, printed components, and anything coming from overseas. Those can't be compressed once the clock runs short, and they're the usual reason a program ships late or ships incomplete.
The second most common failure is pricing the build before anyone has built one. A display that looks like a three-minute assembly on paper can run eight once you account for staging components, loading product and checking the output. Build a sample run, time it, then price it.
If you're working through a program and want a second read on the schedule, send us the display spec and the set date. We'll tell you what we think is tight and where we'd build in buffer, whether or not we end up doing the work.