“POS material becomes a silent vendor.”

The point of sale is where the customers are in direct contact with the products. And it’s also where targeted sales-promoting measures – such as the presentation of POS materials – can really make a difference. Jean-Pierre Hamelin, Shunga’s Marketing Director, tells us which POS materials his company offers to support the retail trade. And in line with the topic of this interview, EAN present some pictures to demonstrate how Shunga’s POS materials are used in stores all over the world.

Can you give us a quick overview of the POS materials Shunga is currently making available to its trade partners?
Jean-Pierre Hamelin: We have flyers for store customers, counter cards, posters, product displays, iPad images, and videos. All this material is free of charge. For employees and home party representatives, we have information guides. We also have product testers for stores. It’s all available from your distributor. We will even send a 2017 marketing catalogue to our distributors in a few weeks.

How important are POS materials and shop-in-shop system in today’s adult market?
It’s really important for any retailer. You don’t know when a customer wants help or not. In our industry, people are often too shy to ask questions. So, POS material becomes a silent vendor. Also, if the store employee is occupied with someone, they can look at information by themselves.

Is there a common thread when you create and manufacture POS materials?
All our POS material is colourful and respects the new Shunga brand image. It’s also created to feature the product packaging and product insights.

How often does Shunga bring new POS materials to the market and are these directly related to new products?
All our general POS tools are renewed each year (i.e. flyers and guide). Specific POS material for a product is changed when new packaging is created or when we change the product.

Brick and mortar stores can be extremely different in size and layout, thus creating individual requirements for POS materials. Is there the chance to get customised POS materials from Shunga?
For sure! When we know the stores’ dimensions and needs, we can design and resize any visual internally at our offices.

Shunga stands for romance, sensuality, togetherness, etc. and you are active on a global scale. Is there a difference in your POS materials between different continents or countries?
Besides having different languages, no. We try to communicate the same branding internationally and build on our drawings and the Shunga erotic art form. Our POS material serves as an ensemble with the products on the shelves.

What reactions do you get from the trade members regarding your POS and advertising materials? Do they have a long-term impact on sales figures?
Yes, sales go up when stores sell the line completely. The brand has impact when you carry a lot of SKUs and stock is good. Supported by the marketing tools, it becomes a serious brand and a brand customers can trust. When you look at the examples with the Shunga wall, it also embellishes the stores, don’t you think?

Are the POS materials available directly from you or your distributors and wholesalers respectively?
It’s always available through distributors and it’s a good way of seeing if the distributor supports the brand when they carry the POS material. If you have problems getting POS material, you can write to info@shunga.com or to me directly: jphamelin@shunga.com