Alcone Tester Display Supports, Enhances Unique Packaging

Nails and enamel are products that most consumers expect to see in hardware stores -- and Vince Malardi doesn't disappoint. Although, his enamel comes in tiny half-ounce cans and the nails referred to can be found on the hands of chic women around the world.President of Alcone Professional Makeup, New York, Malardi and Manhattan manicurist, Roxana Pintilie, launched a division called the Hardware Co. in 1998 after coming up with the idea of a nail polish packaged in a paint can. First came the package (which was designed in-house at Alcone), followed by the product, the brand, the line and finally, a display. "The can was the point," says Malardi. "A year and a lot of money later, we made the product for the can."Attention-getting and distinctive, the miniature paint can is also functional. Users can slip a finger under its tiny wire handle for better control of the brush in the lid when applying the nail enamel. And the aluminum can shields the contents from the color-altering effects of light."Aside from the novelty of the can, a lot of people like the polish -- it's a very long-lasting polish from Belgium," notes Malardi. "The teen market is very big for it." Available in boutiques and finer department stores including Fred Siegal and Henri Bendel, the Hardware Nail Enamel line is sold throughout the United States, Canada, England, Japan and Saudi Arabia.With such a vast array of retailers carrying the product, Malardi decided that the company "needed a way to keep all the testers in one area because every store was displaying the product differently." On the strength of the unique packaging alone, he says, "there are a million ways you can merchandise it and it looks good, but for testing we wanted all of the product to be on a turntable."Measuring 7 inches high by 12 inches in diameter, the clear acrylic display was designed and produced by Nikles Design Corp., Oceanside, N.Y. Following an initial order of 300 units, an additional 200 units entered the marketplace in March.Free with a minimum order of product that is shipped separately, the display consists of two flat rings of laser-cut, green-edged acrylic that sandwiches a polished aluminum ring. Four acrylic uprights provide height while exposed assembly bolts reinforce the "hardware" branding. For added punch, a clear turntable and internal structure were used to take advantage of the reflected light from illuminated cosmetic counters. The design, says Christopher Wesch, vice president-creative at Nikles Design, provides "cost-effective glitz without taking away from the small product."Recently, when Malardi ordered additional displays, he added a black hot stamp over the embossed logo to increase the visibility of the Hardware name.

Alcone Tester Display Supports, Enhances Unique Packaging

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