Pentel Displays Allow Shoppers To Try Before They Buy

Pentel of America is hoping to "moooove" sales of its new pens with the help of two countertop displays that allow customers to try the pens before buying. The pens, which write on dark paper in pastel colors, are called Milky Gel Rollers. The new line is being promoted via a cartoon cow character that wobbles over a crescent moon on the displays."We wanted to create a fashionable look that was attractive and expressed the uniqueness of the product," explains Richard Yano, commercial marketing manager for the Torrance, Calif.-based pen maker.The product provides one of seven colors of permanent gel ink that is waterproof and fadeproof and appears bright when applied to dark paper. The pen offers the features of a roller-ball pen, including smooth, smear-proof ink, while providing key elements of a ball-point pen, such as a see-through, octagon-shaped barrel, and a stainless steel tip.To convey the "milky" image and its ability to write on dark surfaces, Pentel used the cow and moon imagery in the displays. The smaller of the two units features a dozen of each of the seven ink colors, with each dozen in its own plastic holder at different levels around a central acrylic tower. The display base, measuring 8 inches in diameter, rotates to allow customers to see all the pens.The two-sided header incorporates the pastel colors of the pens in its copy and star symbols. The cartoon cow is attached by wire above a crescent moon, allowing her to wobble as the stand turns. The stand's base includes pads of Post-It Note brand pads in white and dark blue to allow customers to try the inks before buying.The larger display consists of an acrylic rectangular base and backer that picks up the same imagery from the smaller unit, as well as the overlapping crescent moon and wobbling cow. The header also includes more information about the pens. It holds 12 dozen pens (one dozen each of peach, yellow and light green, two dozen each of pink, sky blue and violet, and three dozen of white). Scratch pads are provided on this merchandiser as well, along with a slot on the right side for holding other products, such as dark Post-It Notes or similar items."We wanted to use the dark acrylic to bring out the attractiveness of the milky ink," Yano explains. The smaller display was introduced in April, with an initial production run of 9,000. The larger size, which was designed in-house, hit the market in May in a run of about 3,000. The displays were produced by Cytydel Plastics Inc., Carson, Calif.The product is being distributed to college bookstores, card shops, specialty stores and stationery stores. "It's a wide spectrum of accounts, but it's a very targeted distribution for us," Yano explains. Initial feedback from those stores is encouraging, he adds. "Our goal was to create an eye-catching display that these stores could put on their counter while still including a significant amount of product."

Pentel Displays Allow Shoppers To Try Before They Buy

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