Quarter pallets are increasingly used for floor and in-aisle retail display, and with good reason. While retail displays have been found to generally boost sales while eliminating case-picking labor at the warehouse and stocking hours at the supermarket, quarter pallet displays provide additional opportunities, as outlined below.
To be clear, consumer product distribution remains dominated in North America by the 48×40-inch footprint. There is no danger of that preference changing. However, a more nuanced approach involving other sizes can help unlock tactical opportunities for value creation. In this blog, we look at the quarter pallet, including what it is, why it can provide a competitive advantage in your supply chain, and handling considerations.
What’s in a name?
A quarter pallet, by definition, is one-quarter of a full-sized pallet. In the North American market, this is usually a 24×20-inch pallet, one-quarter of a 48×40-inch footprint. That size, however, depends on the size of the full-sized pallet. In Europe, a quarter pallet is typically 400 x 600 mm, one-quarter of a full-size 800 x 1200 mm europallet. A quarter pallet is a type of fractional pallet, along with widely utilized half pallets, as well as one-third pallets. In Australia, one-sixth pallets are used for retail display.
A source of competitive advantage?
Four quarter pallets nestled together to make a four-sided display.
As mentioned above, quarter pallets are great for display. Taking up four times less space than a full 48×40-inch pallet and only 50% of real estate required by a half pallet, quarter pallets allow retailers to significantly increase the number of different products displayed in the action alley, end aisles or anywhere on the sales floor. That’s important because floor displays have been found to generate impulse purchases and contribute to higher sales.
Of course, promotional pallets not only need to carry the load, but they also should be visually attractive. Quality is a crucial consideration because your company’s name, brand and product are riding on the quarter pallet. Resting on the retail floor, the pallet may be fully visible to shoppers if not skirted with corrugate as part of a display.
Display pallets, including quarter pallets, significantly streamline material handling by minimizing the need for individual item handling and stocking. By allowing distribution centers to send complete display pallets directly to stores, this process enables display pallets to be moved rapidly from storage to the shipping dock without requiring manual assembly of orders. Furthermore, even if a store’s demand may not warrant many full-sized 48×40-inch pallet shipments, using quarter pallets allows more products to be shipped efficiently as display-ready units.
The shipment of display quarter pallets can also help reduce product damage. One study determined that 80% of product damage in the CPG supply chain occurs between the distribution center and retail. This is often associated with order pickers stacking cases on pallets and subsequent issues due to instability and crushing. As a retail-ready display pallet remains intact until arriving at retail, it avoids the damage related to case-picked pallets.
Material handling considerations
Quarter pallet displays are typically stacked on top of 48×40-inch pallets to expedite efficient handling and storage from the point of display building to where quarter pallets are removed to be sent to the retail store. Care must be taken when balancing quarter pallets on a single fork tine, as discussed in this MHI article. As usage increases, specialized equipment can facilitate ease of handling for quarter pallet displays.
Additionally, any floor display pallet creates the risk of customer injury. For this reason, the use of good quality pallets is imperative. Displays should be monitored frequently and empty pallets removed. One legal expert recommends ensuring that display pallets are maintained at a height of at least three feet to minimize the risk of trip and fall injuries.
While fast-moving consumer products distribution continues to be dominated by 48×40-inch pallets, opportunities exist to create value through the tactical deployment of fractional displays, including the quarter pallet. And because it is your brand on display, choose the best quality pallet for the job. Contact PalletOne to explore how we can unlock new value for your supply chain.
