Point of sale

How it is used

Shortened to POS. In marketing, POS materials are the displays, shelf signs, stands and posters in stores. A similar term is point of purchase (POP). Before a noun it takes hyphens: point-of-sale display.

Example sentences

1. The point-of-sale displays arrive in stores a week before the TV campaign starts.

2. Most decisions about snacks are made at the point of sale, not at home.

Common collocations

• point-of-sale display
• POS materials
• at the point of sale
• point of purchase

Related terms

• impulse buyingBuying something suddenly without planning to, often because of a display, a special offer or a strong feeling in the moment.
• below the lineDescribes marketing that targets specific groups more directly, such as in-store promotions, events, sampling, direct mail and sponsorship, rather than mass media.
• packagingThe box, bottle, bag or wrapper that holds and protects a product, and the design on it that attracts buyers and gives information.
• distribution channelThe route a product takes to reach the final customer, for example through wholesalers, retailers, the company's own stores or an online shop.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• point of sale · Sales & Retail

More terms: Marketing Mix & Product

• marketing mix
• four Ps
• promotion
• product life cycle