New Checkstand Belt Cover Delivers Marketing and Cleanliness

A new innovation from Compass Marketing, Inc. and Handstand Innovations, LLC turns grocery checkstand conveyor belts into cost-effective in-store billboards for consumer product advertisers, while at the same time enhancing cleanliness in an area in which virtually all shoppers hands make contact.

The two companies formed an integrated equity partnership to market and sell MessageWrap, a digitally-printed, antimicrobial conveyor belt cover that they say installs in minutes over existing supermarket conveyor belts, and can serve as an in-store medium for brands and advertisers to engage shoppers at checkout.

“We seek to solve a recognized problem in retail by providing a clean surface for shoppers to place their food and products on before they bring them home,” said John White, chairman and CEO of Annapolis, Md.-based , Compass Marketing. “At the same time, consumer products companies are focusing more and more on in-store advertising, but struggling to reach 100 percent of shoppers in a cost-effective way. In every problem lies a breakthrough opportunity.”

According to the vendors, the MessageWrap is coated with Good Armor antimicrobial material which protects from bacteria and germs that commonly inhabit store surfaces, making the checkout area more hygienic and enabling retailers to ramp up their commitment to store cleanliness.

The real estate offered by the MessageWrap also enables the retailer to use it as an advertising medium for the brands it carries. “Now advertisers can reach every single shopper at checkout with messages on a large, vivid space, while providing a high profile competitive advantage to their retail partners,” said Susan Vanderploeg, founder, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Handstand Innovations.

According to the companies, MessageWrap has already been installed for retailers and brands including Johnson & Johnson, SuperValu, Labatt, Spartan Stores, Raley’s Supermarkets, Chiquita Fresh Express, and Giant Eagle.