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The iconic size marker, also known as size cubes, has been a staple of the retail industry for so long, sometimes we forget that it hasn’t always been around. In fact, one of the earliest plastic size markers on the market was invented in 1970 by a company in Sweden, these markers were round with the size printed on one side.
But the four-sided cube shaped size marker didn’t come about until later that decade and Morplan had a lot to do with it…
The launch of the ‘mini-cube’ and Morplan’s role
Although precise dates have been lost over time, we know that Morplan began producing cube shaped size markers in the 1970’s.
Noticing a niche in the market that no-one else was filling, the team set about inventing a cube printing machine that could print sizes on all four sides of the cube at once, for faster and more cost-effective production. These cubes were a lot more practical for retailers and customers alike because it meant you could see the clothing size from all angles.
Morplan filed the patent for the mini-cube size marker in the early 1980’s, a patent that we held until around 2005/2006!
The popularity of our size markers
Our printing machine allowed us to print markers in different colours and to create bespoke options when a retailer required it.
At the height of production, we were printing 4 million cubes a week, with production running 24 hours a day, 5 days a week to meet the demand.
To this day, we still print our size markers in house, producing roughly a million cubes per week. Last year we invested in a brand new tampo printing machine, which can be print cubes at even faster rate and gives more options than ever before for bespoke cubes.
Why are size markers still so popular?
According to this article, “Well-designed displays can increase sales by up to an astounding 540% when compared to unorganised or cluttered display”, it also states that visually appealing displays increase the perception of the product’s quality and properly designed and organised retail spaces contribute a 5% increase to customer satisfaction.
So, while size markers seem like they play a small role in retail design and organisation, they are still popular because they are a simple, yet effective solution for indicating sizing to your customers. Due to the fact it pops easily onto the hook of the hanger, it reduces how much the public need to handle your clothing to see sizing and makes the purchasing process much smoother. Reducing frustration and hassle keeps customers happy and happy customers spend more!
Also, on the practical side as a retailer, they are easy to add and remove, re-usable and recyclable. It makes organisation and assisting customers that much easier.
Size markers in the present day
We now produce our size cubes in a whole variety of colours and regularly work with companies to create bespoke cubes.
Our range has since expanded to include micro-markers, classic circular markers, stock rotation clips, stock rotation disks and size tickets. Because everything we do is with the practical needs of retailers in mind, we also expanded to rail dividers, for easy stock and warehouse organisation. (Not to mention we also stock the hangers and the clothes rails you can put the size cubes on!)
Get in touch today if you are interested in bespoke options or check out some of our size cubes below!
- Bespoke cubes for Vision Foundation, designed to be easier for visually impaired people to read
