If you have a small brick-and-mortar business, there are many factors you must juggle. You might have many questions about how to appeal to your in-store customers. One of those decisions will be deciding on either shopping carts or baskets for your business. Read on to determine which style suits your shopping experience.
Shopping Carts: Pros and Cons
Shopping carts are a staple of many larger stores, and one could assume yours is no different. They come with all sorts of benefits and a few drawbacks.
The first benefit is obvious: shopping carts can hold more, and people typically buy more if they have more room. However, large baskets can be cumbersome and hard to maneuver, especially for people with disabilities. Some plastic metal grocery carts for sale also require more maintenance than others.
However, if you have a large grocery store or open shopping layout, it’s wise to pick the shopping cart. You want your customers to have as many options for their individual needs as possible. If you can afford it, we urge you to get shopping carts that are suitable for the disabled and elderly. That way, no target demographic is left out.
Baskets: Pros and Cons
Baskets are perfect for customers who want to come to your store, buy a few things, and leave. They aren’t cumbersome like carts, and they’re easy to handle.
However, baskets suffer from the opposite problem as carts. They’re smaller, so if you have only baskets in your store, your customers will never have the opportunity to buy more because they can’t fit more in their baskets. If your store is a small business or a novelty store, you may not need large carts. Baskets can you’re your shopping experience just fine.
Which Should You Choose?
As a general rule, not having a cart will cut a large business’s profits tremendously. If you’re a small business, investing in carts might be a waste.
How would you like to go to a grocery store with a shopping list of twenty items, and you only see baskets? You’ll likely go somewhere else that can accommodate your list. Do you think a small store will ever have a customer spend so much money they need a cart? Probably not. It would be best if you used carts and baskets to accommodate the needs of your business.
That said, some businesses can benefit from carrying both. Look at your inventory and consider the shopping habits of your customers. If larger purchases occur but are less frequent, offering both baskets and carts ensures you keep everyone happy.
In short, whether you get carts or baskets is based solely on your needs. When you accommodate the customer, you should see an automatic improvement in your bottom line.
