Location, location, location. This phrase doesn’t just apply to real estate – it also applies to a store’s shopping baskets. Indeed, strategic basket placement can significantly boost a retailer’s or grocer’s bottom line. When customers can easily find and grab a basket at your store, they’re more likely to make larger purchases since it’s much easier to fill a vessel with goods than try to carry multiple items by hand. Even if you’re aware of this trend, however, you might not know which spots make for the best basket locations inside your store. Some experimentation will be required to find the optimal arrangement, but there are a number of areas prime for basket placement that apply to virtually any store that carries them.

Here we’ll go over some of the best places to display shopping carts throughout your store to maximize visibility, sales, and convenience.

Best Places to Display Shopping Carts Throughout Your Store

In Breezeways

Not every retail or grocery store will feature a breezeway, but those that do offer a perfect initial location for their shopping baskets and carts. These areas are primarily designed as a buffer between the weather and the store’s interior, but they also provide shelter for carts and baskets and help funnel customers into the store a certain way. Taking advantage of these additional functions, consider placing baskets inside the breezeway towards the entrance of the store, so customers don’t have to think twice about grabbing one before they even step inside the store proper. Your baskets will be safe from environmental hazards and, at the same time, won’t take up any space directly inside your store.

Upon Entry

Benefits of breezeways notwithstanding, it’s usually a good idea to place baskets right inside your store’s entrance, too. As previously mentioned, not all stores have breezeways, and those that do might have customers who neglect to grab a shopping basket until they’re actually inside. Whatever the case, offering baskets upon entry is an important way to encourage customers to make larger purchases from the get-go and provide a more comfortable, convenient experience. Just be sure to not block anyone’s path with your entryway shopping baskets – rather, keep them to the side but still within everyone’s eye line as they come into your store. Also, make sure there are enough baskets to accommodate everyone, and that someone is on top of returning baskets to their holders after use.

Right in the Middle of Your Store

Not all of your shoppers will snag a basket right when they enter your store. A significant portion of customers will only come in for a few items or a single purchase and do not want to bother carrying around a basket they don’t need. If you do a good job of merchandising, however, you can convince many of these customers to pick up a few extra items along their journey. If their last-minute list gets too big, however, they might suddenly find themselves in the middle of your store with their hands full. Rather than walk back to the entrance for a basket or cart, they might abandon these extra items or immediately fumble their way to the register. If, on the other hand, they notice a collection of baskets nearby, they can easily drop their handful into the vessel and continue their trip to everyone’s benefit. These situations might be somewhat rare, but it’s best to anticipate them so you can accommodate every customer and reap the rewards of larger sales.

At Every Corner

The situation described above can occur anywhere throughout your store, not just somewhere in the middle. There’s no telling precisely where a customer will be when they realize they require a basket, so it’s wise to store shopping baskets at every corner of your store. This way, a shopper will never be too far from a shopping basket when they need one. Once again, make sure these baskets don’t take up too much floor space, but don’t keep them so tucked away that no one can see them.

Near Products that are Difficult to Carry Otherwise 

Placing your basket at the entrance, middle, and corners of your store is a good rule of thumb, but you might want to be more specific with your strategy to really boost sales numbers and improve the customer experience. To optimize your basket placement, put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Think about which items are often purchased in droves (e.g., individual yogurt cups, produce, snack bars), difficult to carry (e.g., heavy or oddly shaped items), and extremely fragile (e.g., glassware, eggs). Most customers will want to use a basket to carry these products, so be sure to keep some around wherever such items are sold.

Additional Advice for Basket Placement

Here are some other tips for placing shopping baskets inside your store:

• Keep your shopping basket display at waist level, so those who don’t wish to (or can’t) bend down can still grab one without hassle
• Maximize basket visibility with clear signage, bold basket colors, logo placement, and (if capacity allows), large baskets
• Feel free to experiment with basket placement until you find configurations that work for your bottom line and your customers alike

Boost Your Business with Smart Basket Placement

Shopping baskets are valuable assets. Maximize their potential by ensuring every customer who wants one can easily grab one and encouraging everyone else to pick one up, too. And as you consider the right locations for your baskets, boost their visibility by investing in a new stock of custom baskets that represent your business’ color scheme and brand.

Good L Corporation delivers innovative shopping cart and basket solutions for retailers on a global scale. Good L Corp. can configure the right carryall strategy to boost your retail business, from a fleet of new custom carts to launch your store opening to replacement baskets that supplement your existing shop supply. Let’s get started! Contact us today for a no-pressure sales quote!