When selecting new shopping carts for your store, your primary concerns will probably be size, durability, versatility, and other practical matters. That said, appearances count for something, too – indeed, the way your carts look can have a significant impact on your store’s success. Humans are visual creatures, after all. Providing a positive and cohesive atmosphere for your customers can go a long way. Many factors contribute to your store’s overall atmosphere, such as interior paint design, lighting, layout, flooring, and more. Your store’s shopping carts might represent the missing link that ties this entire environment together.

Here we’ll discuss how choosing the right color for your shopping carts enhances your store atmosphere and benefits your business as a whole.

Benefits of Choosing the Right Color for Your Shopping Carts

Reinforces Your Brand

Most of us have entered stores with generic, gray, or silver shopping carts. Though there’s nothing inherently wrong with these vessels, they undeniably lack character. Nothing about these run-of-mill shopping carts serves as a stamp for a specific store or brand. Rather, these carts merely serve their most basic function and nothing more. Colorful carts, on the other hand, have more going for them. Stores that stick with a particular cart color scheme signal to their customers that even these basic assets are part of their larger brand. If these cart colors match the business’ logo/color scheme, they contribute to greater brand cohesion and recognition. When someone shops at your store with such a brand-specific cart, there will be no question as to where they’re shopping and why. The same cannot be said for those colorless, common carts.

Creates Memorable Contrast

You don’t have to match your cart’s colors to your business’ established color scheme or logo. That said, you don’t want to go with just any color for your shopping carts. Color choices should be intentional, informed by your store’s existing appearance. If your store dons red walls or shelving units, a red shopping cart might blend in too much and overwhelm the eye. If your store’s interior is primarily green or blue, on the other hand, red carts can provide a splash of contrast that makes for a more visually intriguing and coordinated atmosphere. Whether your carts blend in your stand out is a matter of preference, but balance is key.

Increases Visibility

Speaking of visual contrast, the visibility of colorful carts serves an important practical function, too. In highly active stores, cart collisions are somewhat common. People bump into each other and shelves when turning corners or simply not paying attention. While some of these accidents are virtually unavoidable, they are more easily averted when everyone can clearly make out other shoppers and their carts. Carts that are colored bright green, red, orange, yellow, etc. are hard to miss, especially when the store is well-lit and features walls and floors that contrast with said carts. These bright carts are also easier to locate should they become misplaced or stolen. As such, this enhanced visibility reduces liability and facilitates better organization.

Boosts Employee Morale

Anyone who’s worked in retail knows how challenging the job can be day after day. Even those who love their position stand to benefit from the mood boost that certain colors can bring to the table. Color psychology is an evolving and somewhat controversial science, but evidence suggests that different colors have different effects on the brain. Generally speaking, darker, dull colors can bring down one’s mood and lead to fatigue. Bright colors such as orange, yellow, and pink, on the other hand, may be energizing and lift one’s spirits. Of course, one person might respond to one color differently than someone else. Additionally, too much of any color can become tedious or overwhelming (just because pink can be mood-boosting doesn’t mean you should fill your store with this color). Once again, balance is key. Introducing some additional color to your store with colorful shopping carts just might improve employee morale across the board (along with other efforts such as cleanliness, better working conditions, periodic pay raises, etc.).

Improves the Customer Experience

Your employees aren’t the only people who may benefit from colorful carts, either. Shopping is a chore, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a slog. Brightening up your store’s atmosphere with the right shopping cart colors can improve the customer experience and might even incentivize people to choose your business over your competitors. Other shopping cart features like kid-friendly options, superior maneuverability, and large capacity can also contribute to a better shopping experience. Honing in on these features ultimately helps you achieve a larger, happier customer base and increase sales over the long term.

A Little Color Goes a Long Way

So, how does the use of colors affect store atmosphere? Choosing the right colors for your shopping carts reinforces your business’ brand, increases visibility, improves the moods or your employees and customers, and might even boost sales over time. Good L Corp. manufactures and customizes both wire and plastic shopping carts, though plastic carts can be colored more completely due to their composition. Whatever the case, we can also attach your brand logo to each and every cart as a final touch to further drive home your brand and enhance your store’s atmosphere.

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!