Which shopping basket should you choose for your type of store?
Hand baskets, wheeled shopping baskets, vertical or horizontal designs: discover which option suits your product range, available space and customer journey.
No single shopping basket suits every store. The design should reflect the product range, shopping journey and available space.
You can then decide whether hand baskets, wheeled baskets, horizontal or vertical designs, shopping trolleys or a mix of solutions work best.
Once you understand your customers’ shopping needs, the next step is to choose the design that best fits your store: hand-held or wheeled, horizontal or vertical, compact or high-capacity.
Two stores in the same sector may need different solutions. The product range, number of items purchased, product dimensions, total weight, time spent shopping and available space all affect which design will work best.
Five factors to consider when choosing the right shopping basket
Your retail sector is a useful starting point, but you should also consider how the basket performs in everyday use. These five factors help you compare options beyond capacity alone.
Shopping experience
Comfort, ergonomics, wheels and ease of movement throughout the shopping trip.
Safety
Stability and control on ramps, around corners and along busy routes.
Durability
Wheels, handles and construction suited to the expected intensity of use.
Space
Aisles, fitting rooms, checkouts, manoeuvrability and ease of stacking.
Lifetime cost
Maintenance, replacement and long-term product availability, not just the initial price.
Want to choose the right basket for your store?
Explore these five criteria in SB’s full guide: what to check before choosing and how to assess the details that matter.
Which shopping basket is best for pharmacies, beauty stores and small items?
Where products are small and customers buy just a few items, it often makes sense to prioritise lightweight construction, compact size and easy handling.
The capacity should suit a typical purchase without making the basket unnecessarily large.
Delux
Compact design for pharmacies, beauty shops, boutiques and retailers where appearance also matters.
View Delux 12 L →Which shopping basket is best for fashion stores?
In fashion retail, clothing can take up considerable space without adding much weight, and customers may keep adding items as they browse.
That is why large wheeled shopping baskets can be particularly useful: they prevent customers from carrying the entire load and reduce the risk of the basket limiting how many garments they can transport.
In fashion retail, a suitable basket can prevent carrying space from becoming a limitation as customers add garments.
Consider mobility alongside aisle widths, fitting rooms and basket return points.
You should also consider the size of fitting rooms. A large horizontal basket offers plenty of capacity, but a vertical option may be more practical where fitting rooms or circulation areas are narrow.
Models such as Bond or Superbond provide generous capacity within a more compact footprint, making them worth considering in these settings.
XXL
High-capacity horizontal basket for carrying multiple garments and bulkier purchases.
View XXL 80 L →
Match
Generous capacity and straighter sides to make better use of the internal volume.
View Match 86 L →
Bond
High-capacity vertical design where aisle or fitting-room space is limited.
View Bond 70 L →
Superbond
Generous capacity in a vertical design with a more compact footprint.
View Superbond 91 L → An XXL solution in a real retail project
Discover how 80-litre XXL baskets have been used in retail and the criteria considered when selecting the equipment.
A practical example linking product type, capacity and shopping experience.
Find the XXL case study →Which shopping basket is best for convenience stores and urban supermarkets?
In these stores, a small hand basket may not offer enough space, while a full-sized shopping trolley may be excessive for the visit or the available floor space.
It helps to offer options for both quick trips and medium-sized purchases that grow during the visit.
Barcelona
For medium to larger purchases when extra capacity is needed without using a trolley.
View Barcelona 54 L →Which shopping basket is best for supermarkets?
Supermarkets serve customers buying just a few items as well as those making larger purchases. Offering several capacities can therefore be more effective than expecting one basket to suit every trip.
For larger purchases, XXL 80 L and Match 86 L provide generous capacity while retaining the mobility of wheeled baskets.
Manoeuvrability under load is also worth assessing, particularly in food retail where baskets become heavier throughout the visit.
Which shopping basket is best for sports shops?
Sports retailers may sell clothing, footwear, accessories and products of very different dimensions, so shopping volume can vary considerably.
Larger wheeled baskets can accommodate substantial purchases without making customers carry the full weight. Choose the design to match the actual product range, from clothing and shoes to bulky goods.
Barcelona
For medium-sized purchases of clothing, footwear and accessories.
View Barcelona 54 L → Superbond
Very large vertical capacity for stores selling varied product categories.
View Superbond 91 L →Which shopping basket is best for homeware, DIY, toy shops and bulky items?
Where a store sells boxes, toys, tools, homeware or irregularly shaped items, internal basket geometry can be just as important as total capacity.
Match
Straighter sides help make better use of internal space for boxes and large items.
View Match 86 L → Superbond
Generous vertical capacity when minimising the footprint matters.
View Superbond 91 L →The final choice: design, products and space
Choosing well is not about finding the largest basket, but checking that the design, your products and your store layout work together.
Design
Hand-held or wheeled, horizontal or vertical? Consider weight and the length of the shopping trip.
Products
Check dimensions and shape: small items need secure containment; bulky ones need usable internal space.
Space
Check aisles, turning areas, fitting rooms, checkouts and collection points before rolling out a model.
The ultimate test: use products customers actually buy and see how they fit and move around the store. Two baskets with the same stated capacity can provide very different experiences.
SB shopping basket comparison by type of purchase
| Model | Capacity | Design | Best suited when… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet | 10 L | Hand basket | The purchase is small and products are compact. |
| Delux | 12 L | Hand basket | Beauty retail, pharmacies, boutiques and specialist stores. |
| FIT | 26 L | Hand basket | Customers shop quickly but need a little more capacity. |
| RB32 | 32 L | Horizontal wheeled basket | Medium-sized purchases and convenience retail. |
| Barcelona | 54 L | Horizontal wheeled basket | Medium-sized purchases are starting to require more capacity. |
| Bond | 70 L | Vertical wheeled basket | High capacity is required where circulation space is restricted. |
| XXL | 80 L | Horizontal wheeled basket | Fashion, sports and bulky purchases. |
| Match | 86 L | Horizontal wheeled basket | Products are large and efficient use of the internal space matters. |
| Superbond | 91 L | Vertical wheeled basket | A large capacity is needed with a more compact footprint. |
Frequently asked questions
Which shopping basket should I choose for a fashion store?
High-capacity wheeled baskets may be particularly useful. XXL 80 L and Match 86 L offer generous volume in a horizontal design, while Bond 70 L and Superbond 91 L provide vertical capacity that may suit narrow aisles or fitting rooms.
Which shopping basket should I choose for a convenience store?
It depends on the typical purchase size. FIT 26 L suits quick shops; RB32 32 L provides wheels in a compact design; and Barcelona 54 L adds capacity for medium-sized purchases.
Which shopping basket should I choose for a supermarket?
A mix of capacities may be useful. RB32 and Barcelona suit medium-sized purchases, while XXL, Match, Bond and Superbond cater for larger shopping trips.
Is a vertical or horizontal wheeled basket better?
It depends on the application. Horizontal baskets offer a wider base; vertical designs provide capacity within a more compact footprint. Products, space and shopping routes should guide the decision.
