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3 November, 2026

Christmas E-Commerce Picking & Merch Trolleys | Palletower

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Christmas E-Commerce Picking: Display and Merch Trolleys for Faster Order Fulfilment 

Online order volumes climb sharply in the run-up to Christmas, and customers still expect their parcels to arrive quickly and correctly. According to Adobe, UK shoppers spent a record £26.9 billion online across November and December in 2025, and warehouse teams had to pick, pack, and dispatch every one of those orders. 

Picking is one of the most labour-intensive stages of fulfilment, and a study in the International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management puts its share of warehouse operating costs at around 55%. That’s why the equipment your team uses for e-commerce picking has such a direct effect on how quickly and accurately orders leave the building. 

Display and merchandise picking trolleys are the equipment that pickers push through the aisles and pick orders straight into, so getting them right makes a real difference when Christmas volumes peak. Below, we explain what these trolleys are, how they speed up e-commerce picking, and how to choose the right ones for the busy Christmas period.  

In this guide, we’ll cover: 

  • Why picking equipment matters during peak season. 
  • What are display and merchandise picking trolleys? 
  • How the right trolley speeds up e-commerce picking. 
  • Choosing the right picking trolleys for your operation. 
  • Preparing your trolley fleet for Christmas. 

Why Picking Equipment Matters During Peak Season 

The Christmas peak puts pressure on every part of e-commerce picking at once, as order numbers rise, each order contains more items, and many sites bring in temporary staff who need to get up to speed within days. 

Each of these pressures adds walking time, handling time, and room for error. That study also found that pickers spend around half their picking time travelling, so every extra trip around the warehouse slows the whole operation down. 

The right trolley eases that pressure by allowing each picker to collect more orders per trip, keeping every order in its own tote or shelf, and giving new starters equipment that’s simple to load and steer from their first shift. 

What Are Display and Merchandise Picking Trolleys? 

Display and merchandise picking trolleys are wheeled steel trolleys with caged sides and shelves or tote positions. Pickers use them to pick, hold, and move orders around the warehouse, from picking through to packing. 

Most models in Palletower’s range share four core features: 

  • Caged sides, with one side left open or fitted with doors, so pickers can load quickly while goods remain secure. 
  • Adjustable or interchangeable shelves that you can set up around the products you pick. 
  • Two fixed and two braked swivel castors, which keep the trolley steady on the move and in place while loading. 
  • A hinged handlebar for easy steering through aisles and around corners. 

Models with interchangeable shelves adapt to different products and tasks. The multi-use display trolley (20.MT8.1) takes C shelves for crates and U mesh shelves for smaller items, and both types sit flat or on a tilt, so once the Christmas peak is over, you can switch it from picking orders to restocking pick faces or displaying stock, giving it value well beyond peak season. 

How the Right Trolley Speeds Up E-Commerce Picking 

The design of a trolley shapes how you move, load, and check each order. Here’s how the right features make e–commerce picking faster during peak season. 

Picking Multiple Orders in One Trip 

Multi-tier and tote-based trolleys let pickers collect several orders on a single route, with each order kept in its own tote or on its own shelf. The multi-tier picking trolley (20.MT4) holds up to eight 600 x 400mm totes on sliding trays and carries up to 500kg, with 60kg per shelf. Its frame also has a bag hanger, scanner holder, and storage basket, so pickers have what they need to hand as they move. 

Walking the route once for up to eight orders cuts the number of trips each picker makes per shift and frees up time for the next batch. 

Keeping Orders Accurate and Separate 

When a trolley gives every order its own tote position or shelf, items from different orders are far less likely to get mixed up. Pickers can see at a glance which order they’re filling, and packers can check each tote against its order without sorting through a combined load. This keeps e-commerce picking accurate across your whole team, from experienced pickers to new starters on their first shift. 

Moving Easily Through Narrow Aisles

Many fulfilment sites run tight aisles to fit more stock into the same footprint, and smaller operations often pick from storerooms with little room to manoeuvre. The two-tier picking trolley (20.MT3) has a compact 830 x 460mm footprint and runs on four swivel rubber castors, so it turns easily between shelving runs. Its shelves also accommodate Euro, stack-and-nest, and bale-arm containers, so they work with the totes many sites already use. 

Alternatively, the compact merchandise picking trolley (20.MT6) holds four 600 x 400mm totes within a 660 x 1010mm footprint, and its push/pull handlebar on the short side helps pickers keep control in tight spaces, even when fully loaded. 

Reaching Stock at Height Safely

Stock on higher shelves usually means a trip to fetch a ladder, which costs time and tempts busy pickers to overreach instead. The picking trolley with steps (20.MT9) combines a picking trolley and a set of steps in one unit, with three spring-loaded steps that fold up into the frame when they’re not in use, so it moves easily through tight stockrooms and corridors. Ribbed rubber treads give pickers a stable footing, two of its five castors have brakes, and a fifth castor lets the trolley turn on the spot. With a 600kg capacity spread evenly across the load, it handles heavier orders, and its adjustable shelf lets you set the height to suit the products you’re picking. 

Taking Orders Straight to Packing

Once a route is complete, pickers can wheel the trolley straight into the packing station with every order still in its own tote. Because nobody has to transfer the goods into another container, re-handling time and the risk of damaged or missing items both drop. On the 20.MT4, the trays also slide out from both sides, enabling packers to reach orders with ease from either side of the trolley. 

Choosing the Right Picking Trolleys for Your Operation

Every e-commerce operation works differently, so it pays to match your trolleys to the way your team picks. Consider these factors: 

  • Order profile: Look at how many items a typical order contains and how large those items are, as this determines how many tiers, totes, or shelves each trolley needs. 
  • Tiers and shelf type: Multi-tier designs suit batch picking, and mesh shelves, such as the U shelf on the 20.MT8.1, suit smaller products. 
  • Aisle width: Measure your narrowest aisles and choose a slimmer model where space is tight, such as the 20.MT3 or the 450mm-wide stock trolley (20.MT10). 
  • Picking height: Choose a trolley with fitted steps, such as the 20.MT9, if your stock sits on higher shelves. 
  • Security: For high-value orders, choose a trolley with doors, such as the 20.MT2, which has wardrobe-style doors along one long side to secure the load. 
  • Storage when not in use: A foldable design, such as the stock trolley (20.MT12), folds down to take up less space once the Christmas rush ends. 
  • Load capacity: Check each model’s rating against the products you pick. The 20.MT2, 20.MT4, 20.MT8.1, 20.MT10, and 20.MT12 each carry up to 500kg, and the 20.MT9 carries up to 600kg as an evenly distributed load. 

Preparing Your Trolley Fleet for Christmas

A trolley that fails mid-shift slows a picker down at exactly the wrong moment, so make sure your fleet is ready and in working order before order volumes climb: 

  • Check your existing trolleys: Look for worn castors, faulty brakes, and damaged shelves, then replace or repair any trolleys which aren’t up to standard. 
  • Work out how many you’ll need: Base the number on your expected order volumes and how many pickers you’ll have on each shift, so nobody is left waiting for the next available trolley. 
  • Order in good time: Place your order as early as possible so your new trolleys are on site and in use before peak demand begins. 

Display and Merchandise Picking Trolleys from Palletower

The right trolleys help your team to pick faster and more accurately during the Christmas peak, when orders are at their highest. Palletower’s range of display and merchandise picking trolleys includes multi-tier, two-tier, compact, step-fitted, foldable, and four-sided designs. We hold thousands of items in stock for immediate UK dispatch, and there’s no minimum order, so you can add trolleys to your fleet quickly, ahead of Christmas. 

Major UK retailers, including Asda, John Lewis, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose, rely on Palletower equipment to keep their operations moving. Whether you need a few extra trolleys for the Christmas period or a full fleet for a new fulfilment site, our team are here to help you find the right fit. 

Browse Palletower’s display and merchandise picking trolleys, or contact us to enquire about the right trolleys for your operation. 

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