Searching for the right ice cream supplies for your business? From size to printed graphics, the cups you choose for your takeout and prepackaged ice cream can have a significant impact on your customer satisfaction, branding and business as a whole.

Ice cream cups come in a wide range of designs and sizes, from small 3.5 ounce containers to large 14 ounces, 16 ounce and 32-ounce options. Choosing the right ice cream containers can help you offer the right options to your customers, all while enhancing your branding.

Ready to get started? Below, we’ve provided three easy but effective steps to help you choose the right ice cream containers for your ice cream shop, restaurant or premade ice cream brand.

Calculate Your Size Requirements

How big is your average serving of ice cream? One of the most important factors to consider while you’re comparing ice cream containers and cups is the average serving size your store offers for customers.

Most ice cream shops offer a range of sizes, starting from a single scoop of ice cream all the way up to large, prepackaged ice cream containers. Generally, you’ll want to consider three different sizes to offer the optimal level of choice for your customers.

Generally, a 3.5-ounce container is a good option for your smallest serving size, with five and eight ounce containers great for mid-sized and large servings. If you sell premade ice cream, you’ll also want to add some larger 12, 16 and 32-ounce containers for takeout purchases.

While it’s good to offer choices for your customers, it’s also important to limit them. Generally, you’ll want to stick to a maximum of three different ice cream container sizes to help reduce purchase friction for your customers and keep your menu straightforward and simple.

Choose Between Branded or Generic

Ice cream containers, cups and other supplies are available as generic products or with custom branding. Each of these options has advantages -- generic supplies are cheaper and available immediately, while custom branded containers are eye-catching and ideal for brand marketing.

Most of the time, the best bet is to invest in custom branded ice cream containers and cups to market your business and strengthen your brand. However, these products often come with a lead time, meaning you might need to wait several weeks before your order is ready.

As an alternative, generic ice cream cups and containers fitted with custom stickers can help you market your brand and promote your business, all while waiting for your custom supplies.

Lots of Takeout Orders? Offer Matching Lids

While most of your customers will want to enjoy their ice cream immediately, others might want to take it home to enjoy later. Because of this, it’s always best to offer matching lids for your ice cream containers.

Ice cream container lids come in several varieties, the most common of which are plastic dome lids and flat lids. If you offer sundaes, shakes and blended ice creams, you’ll want to make sure you have a range of plastic dome lids (as well as matching spoons) available.

For plain scooped ice cream, it’s also worth investing in flat lids, which can be used for takeout orders as well as pre-made, prepackaged ice cream products.