Even if numbers don’t usually impress you, the ones shared during Doug Stephens’ “The Future of Consumerism” session might change your mind: 13,614 is the number of retail stores that closed 2017- 2018; during Singles Day in China in 2018, Alibaba sold $10 billion in merchandise – in the first hour; 66% of product searches begin on Amazon; and Nordstrom has a 3,000 square-foot department store that doesn’t contain any product.

But what does that have to do with car washes? All of these points are related to consumers, and understanding consumer-trends is a big part of understanding what could lead to the growth and success of your car wash(es). And that is where Stephens’ expertise comes into play – understanding consumers and consumerism.

Stephens proceeded to wow the audience with specific examples worldwide that illustrated each of his points and became increasingly intriguing the more he shared. Alibaba sold 100,000 cars in a day. A new patent filed by Walmart is for a fully automated store – right in your home. Artificial intelligence has been trained to sell credit cards. Magic Leap, a startup in Florida, created a product that makes the online shopping experience more physical. The Museum of Ice Cream by Mary-Ellis Bunn, “a gallery of experiences” based on selfie photos, is making her “a fortune.”

These new ideas have something in common: They are experiences. “We have to stop think of [car washes] as just products and start thinking of them as experiences within those products or services.”

We have to be cunning and crafty in how we run our businesses, added Stephens, and be S.U.P.E.R.: Surprising, Unique, Personalized, Engaging and Repeatable with our customer service. Plus, with the advancements in technology, “We are going to have to change the way we market for a world filled with artificial intelligence.”

He encouraged the audience to ask, “What rules can we break? Find rules and break them.” And when you find the magic idea, go first! He challenged everyone to look for exactly that: “Can you do something in your category that someone hasn’t done before? Something consumers can rave about?” He added, “We need to wrap the consumer up in an experience in your car wash… where they want to back up and do it again, because it was so incredible.”