We live in an on-demand world. More and more, customers expect immediate service and support, especially from the companies they are most loyal to. Businesses from coffee shops to hotels are responding in kind, and the trend toward providing an exclusive “fast-lane” for customers is inescapable in the modern business landscape.
Savy businesses realize that consumers are now demanding immediate and personalized service, and the push to respond to this need is driven by smartphone technology. Starbucks debuted its order-ahead app, allowing customers to skip long coffee lines to pick up a specialty drink on their own schedule. Want to be in and out of the ever-crowded Mexican establishment Chipotle in time to still run errands during lunch? There’s an app for that. You can now even skip check in at Starwood hotels and with a few button clicks find your room and use your smartphone as a door key.
Time or money: this is the dilemma modern consumers face repeatedly. Often, they turn to to the businesses and services they utilize to solve this dilemma. Solutions powered by smartphone technology will provide customers with high-end services they are willing to pay a premium for. The traditional car wash model can utilize these concepts to provide fast-lane service to specific customers, even if that means simply moving slower customers over to a different line. Acknowledgement of the value of consumer time and seeking ways to provide customers with on-demand services will set some in the car wash industry apart.
Got smartphones?
According to the Pew Research Center, 64 percent of American adults own a smartphone. It’s no wonder that the American auto industry has followed suit by enabling automobiles with their own WiFi hotspots featuring 4G connectivity. Manufactures from General Motors to Tesla feature dashboards that allow passengers to access their favorite apps just as they would from their smartphone. Apps directly geared toward drivers on the road are gaining popularity, such as Luxe, which allows drivers to request on-demand valet service from anywhere. The possible applications for the car wash industry are abundant and offer innovative ways to maximize productivity and profits.
Robbie Abed, director of Product Strategy for Y Media Labs, said the modern consumer desires a “frictionless experience whether they realize it or not. The more frictionless the experience it is, the more the user will continue to use the product because they know the time investment is going to be minimal.” He imagines an app that would create and maintain a personal connection between car wash and car owner. “I think the perfect use case would be that the car would alert me when the car is dirtier than normal and give me immediate directions to the nearest car wash or even offer relevant deals. It can also push these alerts when it knows you haven’t received a car wash in a while.”
Car wash? There’s an app for that!
In California, the high-tech world and car wash industry have already blended. Washos and Wype are both app-driven companies that provide consumers with on-demand mobile car washing. A departure from the traditional car wash, Washos and Wype boast bringing auto detailing to the consumer at any time and in any place.
Washos bills itself as “the modern on-demand detailing service provider.” After signing up for Washos, auto detailers, all background-checked and fully insured, come equipped to your appointment with premium, eco-friendly supplies. Services range from a Lavish Car Wash to Outright Auto Detailing. Bertrand Patricias, co-founder in charge of strategy and operations, said that since launching a year ago in Los Angeles, Washos has 3,000 registered users on their iPhone app and around 700 customers. Thirty percent of these customers are seeking multiple bookings, and many are using the app to book car detailing on a weekly basis.
