From self-serve to full-service, car wash operators are dedicated to providing quality, top-notch service to their customers. A venture into retail is the natural continuation of putting the customer first.
“As a service provider, you are incredibly in touch with what your customers are looking for and what their experience is like,” Ieva Grimm, former senior director of industry education for the National Association of Convenience Stores and president of Synergy consulting firm, said. “That is what makes retail successful: your connection with the customer, not necessarily the stuff that you sell.”
Adding retail to your car wash, whether in the form of vending machines or a boutique gift shop, provides another opportunity to make a connection with the customer and meet their needs.
Self-serve car wash operators can utilize vending machines to serve customers. “I need to offer retail items that allow my customers to come in with a dirty car and leave with a clean car. Anything they need to accomplish that, I sell,” Tricia Knott, owner of Green Forest Car Wash, said. Vending machines offered Knott the most labor and cost-effective means of merchandising. “If it’s not efficient from an operating perspective, the customer experience can’t be the best either,” Knott said.
“When it comes to full-service car washes, the biggest advantage is that you have the customer as a captive audience,” Grimm said. According to Grimm, the one question the customer is always asking is: How are you going to entertain me? In response, many car wash operators across the country are breaking the mold and building boutique gift shops with offerings more likely to be found at a vacation resort than a car wash.
When the recession hit like a lightning bolt in 2007, many small businesses — including car wash operators — lost business seemingly overnight. “In response to that, we had to make a decision,” Jeff Coplin, President of Matt and Jeff’s Car Wash and Detail Center, said. “We weren’t going to be able to change the economic outlook of the unemployed. If we lost that customer, we had to provide a five-star experience from start to finish for the ones that remained standing.”
Matt and Jeff’s Car Wash and Detail Center remodeled their gift store by adding wood flooring and other high-end finishes to work in tandem with the upscale services provided in the detail center. The gift shop, run by Coplin’s wife Holly, moved away from stocking the ubiquitous gift cards and auto accessories often seen at car washes and began stocking boutique merchandise that appealed to the affluent customer. In a time when many car washes were struggling, Matt and Jeff’s Car Wash and Detail Center was able to redefine its identify and hone in on a new customer base.
“We are not just the nuts and bolts of washing a car,” Coplin said. “We are providing a destination that becomes an exclamation mark in our customer’s lifestyle. The dream is to have a wow factor for your guests when they come in.”
People took notice. So popular and unique are the offerings at Matt and Jeff’s that the local San Fransisco radio morning show ‘Sarah and Vinny’ has done numerous 30-minute shows on the gift shop alone.
When assessing the value of adding or improving a retail element to a car wash, there is more to consider than revenue. The intangible, or soft benefits, can extend from customer satisfaction to employee morale. “The gift shop represents about 17 percent of our revenue for the year,” Coplin said. “What that doesn’t tell you is how many people have come to our car wash because of the gift shop and are now also making a car wash purchase, detail purchase and gas purchase.”
The domino effect continues through all aspects of the car wash. Customers attracted by a boutique gift shop have high expectations of quality, and in turn often reward staff with generous tips. This leads to increased employee loyalty and low turnover. The less staff turnover, the more consistent the service offerings. “When you know who your customer is, everything is in sync,” Coplin said.