Are You Keeping Up with the Digitization of the Car Wash?

Over the past couple of decades, the car wash industry has greatly benefited from digitization — the integration of advanced technology into the car wash industry to enhance efficiency, customer experience and business growth.
Digitization has enabled the rise of monthly wash plans by automating monthly recharges and facilitating automatic vehicle recognition. It has also allowed for remote access and management of car wash technology and reporting. Additionally, it has enabled the sharing of critical customer data between car wash sites, empowering car washes to scale and build recognizable brands.

There is still room for further digitization in the car wash industry, opening the door to increased efficiency, revenue growth, seamless scaling, a stronger membership base and more. Car wash businesses that embrace this new technology will be the ones to rise to the top in an increasingly competitive atmosphere.

Let’s take a look at why digitization is important, what new technology is bringing to the table and how it will impact your business.

Digitization – Why Invest?
Of course, upgrading technology requires time, financial investment and changes to long-held processes. Is it really worth it?

The answer is a resounding yes! Investing in modern, integrated technology pays for itself in dividends in revenue generation, efficiency and cost savings by enabling:

• The ability to react quickly to market changes with promotions and pricing optimization
• Highly targeted marketing to increase retail loyalty and membership growth
• Faster transactions
• Reliability, reducing downtime and maintenance costs
• Real-time, data-backed decision-making
• A better overall customer experience

The risk of not investing in advanced technology is significant, especially in the face of growing competition. Customers will gravitate toward the car wash that can provide the fastest, most convenient service. If you want that to be your wash, it’s important to ensure your systems are up to date.

New Horizons in Car Wash Digitization
As in all facets of our lives, technology in car washing is moving fast
with exciting new advancements continuously being introduced. Here are some new ways to further digitize your business for greater success.

Integrated Systems
No longer do you have to struggle with different vendors, mismatched data and disconnected customer touchpoints. An integrated customer engagement system that includes point-of-sale, reporting, marketing, e-commerce and mobile apps creates a seamless, omnichannel consumer experience that drives retail revenue, increases membership growth, reduces churn and operational complexity and allows you to scale seamlessly. Integrated technology drives growth rather than creating barriers.

Highly Targeted Marketing
This type of integrated system allows you to deploy the most impactful, targeted marketing messages possible. By combining POS data with powerful marketing automation, you can send the right marketing messages and promotions to the right customers at the right time.

For instance, you can send a retail customer a membership promotion after they’ve visited four times in one month or remind members of the value of their plan at the point when the data tells you members typically churn out. With this technology, you no longer have to throw marketing strategies at the wall to see what sticks.

AI-LPR
Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the way we do many things, and it’s starting to take a foothold in car washing. One notable example is license plate recognition (LPR). LPR cameras with industry-leading AI firmware achieve 99.9% accuracy, decrease delays from unreadable plates and learn new plate designs faster to further increase accuracy.

Mobile Apps
As they have for many other retail industries, mobile apps are clearing the way for advanced convenience and engagement for customers. Customers can purchase single washes and plans from their phones, eliminating the need for physical interactions and reducing wait times. Additionally, mobile apps can provide loyalty programs for retail customers while allowing convenient plan management for members. By leveraging push notifications, car washes can remind members of upcoming credit card expirations to prevent involuntary churn. Overall, mobile apps streamline operations, improve customer experience and drive business growth in the digital age.

LPR cameras with industry-leading AI firmware achieve 99.9% accuracy, decrease delays from unreadable plates and learn new plate designs faster to further increase accuracy.

How Digital Can You Go?
The combination of AI-LPR and a mobile app allows for the ultimate digital customer experience. In this scenario, the customer purchases a plan via your mobile app and includes their license plate number when completing the purchase. When they arrive, the LPR automatically recognizes their vehicle, opens the gate and activates the correct wash service in the tunnel or bay. This provides customers with a frictionless experience, allowing them to wash their cars without any interaction with staff or even a pay station.

So does this spell the end for car wash pay stations? No, because
drive-by retail customers are not going to download a mobile app or visit a website when they just want to get a quick wash spontaneously. For these customers, a pay station is still a great option. However, it’s worth considering having a lane dedicated to mobile app users/members so they don’t have to wait behind those who are purchasing at a pay station.

Are You Keeping Up?
If you have been hesitant to embrace the digital transformation of the car wash, you may be putting your business at a disadvantage.

Digitization enhances the customer experience, helps your wash grow and allows you to achieve new efficiencies. Consider upgrading your wash to enjoy these benefits.

DRB is a leader in car wash digitization dedicated to helping operators run and grow great businesses. Their fast, reliable and engaging solutions are backed by an unwavering commitment to quality, investments in customer support and continuous innovation. 

This article is from ICA's Champions Corner series. Inclusion in Champions Corner is an ICA Champions benefit at the Elevate level.