CARNIVAL - Does it Increase Volume?

[buda]

At the recent Car Wash Show I was taken by the number car wash equipment companies had their equipment all "dolled up" (to coin an old phrase) with neon lights, light strips, foamer devices putting out volumes of foam with flashing colorful lights. One company had light strips flashing on the inside of the brush cores.

I guess I might call of this a "carnival-effect."

Are there any operators out there that have bought into this carnival approach that can definitively say it has increased volume.

This assumes your price is right, quality good, customer service good and you do these things consistently.

Bud Abraham

 

[Ric]

It all looks cool to us operators from our point of view...but how much of it does the customer see from inside the car? Today we toured one of the top exterior tunnels in the country (IMHO). 200k + cars per year washed. They had zero flashing lights, signage etc. for the application process's. When we asked why they said...because the customer can't see them with all the foam on the car. They maintain that policy across their 6 locations.

 

[Earl Weiss]

No doubt customers love foam. Decades ago a customer said "I did not get soap" (There was soap but no foam because air injection was not working) I asked "Is the car clean?" to which he replied "What difference does that make?". So foam isimportant. I got lots of comments when I put in new bubler (Homemade "Waterfall / lava type arch)

Agreed that much effect is loost in tunnels where there is so much foam on windows lights and waterfall type arch cannot be seen.

This is one reason my Service signs are right next to the DS Windows rather than up high where they are difficult to see from inside the car. Now, if you are FS and the customer watches from outside the car everything changes. My Initial biggest show is right at the entrance with the Bubbler and triple foam lights and signage so not only can the customer see thru initialy clear windows, but the car behind can as well.

Certianly we MUST give the customer the "Steak" via cleaning and drying. But some sizzle is good too.

As an operator buying some lights and signage i am reminded of going to the fishing tackle store with my dad who bought a lure and he said "I don't know if it will catch fish, but it caught me. )

Does it increase volume / loyalty? Who can say for sure?

 

[rph9168]

When I was a general manager of a full service car wash chain we had lights that went on when they bought tri-foam. At some times. the lights didn't operate as they should and customers would complain that they did not get the tri-foam. However, on some rare occasions the lights came on but the tri-foam didn't. Strangely when that happened we got almost no complaints. One time I was at a very successful wash in Northern California. They had a problem with their tri-foamer at a wash I was at and got no complaints that day about not receiving their tri-foam. I agree with Earl that they are looking for satisfactory results putting a little "sizzle" on can enhance their perception.

 

[Earl Weiss]

.................. we had lights that went on when they bought tri-foam. At some times. the lights didn't operate as they should and customers would complain that they did not get the tri-foam. However, on some rare occasions the lights came on but the tri-foam didn't. Strangely when that happened we got almost no complaints. ....

Same experience with lights and it was not limited to FS.

 

[hkim310]

We have not increased our volume but our sales per car increased by $1.00........

 

[TEEBOX]

I have increased my car average by $1 with the addition of light bars from TSS on both my Tsunami foamers! The first one at the lo ph shampoo (everyone gets) is an eye opener. Especially the guy behind the car watching. The second at the triple foam seals the deal. My volume has not decreased but definitely it's the sizzle not the steak that has helped out location.