V-Blog# 29--Vending Sales Using the ?SORE THUMB THEORY? of Merchandizing

[Uncle Sam]

To an old engineer like me, who is trained to be very logical and a critical thinker, merchandizing is an inexact science that sometimes appears to me as a lot of ?baloney wrapped inside an enigma?. Over the years I have seen and observed ShurVend vending systems (and many other vending systems) whose sales volume numbers vary considerably from wash to wash. I wrote in August, 2007 about the ?T L C? (Time, Location, & Convenience) model for high vending sales volume. The article was published in the PC&D magazine later that year and posted in the Library section of the AutoCareForum: http://autocareforum.com/vending.html When I wrote it, I thought that the ?Location? of the vending center was the most important of the three. I still think it is, but a recent flash of ?inspiration? came to my mind and indicated that I hadn?t gone quite far enough. I would now like to correct my ?T L C? model to read the ?T L S C? model. The ?S? stands for the ?Sore Thumb Merchandizing Theory? reflected in the title of this blog.

The high volume vending sales installations that I know about are out in the vacuum island area and stick out like ?Sore Thumbs?. Customers have to walk around the vendor & security system when moving around in the vacuum area, so they can?t miss it. To reinforce and add credence to this theory, I cite the following. No one hates to go to a grocery or retail store any more than I do to pick up something for the ?lovely? at home. What action do these stores take to ?get my attention? on a new product or to move a product that is ?on sale?. They build a large ?end-isle display, a large in-aisle display, or an island display as big as a mountain? that you literally have to walk around to get through the store. You are forced to see it! To me this is a prime example of ?Sore Thumb Merchandizing?. Whether you like it or not, it works!

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[Uncle Sam]

How does this apply to vending at a car wash? Since the vending center is not a “destination” for customers like a bill changer might be, the best choice for an operator is to purchase a vending center that is literally a good looking “Sore Thumb” to give customers the impulse necessary to buy vending products. ShurVend builds a very good looking Hi-Security free standing vendor/cage package, but it is necessarily a “Sore Thumb”. ShurVend also makes models that slide into the wall and only have a faceplate showing while the main body of the vendor is inside the equipment room or office of the wash. In the colder climates and/or for security concerns I can understand the operator’s reasoning for installing this model. The flip side of this installation is that customers do walk right by it because it “hugs the wall” and is not a destination. It is not a “sore thumb”!! These in-wall installations are sometimes chosen for the convenience of the operators and not to get the customer’s attention; operators then wonder why the sales volume of the vendor installation does not meet expectations.

Many of the new Express Exterior washes build an alcove to put all the vending into, so they can use a roll down door to secure the vending area when closed for business. Because the vendor is not a “sore thumb” with relation to the vacuum islands, the sales volume never meets expectations. Many customers will not or do not read signage or see new equipment that does not literally stick out like a “sore thumb”.

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[Uncle Sam]

Here, for your consideration, are more examples of ?Sore Thumb? merchandizing at the wash: canopies on the wall which highlight a vending center or other equipment, vacuum islands themselves with or without canopies, and drop shelf vending islands with or without canopies. The genius of wash design is to get all these ?sore thumbs? blended together at a wash site to entice the customer to stop and use them. If the design is inviting and the systems are working properly, then the money rolls into the bank.

Uncle Sam

 

[Uncle Sam]

Here are some pix.