As c-stores continue to evolve, the vehicle maintenance area is evolving, too. This includes car washes, air and vacuum machines and in-store vehicle maintenance products.

According to Rob Deal, vice president of key accounts at OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions, c-store operators are increasingly offering the kinds of enhanced vehicle care options that would normally be found at standalone service locations.

Deal said, “Consumers are now expecting much more than the old, standard car wash. They are expecting more wash options, better quality washes, faster service and a monthly wash club that can be used at more than one location and be managed in a mobile app. The air and vacuum machines should be free with the purchase of a car wash club program.”

Working at the Car Wash

Shannon Jandt, car wash manager at Kwik Trip, said today’s c-store customers want to ensure they are protecting their vehicle investments—after all, the average price of a new car is almost $50,000, while used cars top $25,000 on average.

“In the area of the car wash, conveyor/tunnel washes have reduced wait times, which increases wash counts,” Jandt said. Kwik Trip currently has 41 conveyor/tunnel washes on its c-store sites and is planning more tunnel washes in the future.

“To accomplish quality, consistency and value, you must control your operating costs, and one of the best ways to control operating costs is to maintain the car wash equipment,” Jandt said.

This can be as simple as cleaning the car wash bays daily by spraying down debris and sand and weekly by scrubbing the floors and walls. Keeping the equipment and bays clean will prevent unnecessary wear and tear on belts, tracks, wheels and other parts and will extend the life of the equipment.

A significant way to ensure equipment is well-maintained is to have a regularly scheduled maintenance program. As Jandt explained, this includes technicians replacing filters, changing oil, testing chemical functions, checking water hardness and total dissolved solids (TDS), inspecting brushes, checking the general condition of the equipment and running test washes at regular intervals.

“Every manufacturer has a different schedule on how often that [maintenance program] should be completed,” Jandt said. “You’ll be able to control those expenses even more so if you can do these at store level or with your own general maintenance team.”

Lastly, it’s vital that retail workers, at least a couple times a day, inspect vehicle washes to ensure the equipment is working as it should.

“If you catch a broken nozzle, a chemical not dispensing or low water pressure right away, you ensure your customers will get quality, consistency and value by catching it immediately and having it fixed,” Jandt said.

Because consumers often purchase a car wash on impulse or because it is convenient, actively promoting the car wash is the best strategy to follow. And due to the high margins associated with operating a car wash, it is important to convert as many opportunities as possible to a purchase.

To ensure a car wash is successful, it’s important to make sure it’s placed in a densely populated area with household rooftops around or near large retail shopping areas. Jandt stressed that the car wash building should be visible so that a guest can’t miss that there is one on-site in addition to the convenience store. The site also should have room for a good turn radius so a vehicle can easily pull in or out, as well as ample area for vehicles to stack in a line.

“Another consideration in a location is that the lot should allow the car wash to be near the convenience store to aid in customer assistance, bay cleaning maintenance and troubleshooting,” Jandt said.

According to Amy Robinson, Soapy Joe’s general manager of c-stores and oil changes, a solid preventative maintenance routine helps keep a c-store’s car wash at maximum uptime, which is an important contributing factor in terms of revenue potential.

“When washes are down, it can be weeks, not days or hours, until you’re back in action,” Robinson said. “Our daily and monthly maintenance routine is woven into everything we do. For c-store leadership, upholding these standards contributes to their bonus criteria and strategic relations with vendors for outsourcing and supply chain needs.”

In addition, a c-store car wash should be aggressively promoted to ensure a healthy revenue stream and a strong return on investment. One easy and effective technique is to discount at-the-pump sales, typically structured as cents per gallon off with the purchase of a car wash. Another strategy for success is to offer a POS code for the car wash.

For many c-stores, external marketing begins at the pump, which is the first and most critical touch point for the consumer. Car wash promotions can include a large, colorful pump topper or advertising placed directly on the dispenser. In addition to pump signs, parking lot advertising such as a wind sign is effective at drawing attention to the car wash.

Another key touch point for the customer is the cashier. The cashier can inform or educate the customer about the existing car wash. This personal sales technique is an extremely effective method of upselling the in-store customer.

OPW features a wide variety of products for the vehicle maintenance segment, including an extensive line of products for the entire car wash segment. The company offers tunnel wash systems to fit in areas 50 feet to 200-plus feet in length, as well as touch-free and friction rollover wash systems for in-bay automatic washes.

OPW features payment systems and back-office management systems to manage the pay-at-wash capability, club programs and mobile app.

“We are adding innovative equipment options that improve the way the consumers interact with the car wash,” Deal said, “from mobile apps to help make it easier to buy to customer-friendly wash equipment that improves the quality and experience for every type of car or truck.” In addition, license-plate recognition systems can recognize the frequent customer and reward their loyalty.

Advancements in Air/Vac Systems

David Charles, Jr. of Cash Depot said digital readouts are now the standard for air/vac displays. Although Cash Depot is best known for its ATMs and cash management systems, it also offers air/vac machines.

“Consumers don’t want to use a messy and inaccurate air gauge,” he said. “In the northern climates, heated chucks are also a heavily sought-after feature. Customers are starting to rely on these options and seek out locations that provide them.”

In the past, Charles said, air/vac machines were fully coin-based and revenues were collected only when someone got around to emptying the quarters from the machine. Today, Cash Depot can offer more accurate monthly payments to the merchant based on machine usage. And the company can even provide fully auditable statements.

Jandt added that the advances in today’s air machines for tire maintenance include the ability for consumers to select the pressure desired. Then, when the tire is filled to the desired pressure, a chime will sound. Kwik Trip offers free air machines at all of its stores.

In terms of air products, today’s c-store consumers are requesting credit card readers, digital pressure readers, heated chucks and well-lit spaces. And as with car washes, ensuring solid operations is key when it comes to air/vac equipment.

“For retailers who own their equipment, keeping the machine operational, clean and well-lit is key to keeping customers satisfied,” Charles said. “Equipment that is not well-lit and maintained puts the machine at risk of vandalism and deters customers from using the services, especially at night.”

When it comes to Cash Depot’s air/vac placements, the company implemented a remote monitoring service to keep tabs on all of its machines. People prefer new, clean, well-maintained equipment, so making sure air/vac machines look and operate their best will increase usage and reduce maintenance and downtime, Charles said.

With the remote monitoring system, “We don’t have to wait for a phone call from a store to tell us their machine is broken or malfunctioning,” Charles said. “We know when it happens and can respond accordingly.”

It’s always good for c-store owners and operators to speak with experts in the air/vac field to get advice on what equipment options are available, what works best in a specific region and what steps should be taken to ensure the safety of customers and equipment.

“Make sure to focus on the customer experience,” Charles said. “Ask yourself if you would want to use the machine or if you would want your family member, wife or daughter to use the machine. Where would you place it for their safety, and what would it look like? If you follow this strategy, people will be complimenting your air program rather than complaining about it.”

In-Store Opportunities

While air machines and car washes are key components of the vehicle maintenance category within the c-store environment, there are ample opportunities for companies to offer products within the store itself.

“Purchases of vehicle maintenance accessories such as vent clips, oil and air fresheners remain strong,” Robinson said. “We’re seeing a shift in product mix to expand from the expected hard-good lines to include technological advances in offerings like car wash memberships and app points for vehicle maintenance category purchases.”

While Soapy Joe’s receives more consumer requests for items such as phone holders than for specific vehicle maintenance products, Soapy Joe’s air fresheners sell well.

“We also offer a per-gallon discount at the pump when a car wash is purchased, which is something our customers take advantage of,” said Robinson, who is seeing more usage of air and water near easily accessible ingress and egress areas and near fuel areas. “The more customers take advantage of these vehicle maintenance add-ons, the more they see the value in choosing you over your competition.”

Deal said the car wash segment at the c-store is continuing to grow in revenue and profit.

“We are constantly engaged with c-store operators about what the consumers are asking for,” he said. “We take that information and develop enhancements or equipment offerings to help keep the services offered at their sites at the forefront of the consumer demands.

“We are always analyzing the industry for requirements to keep the equipment and chemicals up to date with the changes in the vehicle shapes and finishes to help keep our operators more successful and profitable.”