going from 1 touchless to touchless/friction combo?

[BBE]

We've had a touchless at our location for 6-7 years and we are looking at the idea of adding a friction next to it, turning our location into a 4 and 2.

I'm trying to get the numbers to work. What has been everyone's experience with volume increase when doing this? As in total IBA volume with the two combined before and after. How many ended up just being switchovers from the touchless to the friction, etc..?

 

[Ric]

Considering doing the same

 

[robert roman]

Building a new wash (even express wash) will not create new demand because all the motorists who will buy from new wash are already buying all they need elsewhere.

For example, start with planning a new wash.

Assume traffic count is 12,500 and expected capture of 0.004. The developer anticipates sales volumes of 50 cars a day or peak demand of 12 cars an hour. So, the developer decides to build one in-bay. However, after 2-years, volume is 38 cars a day or effective capture of 0.003.

Failing to make projections, information (relationship between traffic count and sales volume), suggests no unmet demand to fulfill. Otherwise, sales volume would be higher. In other words, there is no public need for another in-bay.

On the other hand, if volume year two is 75 cars a day (effective capture of 0.006 and average of 6 cars an hour or peak demand of 18 cars an hour), we would arrive at another conclusion.

For example, if in-bay is capable of producing 12 cars an hour, an arrival rate of 6 cars an hour would not lead to long waiting lines.

At arrival rate of 9 cars an hour, there would be 3 to 4 cars in line 40% of the time. However, at arrival rate of 18 cars an hour (peak conditions), the waiting ling would grow indefinitely (exceeding long). As a result, potential cannot be reached.

This would provide some evidence for adding a second in-bay unit.

Enticing wand-bay users to cross-over would require the same type of market intervention that causes customers to abandon self-service and full-service locations for express exterior carwash locations.

Retailers looking to do this try to create a sustainable competitive advantage by means of cost, differentiation or niche strategy. In other words, you have to give your wand-bay customers some good reason(s) to cross-over to in-bay.

For example, is the price better? Is it more convenient (faster)? Is the quality better? Is it safer?

 

[JustClean]

>Failing to make projections, information (relationship between traffic count and sales volume), suggests no unmet demand to fulfill. Otherwise, sales volume would be higher. In other words, there is no public need for another in-bay<

Maybe, maybe not.

>In other words, you have to give your wand-bay customers some good reason(s) to cross-over to in-bay.
For example, is the price better? Is it more convenient (faster)? Is the quality better? Is it safer?

How about attracting a totally different clientele? There a people out there that wouldn't go into a self serve / touchless / friction machine because of harsh brushes / harsh chemicals / car not being properly cleaned / car design not suitable for the machine / drive way washers or whatever goes on in people's mind.

It's not just a matter of adding more through put but choices.

I installed a second different machine and saw a net improvement of 30%. 30% I didn't get before and no...our automatic was NOT at full capacity.

 

[robert roman]

“How about attracting a totally different clientele?”

With all due respect, where would this totally different clientele come from?

For example, the customer base for carwash includes homes and businesses in trade area and demand inherent in a stream of traffic. Occupants in area will divide patronage among carwash sites proximate but only a small percent of demand inherent in transient traffic will do the same and only a small percent of this transient traffic would patronize subject property.

Once seasoned, a going concern wash has this track record. To capture more market share at this point, the operator would need to improve customer attraction rate and/or customer loyalty rate.

For example;

“I installed a second different machine and saw a net improvement of 30%. 30% I didn't get before and no...our automatic was NOT at full capacity.”

So where did the 30 percent improvement come from?

One thing is fairly certain; the second in-bay did not cause the population of the area to increase (new demand).

Most likely the improvement came from capturing driveway washers, capturing competition business, cross-over from wand-users, recapturing old in-bay customers, etc.

While this may be “new” demand for you, it was already there before you were.

Another possibility is that your existing customers are washing more frequently as in higher customer loyalty rate (i.e. offering a new or improved attributes and benefits).

An example of attracting a totally different clientele would be to convert your business model from self-service to full-service. Of course, this would not be “new” demand either because these folks are also all ready buying all the full-service they need somewhere else.

 

[JustClean]

>So where did the 30 percent improvement come from? [snip]
Most likely the improvement came from capturing driveway washers,..[snip]
While this may be “new” demand for you, it was already there before you were.

I never said "new demand" but "attracting a different clientele".
Of course, my existing customers may try the new machine but as my other profit centers' turnover did not suffer too much, my guess is these are driveway washers or competitor's customers who would not go into a "bad brush machine" but in a touchless. These are my NEW & DIFFERENT customers. I gave them the choice. I am attracting a different customer base that I could not serve before. And with this comes usually increased turnover at vacuum, vending and maybe the dog wash.