Coming Out of the Car Wash Summer Slump

All winter long cars line up outside of your car wash. Everyone is eager to rinse away de-icing salt without spending a bunch of time out in the cold.

But summer is a whole other story. On a hot afternoon you can spot families out washing their cars in the driveway – not lined up at the car wash.

All of the people opting to do their own scrubbing and splashing aren’t going to be visiting a professional car wash any time soon.

This summer slump is typical all over the country, if other car washes can make it out unscathed, so can yours.

There are a couple of ways to keep people driving through your bays during the warmer months.

3 Ways to Keep Up Summertime Car Wash Sales

You don’t have to sit back and accept the slump. Car wash businesses have plenty of opportunity for innovative and creative business practices that can help increase sales. Some of these are so great you can keep them up all year long.

1. Amp Up Your Marketing

You know a professional car wash is the best choice for people’s cars, make sure they know it too. Try some new marketing mediums out and see if you can drum up a fresh crowd. If you’ve stuck with only TV advertisements maybe it’s time to try out social media or Google ads.

When you’re working on your new marketing approach, make sure your messaging really nails down why someone should choose your business over a DIY job. Your marketing materials should hit points such as how convenient and eco-friendly your car wash is.

2. Run Seasonal Promotions

People shouldn’t have to wait for the holidays to get great deals on goods and services. Entice potential customers with savings on repeat washes or discounts for slow times of the day.

You can target your current customers with coupons or punch cards but it doesn’t have to stop there. If you’re doing discounted days or times, it can bring all kinds of new customers in the door. Think of these deals like a happy hour for your car wash.

3. Loyalty Car Wash Clubs

If you’re worried about your seasonal revenue being wishy-washy, then monthly or annual car wash memberships are a good way to lock in profits. By creating a way for people to access unlimited car washes, they can save money and you can ensure cash flow each month.

Everyone is switching more and more of their services to monthly subscriptions. Your car wash could benefit from joining the trend. Customer loyalty towards your business will grow and you can count on those club members to use your services every time they need a car wash.

Use Your Summer to Recharge

While everyone is washing cars at home or just hoping the summer storms will take care of it, you can prepare for the busy season. When the customers come streaming back in you’ll want your business at its best.

You can spend time training your employees on new roles or helping them brush up on their current ones. It might also be a good time to pick out some new uniforms or spruce up the business’s look in other ways.

While traffic is slow, you can work on putting out new signs, touching up paint and fixing any blemishes on the property.

Summer and early fall is also a great time to work on equipment maintenance. Slow periods are the best time to take some of your car wash bays out of commission for work and repairs.

If you put off routine maintenance it could result in shutdowns and malfunctions during a busy week. Imagine missing a post-snow rush because you need last-minute repairs that could’ve been handled months ago.

You can take time for some other much needed upkeep such as pit cleaning. The pits below your car wash bays sit full of sludge that can clog up your bay and give off an unpleasant smell.

Pit cleaning doesn’t take nearly as long as equipment repairs but it’s still good to use summer to get it taken care of.

No Sweat Pit Cleaning

Summer is not the time to dig sludge out of your car wash pit with a shovel. Frankly, there’s never a good time to break your back over that.

Pit Crew makes pit cleaning quick, easy and efficient. In a matter of minutes, your pits will be vacuumed cleaned and your bay will be back in business.

Call us for thorough pit cleaning to keep your car wash running smoothly.