Delivering an exceptional customer experience is a top priority for Wash Depot, a five-site operation offerering in-bay automatic (IBA) and self-serve car washes in northeast Tennessee. When General Manager Corey Kennard discovered the Beacon mobile app, he and owner Phil Scharfstein recognized its potential to elevate this experience even further by providing perks such as credits toward purchases, rewards and a more convenient payment process.

After testing the app at one location in 2019, Wash Depot expanded its use across all five Wash Depot sites, noting that their experience with Beacon over the past six years has been nothing short of exceptional.

“When other operators ask me whether they should use Beacon Mobile, I say, ‘go for it!’ I would highly recommend Beacon Mobile to anybody,” Kennard says.

The Challenge

Despite Wash Depot's great service and competitive pricing, the number of car washes, particularly express tunnel washes, was rapidly increasing in the area. Faced with the pressure to compete against these larger operations, Wash Depot sought a solution for enhancing their customer experience as well as facilitating a monthly membership program that would generate stable, recurring revenue. However, launching memberships at IBA and self-serve washes is not as straightforward as it is at express tunnel washes.

Wash Depot faced challenges such as a lack of staff at pay stations to sell memberships or affix RFID tags to vehicles. Additionally, they knew there would be no staff available to assist members with tasks like updating payment information or canceling their plans. Scharfstein and Kennard turned to the Beacon app as a solution to overcome these hurdles and enable Wash Depot to offer memberships for the first time.

Launching the App & Membership Program

To capitalize on the opportunity for recurring revenue,Wash Depot launched the Beacon app to facilitate its membership program and simplify payment processes for customers. With the app, customers can easily scan a QR code at the pay station to activate their wash. They have the option to purchase a monthly membership, which includes six washes per month, or opt for an individual wash. Despite having no staff onsite to assist with sales and relying primarily on organic marketing through on-site signage and word-of-mouth, Wash Depot has successfully sold over 300 memberships in the app and continues to grow its recurring revenue base each year.

Simplified Customer Experience

The app has also significantly improved operational efficiency. By reducing reliance on cash and coin transactions, Wash Depot has streamlined payment processes, creating a smoother experience for customers. By downloading the app, customers can create an account and save their payment information.

“It’s simple,” Kennard explains. “You don’t have to worry about having a pocket full of quarters or bills or even using a credit card.”

Customer Adoption

Even in an area with an older demographic and no staff assistance to explain the app's benefits, Wash Depot has seen over 5,500 customers download the app since its launch in 2019. In the past year alone, more than 1,600 customers have set up accounts with the app, underscoring its appeal.

To incentivize app downloads, Wash Depot offers an automatic $7 reward in the app’s Wash Wallet, which can be used toward any purchase. Wash Depot has also experimented with various promotions, including a limited time offer where new customers who download the app receive a $20 credit to use toward any item(s) of their choice.

As the General Manager, Kennard particularly values the Wash Wallet feature. Not only does it drive car wash visitors to download the app, but it also serves as a tool to address customer issues. Through the Beacon admin portal, he can provide quick resolutions by remotely loading funds into a customer’s wallet as a courtesy for any inconvenience, allowing them to see and access the funds instantly within the app.

Other App Perks

Since launching the app, Wash Depot has successfully implemented several additional features in the Beacon app:

• Loyalty Program: Wash Depot offers a points-based loyalty program to app users, providing another incentive for using the app. Customers earn rewards points with each purchase, which can be redeemed for discounts ranging from $10 to $30 off wash purchases.
• Referral Program: To encourage existing app users to share the app with their friends, Wash Depot leverages the referral program, offering a $5 credit to both the new customer and the referrer. This initiative typically brings in several new customers each month.
• In-App Game: The app features a branded, in-app game that customers can play at their leisure. Wash Depot has used this game to engage customers and build brand equity, oering monthly high-scorers money in their Wash Wallet as an incentive. Since launching the Beacon app, the Wash Depot game has been played over 113,000 times.

The Path Forward

The Beacon app has become an integral part of Wash Depot’s strategy in recent years. It has introduced stable, recurring revenue through the membership program and streamlined the purchase experience for customers.

Scharfstein and Kennard are confident Beacon will remain a key component of their business strategy moving forward.

“I love Beacon Mobile,” says Kennard.