Checkout Counter Ideas for Your Car Wash
When was the last time you took a look at your checkout counter at your car wash? How is it set up? Are you maximizing your space to upsell products? Or is it just a line people get into to pay for their car washes and nothing else? Regardless of what your checkout counter looks like right now, it is essential to review these car wash retail checkout counter ideas to see if you could improve the checkout experience for your customers and boost your sales too.
Maintain Health and Safety
Even though most places have relaxed safety protocols, COVID is still around. Not to mention, the fall and winter are peak times for colds and the flu. You should provide access to hand sanitizer and keep a clear plexiglass barrier between your cashiers and your customers.
Install a TV Near the Checkout Area
You could install a TV behind the checkout counter or near it. Instead of connecting it to cable, have it rotate through a slide show presentation featuring your different wash packages, wash options, wash subscriptions, and featured products like new scents of air fresheners, Armor All products, etc.
In addition, you should update your slideshow presentation seasonally to feature seasonal items. For example, in winter, you will want to showcase ice scrapers, snow brushes, windshield wipers, and heavy-duty all-season floor mats.
Use Your Point of Sale Counter to Upsell
Upselling is enticing customers to upgrade to a better version of whatever they are buying. For example, if someone is getting a basic wash, you could attempt to upsell them to a higher wash package.
Rather than mention the total price of the better wash, use the approach to say “For just X dollars more, you can upgrade to our ultra wash.” Next, list off the benefits they will get for upgrading, such as tri-foam wax, a free air freshener, hand drying, etc.
Use Your Retail Car Wash Checkout to Cross Sell
Cross-selling is offering items related to a customer’s purchase. For example, if they are getting Little Trees air freshener to hang on their rearview mirror, you could suggest the same scent in a clip-on air freshener for their air vents.
Use Your Point of Sale Counter for Impulse Buys
Impulse buys are last-minute decisions that customers make quickly as they check out. For example, grocery stores often feature magazines, candy, snacks, and soft drinks next to the checkout lane.
For your retail car wash, you could also feature candy, snacks, and soft drinks. However, you should feature other items, such as gift cards, phone chargers, and travel-size versions of car wash products like Armor All sponge wipes in single-use packages.
Rotate Products Seasonally
You will want to rotate what products you display near your checkout counter seasonally. For instance, during the holiday season, you could feature holiday-themed items, kids’ toys, and other gift items.
Utilize Signage on the Back of POS Displays
There is valuable retail space on the back of POS displays that goes wasted. You could hang a small sign on the back featuring a weekly or monthly special or a local charity drive you are supporting. Remember to swap signs out often to keep things fresh.
Do Not Overlook Kids
Many retail car wash owners overlook the potential sales they can get when parents bring their kids along. You could put small toys, games, and other things that kids like at their height level down lower to the ground on the front of your checkout counter. Most parents will avoid holding up the line when their kid asks for a soft drink, snack, or a toy.
Transform the Space to Fit Your Vision
A checkout counter does not have to be plain and boring. You could convert the space to look like you are inside a car. You might want to update the look of the counter with your mission statement listed on the front of it.
You could also put up a chalkboard front and use that to announce specials, your social media sites, hashtags, and other things you want to communicate with your customers.
Consider a Self-Checkout Line
Some people like to be self-sufficient and check out themselves. Offering a self-checkout line with a POS tablet does not take up much space. You could also give customers the opportunity to browse and buy other products by featuring them on the checkout screen.
Alternatively, you could set up a self-serve digital browsing area on a stand-alone tablet with the option to buy and pay for any items they want.
Upgrade to a Sleek Modern POS System
Who needs a big cash register that takes up most of a retail car wash checkout counter these days? Capitalize and maximize your sales potential by freeing up space by upgrading to a sleek, modern POS system.
Modern POS systems work on tablets or laptops and come in a range of colors. They also feature the latest payment options like digital wallets and tap-and-pay cards.
Add a Seasonal Plant
Plants are easy to maintain and add a bit of greenery to the checkout area. You can swap out plants based on the time of year and what is in season. Before switching plants, you could raffle off the existing plant as a special promotion to give it a new home with one of your customers.
Light It Up
Your checkout counter and the space around it need to be well-lit. For example, you could use LED light strips around displays or neon lights to add a touch of flair. Have fun with your lighting and ensure it matches your branding and color scheme.
Keep Things from Becoming Overly Cluttered
When using different retail checkout counter ideas and implementing them, it is important to keep your counter and checkout area manageable. You still want the space to be inviting and somewhat open. A great way to keep things organized is to use display racks, express store displays, and vending machines.