On August 26th, laundry design expert Bryan Maxwell of Western State Design hosted a webinar for the Coin Laundry Association (CLA) titled “Profitable Store Design: Designing the store your customers want and need”, Maxwell touched upon several areas for coin-op owners to keep in mind when renovating their current store or building out new locations.
Designing coin-operated laundry facilities the right way will help to both maintain current customers and to entice your desired target market into the store. A major point of opportunity lies in addressing the idea that nobody wants to spend a lot of time waiting for their laundry to finish – yet by realizing that you have a captive audience and having a positive attitude and customer-friendly design, you can turn a challenge into an opportunity. Two key takeaways that Bryan talked about in the webinar addressed using the wall space to reinforce your marketing message and the ideas of orthodox design vs. unorthodox design. Here’s a quick glance at how these concepts can boost coin-op laundry revenue.
Many stores use their wall space to instruct customers on the don’ts of laundromat behavior, “No children playing in machines!”, “Don’t leave trash!” – these common signs may have a purpose, but if they are the only messages visible, an opportunity to reinforce your marketing message, or even just create a more community oriented, friendly environment is lost. If your target is young professionals who are concerned about the environment, use the walls to point out that your equipment uses less water and energy and lessens environmental impact, says Maxwell. Artwork, flyers for community related events, and other interesting or engaging material can also help your coin-operated laundry be seen as a vibrant part of a community and welcoming venue.
What is Orthodox Design vs. Unorthodox design? Orthodox design consists of a conventional approach to coin-operated laundry centers: white paint, generic Formica counter tops, rows of same-sized equipment, basic or minimal lighting – while unorthodox design breaks this mold. More and more we are seeing nicer finishes like granite countertops and vibrant lighting which go a long way to making laundry facilities more inviting. Thinking about what people see when they walk by your store can impact traffic. If your target customer needs large machines and they see them right in front through the window, this could earn you a new customer. Maxwell talks about using every aspect of the business to speak to the customer’s desires, from layout and equipment placement, to making use of wall space and designing what people see when they walk by your store.
If you’d like to learn more, the full webinar is available to CLA members at http://www.coinlaundry.org/resources-education/webinar-education/. Other points Maxwell discussed include: Washer Mountains, lighting, payment systems, ancillary machine placement, and building constrictions, to name a few.
The Coin Laundry Association is a vibrant network of laundry owners, distributors and manufacturers, all working to enhance retail coin operated laundry by providing superior education, products and services to laundry owners.
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About the Speaker:
Bryan Maxwell has been involved in sales and marketing at Western State Design nearly twenty-five years and was the Director of Marketing from 1998-2007. WSD is a full service distributor marketing laundry solutions to California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona and Western Idaho.
Bryan has served as a Distributor Member on the CLA Board of Directors for the past four years, is an active member of several CLA committees and has contributed to many articles in PlanetLaundry magazine. Locally, he has served as a Board Member of the Golden State Coin Laundry Association in California for ten years and is an active presenter and committee member.
