Businesses everywhere are adapting to the new normal, and it’s never been more important to be ahead of the curve. Embracing trends and having equipment and systems in place to adjust seamlessly will help set you up for success. For the laundromat business, there are specific trends on the rise that we at ESD® have been preparing for long before necessary. Read below to check out the current trends in the laundromat industry and see if they align with what you envisioned or if there are any surprises.
Energy efficiency is trending in the laundromat industry
Being more environmentally conscious seems to be on the mind for everyone nowadays and finding a way to run your business effectively and efficiently can be challenging. With expensive utility bills due to high water and energy usage, running a laundromat can be expensive. Luckily, a lot of laundry equipment out on the market today is energy-efficient and built to last, which makes it easy for many owners and operators to both cut costs and keep the environment in mind.
Flexible payment methods are key
With a heightened awareness about germs and bacteria, consumers are expecting businesses to offer flexible payment methods. This means eliminating the monopoly on only accepting cash or credit cards and finding innovative ways of accepting payments. Contactless payment methods like tap and go and pay by smartphone are both trending and would be great methods to implement if you haven’t already. By adding new flexible payment methods, you reach a younger audience and offer the flexibility today’s consumer wants. With only 11% of the population wanting to use cash, it’s time to find more ways to serve your customers.
Visibly clean laundromats are in
We all know that cleaning our laundry is a great way for us to stay clean in general. Nothing feels better than putting on a fresh outfit for the day. Because the COVID-19 pandemic made people across the globe more aware of the importance of cleanliness, doing laundry increased right alongside the frequency at which people did household chores. While doing laundry helps you feel clean and organized, it’s also more important to consumers now that the room they do laundry in is also clean.
There’s no better marketing than a clean store and it makes consumers more comfortable folding clothes on tables and frequenting your space. Many laundromat owners and operators are introducing community sanitizing stations and cleaning the space at a more frequent rate, which consumers have really loved and are growing accustomed to. Impress your customers and you’ll be surprised by how frequent they return.
Eliminate the need to wait
Ever heard the saying “time is money”? The same goes for every chore and standing around waiting for laundry to dry can be tedious. Many laundromat owners and operators are implementing apps that actually alert customers when their laundry is ready to be flipped / folded and consumers are loving it.
With the ESD® CyclePay app, we have created a smartphone app that is compatible with nearly every payment system in our portfolio and has the ability to send alerts to customers when their laundry is ready so they can go about their day. If you’re looking to stay on top of the trends in the laundromat industry and be a strong competitor in the laundromat business, we’ve got your back.
Give us a call at 215-628-0860 today and a member of our team will walk you through the best option for your business.
