How Can Car Washes Increase Revenue per Visit Without Adding Another Service Bay?

Short answer: One option is to offer a useful product at the point where customers finish washing their vehicles. An on-site drying-towel vending machine can create an additional purchase opportunity without asking the car wash to add a staffed retail counter.

For a car-wash owner, more traffic is not the only path to more revenue. Increasing the value delivered during an existing visit can also matter. The challenge is choosing an add-on that matches customer behaviour rather than creating a distraction from the wash itself.

The overlooked moment after the rinse

A clean vehicle may still need manual drying or final detailing. Some drivers bring their own towels; others do not. Rather than making customers leave the premises to purchase a towel, a car wash can consider providing one where drivers are already completing the service.

Rulomatik offers automated microfiber car-drying towel vending equipment. The value proposition is not that every driver will buy a towel. It is that a product relevant to the journey is available on-site, at a visible and accessible moment.

Where should a vending machine be installed?

Test placement around the natural finishing route, not just wherever a power outlet is available. Customers should notice the machine without obstructing vehicle movements, emergency access or staff operations. Signs should explain the item and how to obtain it in seconds. Practical details such as safe parking, lighting, accessible approach and refill access may determine whether the offer succeeds.

Car-wash managers should also agree on the commercial responsibilities before installation. Who owns and stocks the machine? Who handles product quality and customer questions? Is compensation a fixed space fee, a share of sales or another arrangement? How are uptime, site access and termination handled?

Use a 60–90-day pilot with clear measurements

Treat the first installation as a measured commercial test. Track towel purchases per 100 wash visits where wash-count data is available, retail revenue, stockouts, machine availability and customer feedback. Compare results across weather conditions and different days rather than extrapolating from a single weekend. Record the operator’s refill travel time and servicing costs as well as sales.

If the car wash earns a location fee or revenue share, separate host income from machine-operator profit. A successful arrangement should deliver a customer benefit and a commercially workable result for both parties.

Next step: Explore Rulomatik’s integrated vending system and discuss a location-specific cooperation model.