Circle K Norway wins the prestigious NACS award for technology innovations, including car wash subscription program powered by Liquid Barcodes.
NACS awarded Circle K Norway’s leaders with the NACS Convenience Retail Technology Award at this week’s NACS Convenience Summit Europe in Dublin.
Circle K’s pioneering car wash subscription program, powered by the Liquid Barcodes platform, has been widely recognized by the industry over recent years and is now celebrated with this prestigious award.
Award accepted by Niall Anderton, Senior Vice President at Circle K
Niall Anderton, Senior Vice President, Circle K and Mats Danielsen, CEO, Liquid Barcodes
The NACS Convenience Retail Awards recognize and promote convenience retailing excellence. The Convenience Retail Technology Award recognizes a retailer that has made impressive moves in technology innovation. The award was accepted by Niall Anderton, Senior Vice President at Circle K.
Circle K’s vast global network of car washes has digitally transformed operations with its revolutionary car wash subscription program. First launched in Denmark and in the U.S. Heartland and Florida business units in 2020, the program soon expanded into all US and Canadian stores. Since then more and more European customers have been able to sign up for their monthly subscription following the roll-out across their European markets. Sweden, Norway, and Baltics are live while carwash subscriptions will soon come to Polish and Irish markets.
How it works
Customers can subscribe in the app to a monthly subscription program and can choose between the available car wash programs. For new subscribers, the first month is half-price as an incentive to join.
Redemption is simple. To get started, customers open the app at the store, the exact location is shown based on GPS position, select the desired subscription program tier, enter payment method unless already registered for fuel earlier, and the car’s license plate number, drive-in, and wash. On the backend, there is an extremely short wait while the app verifies the user before the entry instructions allow the user to pull forward into the wash bay. When complete, the user receives a receipt for the wash in the app.
The monthly subscription allows users 30 car washes in 30 days with a maximum of 2 washes per day. The subscription is tied to the loyalty member`s Circle K ID and is specific to one car only based on the license plate. Users must use the app in order to redeem subscriptions.
About Circle K’s Car Wash Subscription Program
Circle K is owned by Canadian company Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc. and operates more than 15,000 stores in twenty countries. Circle K entered Norway in 2016 and proudly boasts of offering Norway’s leading EV charging station network. Specific to Circle K’s car wash program, there are approximately 2,700 car washes globally, thereby making it one of the largest car wash networks in the world.
Car washing can be quite profitable. In Europe, car wash revenues exceed €5 billion and in North America top $15 billion annually, according to the International Car Wash Association.
Subscription Programs are Guaranteed Revenue
A paid subscription is guaranteed income for that month and likely many more months to follow. Knowing that a certain number of customers will redeem their car washes at regular intervals will help in planning for staff and inventory. Automatic monthly subscription renewal is a likely event, guaranteeing revenue for months – and years – to come.
Forward-looking convenience retailers have realized the subscription economy is here to stay, offering monthly subscriptions for fountain drinks, coffee, and snacks in addition to car washes. Having the ability to service all the customer’s needs in one visit from snacks and drinks to bathrooms, fuel, and car washing, convenience stores have that competitive advantage over standard car wash companies. Offering subscriptions for most of those items ensures that customers continue to visit as often as they’re able, translating to secure, recurring revenue both in and outside of the store.
About Liquid Barcodes
Liquid Barcodes is a leading global loyalty and digital marketing technology company specializing in the convenience and foodservice industries. The proprietary, cloud-based technology platform allows retailers to create and manage their digital marketing campaigns with a process called the “customer connection cycle’ to engage, promote, and reward customers’ activities in real-time across digital and media channels.
Liquid Barcodes loyalty platform is powering loyalty programs for industry leaders across several global markets, by offering unique subscription, mobile payment, machine learning, personalization, gamification, loyalty, and other capabilities.
Learn more about Liquid Barcodes at LiquidBarcodes.com.
About the Author
Carolyn Schnare, Chief Content Officer, Liquid Barcodes
Carolyn Schnare has been involved with the convenience retailing industry for two decades with extensive knowledge of customer engagement and marketing, sustainability, and community outreach. Prior to Liquid Barcodes, Schnare worked at NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) in a variety of roles from event production to membership and host and producer of the popular industry podcast, Convenience Matters. Schnare currently co-anchors the popular Shop Talk LIVE! video series for the Global Convenience Store Focus media company.
