A Subscription-First Car Wash Strategy

When Majors Management acquired 35 locations from Circle K across Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, rebranding to MAPCO was the first move. Creating a successful car wash subscription program was the next.

Majors Management worked with Liquid Barcodes to create a purpose-built MAPCO car wash subscription. No patchwork. No workarounds. Just a clean, modern membership experience built for the way customers actually want to pay for a car wash. Loyal local store customers would be treated to the same experience they came to love, with an even more personalized offer.

The MAPCO Express Car Wash App launched in October 2025. The goal was simple: give customers unlimited car wash access through a seamless monthly subscription. Four months later, the numbers tell a compelling story.

670% Growth in Four Months

 
Launching a car wash subscription program at newly rebranded locations is a challenge. Brand awareness takes time. Customer habits take longer. MAPCO didn't wait for either.

Launched in October 2025, MAPCO reached 410 active car wash subscribers by February 2026, a 670% increase in just four months. That's 136 subscribers per store across three locations. 

The loyalty app itself has 1,030 members at the launch locations. More than 40% of those members converted to paid subscribers. That's best-in-class performance!

Customers Are Choosing the Top Tier Subscription

Not all subscribers are equal. The plan a customer chooses tells you a lot about how much they trust your brand.

At MAPCO, 73% of car wash subscribers selected "The Works," the top-tier membership plan. That's not a coincidence; it's a sign that the app experience, pricing structure, and in-store messaging are working together.

Top-tier adoption like this has a direct impact on revenue. Higher average revenue per subscriber, better margin per wash, a healthier program overall, and one that's much easier to scale.

"The MAPCO Express Car Wash App reflects our commitment to delivering an easy, modern experience. As we grow the MAPCO car wash brand across new regions, we want to ensure our customers receive simple, convenient tools that make everyday life easier. Liquid Barcodes worked extremely quickly with us to deliver a beautiful, customized app that our customers will appreciate."
— John Gynnip, Director of Corporate Programs, Majors Management

MAPCO's app was designed to remove every possible point of friction. Customers enroll in the app. They manage their membership in the app, access their wash in the app, and no friction at the tunnel entrance.

The app also includes in-app games and a store locator; small touches that drive ongoing engagement and keep MAPCO top-of-mind between visits. When a subscriber's renewal is a few taps away, that kind of stickiness matters.

Convenience & Energy Advisors led the strategic development and rollout on behalf of Majors Management, making sure the platform fit MAPCO's operations and customer base from the start.

About Liquid Barcodes

Liquid Barcodes is the leading loyalty platform for convenience retailers. Unlike other solutions, ours has been designed from the ground up to retain member engagement and activity. Every aspect, from the fundamental system architecture to the small details that make our loyalty apps such a joy to use, is crafted to ensure a highly personalized, gamified experience.

Our loyalty programs are so engaging and visually appealing that members remain active over time, making us better than any other solution at retaining your members’ attention. Increased attention, translates into increased impact. Ultimately, these differences will make your loyalty program a more powerful and effective tool, when you work on increasing basket size and visit frequency.

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 over two decades, with extensive knowledge of customer engagement and marketing, sustainability, and community outreach. Before Liquid Barcodes, Schnare worked at NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) in a variety of roles from event production to communications. Schnare currently hosts the popular Future of Convenience podcast, produced by Global Convenience media group.