The Liquid Barcodes team networks and learns at The Car Wash Show 2023 in Las Vegas.
Recently, Liquid Barcodes’ Saurabh Swarup attended The Car Wash Show in Las Vegas for the first time. Event attendees of the event experienced a vast exposition, education sessions and networking events. Operators of stand-alone car washes as well as convenience retailers were in attendance in addition to vendors in and around the car wash sector.
Swarup, North America General Manager for Liquid Barcodes, was blown away by the size and scope of the exposition. He was joined by car wash expert Lars Hecht, former Circle K Senior Global Category Director for car wash and now Owner of Car Wash Consulting. The duo enjoyed connecting with friends and partners at the DRB booth and around the trade show floor.
Car Wash Trends
“The biggest theme at the show was unlimited wash subscription plans – they are mainstream and everyone is offering them,” comments Swarup. In addition to subscriptions, he noted that top-notch technology is imperative for retailers. “Having a car wash completes the entire gas station offering for a retailer and provides for a full experience for the consumers too. Additionally, technology becomes even more important because consumers are using technology at the pump, inside the store and they expect to use it at the car wash. The tech solution need not be fancy but something that is simple and most importantly that it works.”
He notes also that “consumers today don’t want to interact with anyone but prefer ‘Do-it-Yourself’ options- whether choosing a wash, deciding the upsell feature, starting the wash or any other aspect. The only interaction consumers need is if something is not working or they need help.”
Expertise in the House
Swarup and the expert team at Liquid Barcodes have a lot of experience in car wash programming after successfully releasing several car wash subscription apps in North America and Europe. Having a world-renowned expert along for the trip was certainly a highlight for Swarup.
“Lars is a highly respected person in the car wash industry. He has managed the largest car wash network of over 3,000 sites across the world for Circle K and knows a thing or two about the business that many others don’t,” says Swarup. “Lars brought subscription programs to the industry and established that they make business sense for any operator. It is great to have Lars as an ambassador for Liquid Barcodes as he adds a lot of credibility to what we say or promise our customers. The deep insight, knowledge and know-how that Lars brings to the business is second to none and having him as part of the conversations added a totally new and different dimension to the entire piece.”
A Must-Attend Event
“This was my first time at the show and I really enjoyed attending the sessions and walking the floor,” says Swarup. “The show is a must-attend for anyone who is connected to the car wash industry. It really opened up my world within the industry as we do cater to an essential part of the business but there is way more to the business than what we do. It is a complex business to operate and technology plays an extremely big role in it, both from the front end on the consumer side and the back end.”
The Liquid Barcodes team can be found at two upcoming convenience industry events. CEO Mats Danielsen will be attending the NACS Convenience Summit Europe in Dublin at the end of May and the entire Liquid Barcodes team will be at the October NACS Show, exhibiting in the technology section.
