Running a business over the last few years has required owners to deal with even more obstacles than normal. It’s no secret that erratic lead times, rising costs, and hiring difficulties are all large-view challenges to car wash owners. With the scale of those issues, and the fact that solving them is mostly out of the hands of individual owners, it’s smart to focus on smaller, immediately solvable problems. Something that can be quickly adapted is your vending. Specifically, your Little Trees air freshener products are an ideal thing to focus on to determine if you can tighten up your approach to selling them.
Keep Your Audience in Mind for Little Trees Air Freshener Choices
We’re fans of every Little Trees air freshener fragrance, but realistically, some scents just aren’t going to be popular with your customers. Perhaps certain smells are perceived as too feminine or too masculine and don’t quite work with your main demographic. Maybe it’s a quirky situation you didn’t immediately think about, like the color of a certain Little Tree is the same as a sports rival in your area and people refuse to have it hanging from their mirror. Maybe it’s just a mystery.
Strategies for Replacing “Duds”
The point is, instead of racking your brain to figure out why your Little Trees air freshener “duds” aren’t selling, stop overthinking it and replace them. Interestingly, this can be done in different ways. For example, maybe it’s time to take out one of your more niche fragrances and double up on a top seller in multiple columns. You drastically decrease the risk that stock runs out, and if you see more sales of that fragrance, you’ll be able to buy them in larger bulk quantities and cut your cost.
Add Some Excitement
Conversely, it’s possible that the standard Little Trees lineup is becoming stale to your customers. It might be time to take a chance on something new and see if it becomes a favorite at your car wash. In the last few years, Little Trees has added some fun and interesting variety to their lineup. Fresh Shave is a barbershop-themed air freshener that combines the aromas of shaving cream and talcum powder with warm musk and leather notes. Plus, it has an awesome red, white, and blue striped design – an ode to the classic barber pole. Sliced is a citrus-based air freshener featuring a juicy-looking orange in its visual design. In addition, Supernova, Gold, and Rose Thorn are other recently added Little Trees that we’ve heard good things about from our customers.
Seasonal Changes
Another strategy to consider is offering different fragrances seasonally. Vanillaroma, Leather, and Cinnamon Apple are some cozy options that customers will love when jumping in their car during the crisp, chilly autumn season. If you don’t already carry True North, the winter season is a great time to start. Royal Pine has always been a classic, so try replacing a poor seller with another column of Royal Pine during the holiday season. For spring and summer, Little Trees has numerous options. To name a few: Caribbean Colada, Bayside Breeze, Coconut, Watermelon, and Summer Linen. Any of these are potential year-round sellers, but swapping things out seasonally keeps things fresh and new for customers while keeping your vending revenue consistently strong.
Recognize Unique Opportunities
Get creative and recognize less conventional opportunities! If you know a lot of Uber or Lyft drivers frequent your car wash, a No Smoking Little Tree air freshener might be a strong seller you didn’t immediately consider. For Memorial Day and 4th of July, stock your machines with America Little Trees that boast a flag-inspired stars and stripes design. If your customers are on a higher level, adding Wild Hemp Little Trees might just spark some interest. Think outside the box and find the little edges that will revitalize your Little Trees vending.
Decals Shouldn’t Be a Stumbling Block
Don’t let your existing decals and overlays stop you from changing to a different product! While it can be a minor nuisance, having to replace the stickers on your vending machine shouldn’t stop you from making a change that will ultimately be beneficial to your vending. Little Trees decals are free at Kleen-Rite, and overlays only cost a quarter. Just add what you need to your next order and you’ll be ready to update your machine. Typically, when we refer to decals, we are talking about the larger stickers that cover the entire front of the machine door. Overlays are the smaller stickers added on top of the larger decal to designate what is in each column. With overlays, you can simply stick the new one directly on top of the old one. Of course, your machine presents best if you regularly remove all the stickers and add fresh ones.
Phil’s Decal Removal and Installation Tips
- Make sure to add new decals when yours become cracked, faded, or peeling. Fresh, clean decals make for a better interaction with your customers.
- Overlays can be placed on top of each other, but can get messy if you overdo it. Phil recommends changing out the entire decal instead of stacking more than 2 overlays on top of each other.
- For easy decal removal, use a heat gun, hair dryer, or butane torch. Warm the sticker while carefully removing it with a razor blade. Phil stresses that you only want to warm the decal – do NOT heat it so much that it gets scorched or burnt.
- Remove sticky glue residue with Simoniz Swell Stainless Steel Cleaner and a microfiber towel.
- Spray warm, soapy water on the area where the decal will be applied. This allows you to slightly adjust and move the decal until it’s in the desired position.
- Use old decal glue lines as makeshift guidelines for the new one – no measuring or marking required.
- Scrape out air bubbles and soapy water with a credit card to make the decal adhere properly.
Phil made a video showing how he removes decals from vending machines if you want to see his tips in action!
Adapt, Evolve, and Optimize Your Approach to Little Tree Air Freshener Sales
Little Trees have a consistent track record of being great sellers for car wash vending machines. With their iconic branding and trusted fragrance quality, customers are immediately drawn to these air fresheners as the perfect way to top off their car wash experience. Even so, you should experiment and rethink how you sell them to optimize your sales. Regardless of economic circumstances and industry challenges, owners that are able to adapt and evolve their methods will be more successful and set their business up for long-term stability.
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