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The laundromat game can be competitive, but you can be better. Don’t give the customer a reason to go anywhere else. This article lists 5 ways you can stand apart from other laundromats.

Atmosphere & Entertainment

Dull industrial equipment. Blank walls. A dreary atmosphere, and the prospect of a very boring wait for your load to be done.

That’s the traditional image of a laundromat – but it doesn’t have to be.

Keep your guests entertained, and they’ll be more likely to use you. Offer free WiFi. Include pops of colour from furniture or lighting. Expand your laundromat into a cafe – or at least put in a vending machine. Fill a shelf or two with books. There are heaps of interesting and low-cost ways to take your laundromat experience a cut above the rest.

New Laundry Technology

Credit Card Operated Machines make payment easy for the customer. They also eliminate time spent counting coins, improve security, and enable you to easily implement discounts and membership programs. Don’t want to purchase new machines? Card readers can be retrofitted to existing equipment.

Modern industrial and commercial washing machines can reduce washing and drying times for customers, making your service more convenient than the one down the road.

Customer Service

Loyal customers are the lifeblood of a successful laundromat. And this means customer service is key.

Keep the place clean. Offer occasional freebies and discounts. Keep the kids happy with a wall-mounted TV or colouring books. Maybe even offer customers discounts if they sign up to an email list, and stay in touch with them by sending them out friendly emails and updates now and again. Make sure your signage, streetfront, and bathroom are looking great.

All these things, while they don’t traditionally fall under the umbrella of customer service, are great ways for your laundromat to keep customers happy and encourage them to come back.

Emphasise Eco-Friendliness

If your machines save water, make that public knowledge. Print and post a sign stating you’re eco-friendly on your storefront. Put stickers on your washers and dryers letting customers know how much water or energy they’ve saved by coming to you.

For some people, eco-friendliness will be reason enough to choose you over the competition. And for most others, it will be just one more reason to feel good about being your customer.

Advertise on Social Media

With Facebook and Instagram, you can target the area one or two miles around your laundromat with ads. Show your prime market the best side of your business with a great image, friendly text, and maybe an offering you’ve got that the competition doesn’t.

This is something that not a lot of laundromats are doing, which means it’s a great piece of leverage over the competition.