Freshen Up
Fun and fragrant air fresheners add money to the bottom line

Why does the smell of roses evoke pleasant memories? Why does the scent of a sea breeze ease stress? Two words—olfactory memory.

Scientists believe the sense of smell codes memories into the brain better than those based on sight or hearing. And the carwash industry has capitalized on this scientific truth by selling its customers a huge variety of pleasant-smelling air-freshening products.

By recognizing the impulse purchase power of these eye-catching scented air-freshening items, wash owners benefit from a significant price markup that adds welcome income to the bottom line. But air-freshener manufacturers know customers get excited when they see new fragrances packaged in exciting new forms, and their marketing departments work overtime to find out what consumers want.

Not all popular air fresheners are thin and can fit under a door.

“The newest hot item in air fresheners is the 3-D gel,” says Rami Lalena, owner of R.R. Lalena Corp., Maspeth, N.Y. The three-dimension (3-D) gels are soft, plastic air fresheners in different shapes and scents that have been injected with a fragrance. For example, Car Freshener Corporation, the inventor of the Little Tree air fresheners, recently introduced two new 3-D items, the bass and the goldfish. Air-freshener manufacturers realize that this type of product, with a retail cost of $2.99 to $5.99, can easily take a place on the same rack of items with a retail cost of 69 cents to $1.25.

However, the rush to change from paper air-freshener products to 3-D may hurt the per-car average profit in the long run, Lalena cautions. The philosophy behind it is that the turnover period in the customer’s car will be much longer since customers buy for the appearance, not the scent.

“When you move to beautiful 3-D models at a much higher price, the customer will think twice before throwing it in the garbage, especially after paying $3 to $4,” Lalena says.

Compare this turnover to buying a 99-cent item, which is easier to discard and replace with a new 99-cent air freshener. Still, many customers are attracted by some of the hot new items in the market, including a 3- D cherry and strawberry, a bug and a fish.

The choices of scents are also increasing. “Instead of very distinct scents such as strawberry, cherry, vanilla and lemon, companies have invented new names and new scents such as Cool Cascade, Mountain Waterfall, Summer Breeze, Nature Breeze, etc.,” Lalena says.

How should carwash owners, managers and operators organize the lobby? Lalena recently tried an effective new technique. He suggests placing six pieces of one item at the front of the store, in the first gondola or the first space the customer sees upon entering the store. Place six pieces of the same item near the cashier. Most people buy items such as air fresheners impulsively, but sometimes there are so many “trees” they cannot find the forest. If a customer sees the item as he enters the store and then sees the same item again at the cashier, he is more likely to buy it because he is familiar with it.

“People like what is different, new, exciting and colorful,” says Eric Wachtel, vice president of T & E Sales in Metuchen, N.J. Fast becoming popular are three-dimensional novelty products, that come in a wide variety of styles, including dolphin, moon, stars, sun, goldfish, bat, shark, snowboards, surf boards and cherry. These 3-D gel air fresheners come in a variety of new scents such as tropical breeze, tropical shower or ocean surf that are becoming more popular. But the top three scents are still new car, vanilla and strawberry.

Air fresheners also tie in with movies and TV. Sponge Bob, Garfield and Scooby Doo can be found on counters or displayed in lobbies and vendor machines. Before these movies come out, operators should have a good stock of these air fresheners, Wachtel says. However, any impulse item sold at a carwash is competing with similar items lower priced at big box stores such as Walmart and Kmart.

Although a customer can’t immediately tell what the new scent is, he sees that the dolphin or the star or the Garfield is not that expensive, so he will buy it on impulse. If a customer likes the scent, he will come back to buy another one. To ensure that the novelty air freshener is attractive to the customer, it must be priced right. None of the air fresheners should retail for more than $3.99 unless you have a really special air freshener, Wachtel advises. He says operators should be conscientious about the prices of all air-freshener products, not just the novelty ones.

Every carwash has to offer the classic Little Tree freshener, but Wachtel cautions against pricing it higher than 99 cents. When wash owners pay 38 to 40 cents per air freshener, the markup on that item is enough to generate a good profit.

“Once you go over that 99-cent price, you will only hurt sales in the long run, Wachtel says. “You see that a lot—guys who mark up thinking they will make a higher profit, but the same air freshener sells everywhere for around a dollar.” If a product isn’t moving, Wachtel suggests operators check to see if they are stocking the right items for their customers.

A marketing trend is to give away a Little Tree air freshener with a package wash. The owner only spends 38 or 39 cents for the items, but the customer feels he has received added value with his wash.

“If you want to make the profit, you have to buy the product at the right price,” he says. Wachtel advises wash owners shop around, check out manufacturers and suppliers and request all the free catalogues they can get. Owners should rely on the expertise of the manufacturers and suppliers to help them determine what products are selling best. “The operators who ask the most questions and ask for help sell the most,” he says.

“Air fresheners are the largest impulse sale of any automotive accessory,” Allan Chernak, president and CEO of Chic Accessories L.L.C.. says. “You’re not going to go to the store just to buy air fresheners. You buy it on impulse while getting your car washed.”

And because of this impulse factor, the goal of Chernak’s company is to interest the largest group of spenders, 16- to 45-yearolds, who are quick to snap up trendy items.

“A lot of people buy based on a fashion trend, he says.”

Wash owners need to stock the standard air-freshener items, but what makes the market grow are new colors, new fragrances and trendy ideas, Chernak says. Although the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company offers a line of paper, plastic and metal air fresheners, it is always introducing new colors, scents and items. Among his company’s newest products are palm trees in a variety of bright colors such lime green and raspberry. One of Chic Accessories’ best lines is the Island Adventures exotic scents Hawaiian lei air freshener that resemble “fashion” flowers.

“People want these tropical, vacation-type scents,” he says. Beach Breeze is Chernak’s number-one fragrance followed by Surf’s Up and Tropical Mist, all alternative scents. And, as these names suggest, it is important to make the name as attractive to the customer as the color and scent, Charnak says.

But scent and name are not the only draw for an impulse purchase. One of the hottest items younger shoppers go for is metal jewelry that hangs from scented beads. Customers can choose from a range of items from dragons and Buddhas to religious crosses. Another fun item is called SoCal Chopper with a clean fragrance.

Chernak will also begin shipping a product he calls the hottest new air freshener to hit the market in 10 years. They’re called Flip Flops. That’s right, those sandals that people wear almost universally on beaches and around pools. But these flip flops hang from the vehicle’s mirror and give off a pleasant smell. Flip Flops are detailed complete with strap and toe and heel impressions. They are available in pink with a fuchsia scent and blue with an outdoor breeze scent.

Although wash owners need to stock the standard air-freshener items, some thoughtful positioning of the higher-priced, trendy air fresheners can increase impulse sales and possibly create a name for the wash as the “in” place to shop.

Ken Flower, owner of Fremont, Ohio-based Custom Fresheners says most customers own vehicles in the $20,000 price range and are attracted to the inexpensive paper air freshener.

“Carwashes need to sell to their target market,” Flower says. “If a wash owner does not determine his market demographics, he may add new, higher-priced items, only to find they don’t sell well, he says.

Customer Fresheners manufactures The Bomb line of paper air fresheners designed and priced to be marketed to the masses. The hanging paper air fresheners can be customized with a company’s logo on one side. Flower suggests stocking a variety of scents, including the three most popular— cherry, vanilla and new car, plus novelty items.

“You want to push sell, not pull sell,” Flower says. In other words, give the customer as much information as possible, and let the product sell itself. There are dozens of items that hang from the mirror in a huge range of styles and scents, but there are also fresheners that clip on the vehicle’s ventilator or can be placed under the seat.

It also pays to be aware of trends, such as in the media, politics, community and even international areas. Flowers’ company makes the most of current affairs. Its Osama Bomb is a cherry-scented card with a cartoon likeness of terrorist Osama bin Laden under cross-hairs and the motto “Gets The Stink Out!” Perhaps some people may be offended by the product, but it allows others to make a statement.

In 1999, wafer air fresheners began to replace liquid-spray air freshener at many full- serve and exterior tunnel carwashes. “Today, the non-liquid freshener is the chosen method of applying air freshener to a car, not only for its ease of application, but from the response of the consumer,” says Ken Sinclair, national sales manager for Arabesque Fragrances Manufacturing. The company’s Wonder Wafer is available in 18 different air-freshener scents with clean car, wild cherry, jasmine, new leather, pina colada and vanilla fragrances among the top sellers.

“The newest thing in the industry is the aroma disk clip,” says Rob Terranova, co-owner of Castle Rock, Colo.-based Car Coaster L.L.C. “This trend of ‘invisible’ auto air fresheners is becoming more prevalent in the industry.” Attached unobtrusively to a vehicle’s air vent, the disk is almost unnoticed when compared to traditional air fresheners that hang from mirrors.

Many customers don’t want an object hanging from the rear-view mirror since they view this as an obstruction. Responding to consumer wishes, Car Coasters’ Aroma- Disk Clips were designed for the customer who wants a fresh car, but doesn’t want a visible air freshener. This trend is especially prevalent among customers with high-end automobiles, he says.

As customers become more discerning in their tastes, they demand true fragrances. This has become a major trend. “People want strawberry to smell like strawberry and lemon to smell like lemon,” Terranova says. “We respond to customers requests for true fragrances.” Car Coaster added nine new fragrances last year, bringing its line to 20 “true” scents.

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