RaceTrac upgrades for “smart” toilet seats

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Diving certificate:

• RaceTrac has installed Washie “smart” toilet seats in stores in seven states, the companies announced in an emailed news release Tuesday.
• These toilet seats, which RaceTrac is rolling out in stores in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, South Carolina and Kentucky, feature a motion-activated dispenser for cleaning solution. Customers can spread the disinfectant on the seat with a few pieces of toilet paper to disinfect it, then flush the toilet paper away, eliminating the need for a paper seat cover.
• This launch follows a successful three-month pilot program that began in November 2023 at a travel center in Atlanta, the press release said.

Diving insight:

As convenience stores look for ways to stand out from the competition, clean restrooms are a great way to gain repeat customers. Nearly 60% of respondents to a 2023 survey by bathroom product maker Bradley said they would consciously choose a store they know has clean restrooms, while 52% said a bad restroom experience could keep them from returning at all.

The vast majority of customers surveyed at RaceTrac and Washie’s pilot site said they felt more comfortable with the upgraded restrooms and were more likely to return to that travel center. The broader rollout began in May and is complete at all of RaceTrac’s travel centers across the seven states, a Washie spokesperson said.

The technology replaces paper toilet seat covers, which Washie says can absorb material on the seat rather than protecting the user from it.

RaceTrac has made several improvements this year to improve the customer experience. In April, it expanded its electric vehicle charging program to Texas and in May, it added features to the app that address long-standing customer issues with RaceTrac’s mobile presence.

Atlanta-based RaceTrac operates more than 580 convenience stores in eight southern states and more than 230 RaceWay stores in 12 states in the Southeast.