How Group Discounts Can Bring New Customers Into Your Laundromat

One of the most effective — yet underutilized — marketing strategies available to laundromat owners is the group discount. This approach not only brings new customers into your store but also creates positive community engagement and free advertising. When implemented well, group discounts can strengthen local relationships and bring long-term business growth.

What Are Group Discounts?

Group discounts allow you to track the laundry activity of a specific group over a set period of time, and then reward that group based on how much they used your store. You’re not obligated to give a discount, but you gain the ability to make a strategic decision once you see the group’s activity.

The concept is simple:

• Create a group within your loyalty system
• Ask the group to share coupons or digital codes with their members
• Track their activity during a chosen date range
• Decide on the donation, discount, or give-back at the end

It’s a structured, measurable way to encourage community participation while bringing new customers into your store.

Why School Fundraisers Are the Perfect Example

One of the best use cases for group discounts is partnering with a local school. Many schools already run restaurant nights as fundraisers — parents show up, present a flyer, the restaurant records their sales, and at the end of the night a percentage is donated back to the school.

Laundromats can replicate this exact model.

• Create a group in your loyalty system named after the school
• Provide the school with printed or digital coupons
• Families bring the coupon to your store during the promotional window
• The coupon links their loyalty account to the school’s group
• You track their activity for a week or two

At the end of the period, you choose the amount you want to donate back to the school — or provide a discount to participating families if you prefer. The beauty of this strategy is that the school does all the advertising for you.

A Win for Both Marketing and Community Engagement

Group discounts provide several major benefits:

• Free marketing. Schools, clubs, and organizations eagerly share the promotion with their members.
• Community goodwill. Supporting local causes builds your store’s reputation.
• New customers. Many families who participate will be visiting your laundromat for the first time.
• Long-term loyalty. Once customers experience your store, many return on their own.
• Positive publicity. The donation reveal at the end of the promotion is an easy and impactful story to share.

You can also choose whether to give families an individual discount during the promotional period, or simply donate based on their usage. Either approach works — and both create positive engagement.

The Bottom Line

Group discounts are a smart, low-cost, high-impact marketing tool that most laundromats overlook. By letting organizations drive participants into your store — and by giving back at the end — you create an attractive, community-focused program that grows your business.

Whether you start with a local school, church group, nonprofit, or neighborhood association, group discounts provide measurable results, new customer introductions, and great publicity for your laundromat.

About CCI

For the past 25 years, Card Concepts Inc. (CCI) has helped over 4,000 laundromats automate operations, modernize payments, and maximize profit potential so owners can work on their business instead of in it.