Enter average per-visit spend, visit frequency, gross margin, and customer retention rate by segment (single load coin, family coin, regular WDF, premium WDF + delivery). The calculator returns customer LTV per segment and LTV/CAC ratio. Healthy LTV/CAC is 3:1 or better — below 2:1 means you're spending too much to acquire customers; above 5:1 means you can probably afford to acquire more aggressively.
Segment Benchmarks
Single load coin customer — $40–80 LTV (low frequency, low spend). Family coin customer — $300–700 LTV (weekly visits, larger loads). Regular WDF customer — $800–2,400 LTV (weekly $40–100 orders, 1–3 year retention). Premium WDF + delivery — $3,000–8,000 LTV (highest spend, longest retention, hardest to acquire). The calculator helps you decide which segments to invest acquisition dollars into.
How to Use With CAC
Run CAC Calculator and LTV Calculator together. If your premium WDF segment LTV is $4,500 and your CAC for that channel is $80 — that's 56:1 LTV/CAC, you should massively expand acquisition spend in that channel. If your single-load coin LTV is $50 and your door hanger CAC is $7 — that's 7:1, fine but not worth scaling further. LTV/CAC ratio is the single most important marketing metric for laundromats.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I measure visit frequency?
Networked machines log it directly. POS systems with loyalty programs (Wash-Dry-Fold apps, Cents, Spincycle) capture it. For coin-only stores, estimate by surveying a sample of regulars on visit frequency. Even rough estimates produce useful LTV directional numbers.
What retention rate should I assume?
Coin laundromat customers — 60–75% annual retention typical. WDF customers — 50–65% annual retention typical (more competitive). Customers who use both coin and WDF retain at 80–90%. Higher amenity stores retain better than commodity stores.
What does it cost?
Free. Save and export with a free WashBizHub account.