Show don’t tell is a writing technique that probably brings you back to high school English classes.
If you don’t remember those writing classes, no worries. The idea is that it is better to let your readers experience the story instead of telling them how to think or feel.
As it turns out, show don’t tell also applies to the automotive world. That’s why Get Spiffy, a North Carolina-based on-demand car wash and detailing service, just announced the launch of Easy Tread. The goal of the tire diagnostic tool is to show consumers exactly what is wrong with their tires.
Get To Know Easy Tread
This is crucial to build trust with drivers that use Spiffy for their car servicing needs.
“Integrating visual elements into service recommendations is no longer optional; it’s table stakes for the consumer experience,” Spiffy CEO Scot Wingo said in a statement. “With Easy Tread, we’re not just telling customers what’s going on with their tires; we’re showing them. This level of transparency is revolutionizing the customer experience, fostering a higher level of trust and satisfaction.”
Easy Tread captures over 500,000 data points and gives a visual report on the health of tires.
Easy Tread is in the advanced beta testing stage now and plans to launch nationwide in 2024. Wingo told Hypepotamus that the Spiffy team started researching Easy Tread in 2019 and had an early prototype in 2020. Since then the startup has gone through upwards of 10 iterations of the product.
Beta testing gave the Spiffy team some unique insights into how to iterate the product itself. While Wingo said that Easy Tread initially started out as a handheld unit, that simply wouldn’t work because it forced technicians to get on the ground. But they also had to strike an important balance with their ‘low to the ground’ units to ensure that it would also work with lower ground clearance cars.
Easy Tread is designed to also be an added benefit to mechanics and repair shops looking to give their customers a quick visual representation of what is wrong with their tires – or what issues they could run into in the near future.
Spiffy Over The Years
Spiffy got off the ground in 2014 and has grown its on-demand car care services to include brakes, light repair, tires, oil changes, alongside washing and detailing.
The venture-backed startup most recently raised its $30 million Series C from lead investor Edison Partners. It has raised over $90 million in outside capital to date, according to Crunchbase. Local Southeast investors include Bull City Ventures, VentureSouth, IDEA Fund Partners, and Triangle Tweener Fund.
Post-COVID, the team rolled out its franchising model across many cities across the Southeast and beyond.
The World of Automotive Tech
Spiffy is growing within the Southeast’s strong AutomotiveTech scene.
Hypepotamus has covered several of these startups over the years as they look to change how consumers think about car ownership, automotive maintenance, and ridesharing.
Some other local automotive-focuses startups to note include Flux Hybrids (hybrid conversion startup in North Carolina), Carpool Logistics, Jax Rideshare, Gas Valet, Flexdrive, FIXD (Atlanta-based car maintenance app), Carputty (InsurTech in the car space), and Privacy4Cars.
