How An Asphalt Parking Lot Can Help Your Business

Running a business, no matter how successful, means constantly balancing the books. Every purchase you make must be offset by the value it will bring to your business.

The value isn’t always defined in monetary terms. Sometimes it simply makes employees happier. This has been shown to improve productivity and loyalty.

Adding an asphalt parking lot is surprisingly beneficial to any business with physical premises. Here’s why:

Environmentally Friendly Option

Asphalt uses aggregate and bitumen. Unfortunately, bitumen is petroleum-based which means that installing asphalt isn’t a zero-emission process.

However, creating and installing asphalt has a lower carbon footprint than concrete. That makes it an attractive option environmentally speaking. The best part is that, when you choose a reputable asphalt paving contractor, you can specify recycled asphalt.

Recycled asphalt is made of old asphalt with a small amount of new ingredients, significantly lowering its environmental impact.

In addition, your reputable supplier can offer porous asphalt. The water will drain through. This reduces the likelihood of flooding in your parking lot. That’s always attractive for customers. It also encourages water to return to its natural underground streams, that’s good for the planet.

To help the planet further you should look at how to build a green supply chain.

Low Cost

Installing a parking lot, or resurfacing one is going to cost you a fairly significant amount of money. However, asphalt is one of the cheapest all-coverage options available.

Concrete is more expensive to produce and costs more to transport to your site. That’s because it has to be mixed and the mixture maintained while in transit.

Naturally, you can also get attractive payment plans to help afford the transformation of your parking lot.

You should also note that asphalt can be installed very quickly. You can transform your lot in a couple of days, minimizing the disruption to your business.

Visual Appeal

One of the biggest benefits of an asphalt parking lot is that you’ll attract more customers. It’s difficult to know how many more and how long it will take you to recuperate the funds spent.

Imagine you’re looking for a specific type of business and you see there are two options in your area. In the first instance, you’ll probably look online at reviews to see what other customers think of them.

If both businesses have positive reviews, the next step will be a drive-by. This allows you to see how visually appealing the business is.

The better presented a business is from the outside, the more a customer will feel it is reputable and reliable. Your asphalt parking lot will help them decide that you’re the better option compared to the competition’s gravel or grass lot.

Of course, it will help if you have plants around the lot, a freshly painted building, and perhaps invest in some high-quality commercial window blinds.

Safety

Asphalt is smooth, good at draining water, and looks great. This makes it a pleasure to drive on. That’s a good start for customers. More importantly, the smooth surface reduces the likelihood of falls.

Customers, especially those a little less steady on their feet, will appreciate this. So will your business. Falls are a nightmare for your insurance company and you will have to fight regarding liability. The negative publicity can be damaging for your business. In addition, a loss is likely to push your premiums up.

Alongside the smoothness, good lighting in your parking lot will help customers feel safe and keep their vehicles safe. That will encourage them to visit at all times of the day.

Easy to Look After

Asphalt is surprisingly easy to look after. When laid properly weeds won’t be an issue. It will drain by itself, and you can sweep it regularly to keep it clean.

In addition, it’s strong and can handle the weight of multiple vehicles driving over it.

Asphalt can crack over time as it is constantly exposed to the weather. The freeze and thaw cycle is particularly damaging. However, it’s easy to fill cracks and add additional seal coating, ensuring it stays looking good and lasts for years.

Summing Up

An asphalt parking lot should be seen as an investment in your business. It is likely to result in a steady increase in customer numbers as opposed to a sudden burst of customers.

That’s good for business as you can build relationships with new customers that will last.

It may be difficult to accurately assess the return on your investment. However, you can be assured that it will attract more customers compared to an unsurfaced parking lot. In addition, an asphalt parking lot is likely to increase the value of your business.

It won’t put more money in your bank but it does feel nice.