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Do you need to sell more refreshments on the course? Do you like EZ Go golf carts? Well, take a look at our EZGo Refresher Oasis Golf Cart review to find out if this is the merchandising cart worth buying.
Are you interested in increasing your refreshment sales on the golf course or at an event? One of the best ways to do that is with a merchandising golf cart.
A lot of golf cart companies offer some version of a merchandising cart, making the choice of the best option a bit difficult. For this review, we took a look at the EZGo Refresher Oasis to see if the sales potential justifies the price tag.
What is the EZGo Refresher Oasis and How Does it Work?
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The EZGo Refresher Oasis is a merchandising golf cart that allows you to bring snacks and drinks with you to sell on the golf course or at an event.
One of these carts can substantially improve your refreshment sales by bringing the products directly to your customers. They won’t have to go to the clubhouse or to a refreshment stand to buy what they want. Instead, the cart will come to them and increase the chances that they buy something.
Drinks are a particularly important part of merchandising golf carts, and the beverage capacity is where the Refresher Oasis really shines (more on this ahead).
The Refresher Oasis comes in two versions: gas and electric. The one you want will be your choice, but the electric version will cost you a bit more. Here are the specifications of each so you can get a better idea of what to expect in one of these EZ Go golf carts.
Refresher Oasis Gas Specs:
- 5-hp Gas Engine
- 4 Cold Storage Drawers
- 500-Can Capacity
- 7-cu-ft of Merchandising
- 4-cu-ft Trash Capacity
- 1-sq-ft Work Space
Refresher Oasis 72-Volt Specs:
- 72-Volt AC Electric
- 50-mile range on a single charge
- 4 Cold Storage Drawers
- 500-Can Capacity
- 7-cu-ft of Merchandising
- 4-cu-ft Trash Capacity
- 1-sq-ft Work Space
What Makes the EZGo Refresher Oasis Golf Cart Unique?
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There are a lot of merchandising golf carts out there, and the number of selections can make it difficult to pick one. We think the Refresher Oasis stands out from the pack in multiple ways, though. The price for this cart will probably be a bit higher than the industry average, but the unique features we’ve included in this section make the purchase worthwhile – in our opinion at least.
500-Can Capacity
One of the biggest standout features of the EZGo Refresher Oasis that isn’t present in other EZ Go golf carts is the 500-can capacity in the built-in refrigerator. You’d be hard pressed to find a merchandising golf cart with more space for bottles and cans.
Of course, the 500-can capacity refers to more storage in the refrigeration space. You can carry food, bottles, or any other kind of treat you’re selling on the course or at an event. More space in the fridge means more time selling your items, and less time running to the clubhouse to restock.
Even if you pay more for one of these carts, you’re saving money by spending more time selling and less time stocking. This is a massive plus for anyone who is selling snacks and drinks at an event or on the golf course, and one of the biggest selling points for the EZGo Refresher Oasis Golf Cart.
Four Beverage Compartments
The capacity of the EZ Go golf carts isn’t the only part that makes them stand out from the pack. The ability to separate your beverages (or other chilled items) is another reason a lot of mobile merchandisers prefer the EZGo Refresher Oasis.
One of the reasons we liked this feature so much is because it allows us to separate alcohol from non-alcoholic beverages. Not everyone will be able to sell beer on the course or at an event, but those who can know the value of this feature.
Even if you don’t sell alcohol, you can separate sports drinks, soft drinks, water, and cold food if you like. Selling multiple drinks means you have to keep track of what you have and what you need.
Other carts with one or two containers make inventory on-the-go difficult. Your staff might have to dig through the cart’s container to try to find the last bottle of water for a thirsty customer, only to find out you only have cans of soda or beer left. After that, they’ll have to take a special trip to the clubhouse to restock on the one item you’re missing.
Instead, the EZ Go golf carts allow you to stay on top of what you need. You can stay on the course or in the parking lot selling the drinks and snacks you still have while someone else runs to the clubhouse to restock – further maximizing your sales.
Protective Canopy
The protective canopy is another feature that sets the EZGo Refresher Oasis Golf Cart apart from a lot of the other similar golf carts we’ve seen.
Most merchandising carts have a canopy of some kind, but the one on the Refresher Oasis was the perfect size in our opinion. It’s not too big and awkward, but it still provides much-needed shade for customers and employees as they enjoy a break from the sun.
Of course, the primary benefit of the canopy is keeping your snacks and beverages from the harsh sunlight. In this capacity, the canopy of the Refresher Oasis was ideal.
Wraparound End Cap
The wraparound end cap feature in the EZGo Refresher Oasis Golf Cart is nice to have, but it isn’t as useful as some of the other major features in the Refresher Oasis. Still, it presents a unique feature that some of the other merchandising golf carts we’ve seen don’t have.
The end cap offers some decent space where you and your staff can handle the transactions of your customers. You don’t have to handle the money and dispense the beverages and snacks in one small location anymore. Instead, the end cap allows you to provide customers with the food and drinks they want and handle their money in a separate space.
All chocolate and candy you store on the shelves will be cool and away from the harsh sun, so you don’t have to worry about selling melted snickers to your customers.
As we said, this isn’t the best feature in the Refresher Oasis, but it’s still unique. The end cap will really shine when you have two associates working in a busy area. One employee can ring up the customer while the other gives snacks and drinks to the next person in line.
More Merchandising Space
Merchandising is the name of the game with the Refresher Oasis, and they make the most out of their golf cart. There are 6.7 cubic feet of merchandising space in the cart, allowing for maximum inventory and selling potential.
We’ve talked about this with some of the previous features in the Refresh Oasis, but it’s worth noting again here: limiting your trips to the clubhouse means more sales while you’re on the course or at an event.
The more space you have to hold your items, the more time you can spend selling them – it’s that simple. The Refresher Oasis is one of the only choices if you want to get the most out of your restock trips and ensure that you’re not missing any sales while you’re restocking your supplies.
Separate Receptacles
Almost every merchandising golf cart will have receptacles – at least they should. Not all of them, though, will have an eco-friendly receptacle that allows you to separate trash from recyclables.
The receptacle bin isn’t huge, but it doesn’t need to be. All these bins have to do is store the trash, so you can send someone to the clubhouse to dispose of it.
Separating your trash from your recyclables is a nice touch that we thought was worth mentioning in this section. You probably won’t rent or buy this cart for the recyclable option alone, but it’s certainly a selling point for the environmentally conscious mobile merchandisers out there.
Pricing
As you can expect, the EZGo Refresher Oasis Golf Cart is going to cost thousands of dollars if you want to purchase one for your golf course or business. You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of selling snacks and drinks on the go versus financing the golf cart purchase.
The price can be justified if you think you will have the customer base to support the purchase. There are also several retailers that sell both new and used EZ Go golf carts, so it’s difficult to nail down the exact price you’ll pay.
Most of the retailers will also have financing options, and many have 0% APR for the first 12 to 24 months of your purchase. Those who sell enough merchandise while they’re on the course or at an event will see that the cart pays for itself, but not everyone is lucky enough to be sure that their snacks and drinks will justify the cart’s high price.
Of course, you can always rent one of these carts as well. The problem of cost vs. earnings will be the same with any merchandising cart, however, and we think the Refresher Oasis is worth paying a bit more for the added features it has.
Public Perception
It’s difficult to get a read on the public perception of the EZ Go Refresher Oasis since it operates in such a niche market. We can, however, look at the public perception of EZ Go as a company and the golf carts they offer.
Customers who bought or rented EZ Go golf carts seem to be overwhelmingly pleased with their experience. The carts are smooth, handle easily, and have satisfactory power that will get you from point A to point B with ease.
From what little we could find on Refresher Oasis user reviews, the staff seemed to like driving the cart and selling from it as well. As you can probably guess, the standout features included the enhanced capacity and the canopy coverage.
How it Compares
There are a few other options when it comes to merchandising golf carts, but we think the Refresher Oasis stands above the pack. It’s a bit more expensive than many of the others we’ve seen if you’re looking to buy one, but only by a couple of hundred dollars – nothing major in the grand scheme of things.
EZ Go Refresher Oasis Vs. Cafe Express Golf Cart
EZ Go Refresher Oasis
Cafe Express Golf Cart
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The Cafe Express golf cart was the other merchandising cart we tried that came close to what the Refresher Oasis offers, but it still falls short in our opinion. The horsepower and speed are about the same, and the Cafe Express cart offers a specific ice bin which we liked.
Still, the Cafe Express cart fell short regarding capacity. It just doesn’t hold as much merchandise as the Refresher Oasis, which is why we liked the latter so much. The can and bottle bin of the Cafe Express cart holds half of what the Refresher Oasis does, and there aren’t as many different bins to house these items.
Like we’ve said, a lower capacity means more trips to the clubhouse or refreshment stand. More time restocking means more sales your missing. For around the same price (the Refresher Oasis is a bit more expensive) we think the Oasis presents much more bang for your buck.
What We Think
You can probably tell from the bulk of our review that we liked what we saw from the EZGo refresher Oasis. EZ Go golf carts have a solid reputation behind them, and the merchandising version delivers on that reputation.
Although you’ll be paying a bit more for the Refresher Oasis, we think the price is worth it. The name of the game is moving merchandise, and the Oasis allows you to do this better than any other golf cart of its kind that we’ve seen.
In our opinion, the real question comes down to whether or not you think your sales uptick will warrant the purchase of a merchandising cart. You’ll have to crunch the numbers for yourself, but the EZGo Refresher Oasis is our top choice if you go this route.