If you run a rental business, your website is more than just a digital storefront. It’s a decision-making tool for your customers. One key decision that can shape how customers interact with your site is whether to display availability for your rental items.
Knowing when and how to show rental website availability is essential. Some businesses thrive on giving customers a quick path to reserve what they need. Others benefit more from offering quote-based inquiries, which allow for tailored pricing and bundling. Whatever rental industry you are in, how you present availability can make or break your conversion rate.
Benefits of showing rental availability
Encourages faster decision-making
Customers on rental websites are often goal-driven. They want to know if products are available, and be able to book them straight away. Showing availability removes uncertainty and builds trust. It tells your customer, “Yes, you can have this for the dates you need.” That clarity often leads to quicker conversions.
A business renting out motorcycles for road trips or campers for festivals sees higher conversions when the customer doesn’t need to wait for an email confirmation. The less back-and-forth required, the more likely they are to complete their booking.
Reduces inbox load
Showing availability also reduces the volume of repetitive inquiries. Instead of receiving dozens of “Is this available?” messages, your team can focus on higher-value tasks. This is especially helpful for businesses with limited staff or high turnover, such as surfboard rental shops in beach towns or seasonal pop-up services.
Better experience for repeat customers
Displaying rental website availability builds confidence with returning customers. If they know they can check and reserve what they need in minutes, they’re more likely to return rather than shop around. This can be crucial in industries like DJ equipment rental or mobile tech hire, where clients have recurring needs.
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Showing vs. hiding availability
Showing availability for immediate bookings
If your customers tend to browse and book independently, such as with sports equipment, party rentals, or tech gear, showing availability upfront helps reduce unnecessary friction. A visitor to your rental website looking to book a kayak for the weekend doesn’t want to call or email just to know if it’s available. Displaying what’s in stock encourages a direct reservation, especially when customers expect quick answers or same-day rentals.
Hiding availability for quote-based rentals
On the other hand, if your business deals with custom packages like event rentals, high-end AV setups, or construction tool hire, you might want to hide availability. This enables you to review the customer’s request and send back a quote or confirmation. If you hide availability, customers can still book but the order will come in as a draft. It’s then up to the user to confirm the booking or send a quote.
This method gives you more control over pricing and availability, especially when your bookings rely on logistics or staff coordination. For example, a luxury event rental company offering coordinated packages for weddings may choose to hide availability to maintain personalized service and upsell opportunities.
How Booqable helps you control availability display
Booqable allows you to control how and when product availability is shown. You can tailor this for each product on your website, whether you want full visibility, partial hints, or none at all.
Availability indicator per product
On each product page, you can show whether the item is generally available for the customer’s selected dates. This gives a quick yes or no check before customers commit to deeper planning. This removes the barrier of uncertainty from the booking process.
Availability pop-up calendar
Booqable includes a pop-up calendar on product pages. Customers can select a rental period and instantly see availability across dates. This is incredibly useful for items with fluctuating stock or peak seasons, like bouncy castles or ski gear. Customers see the availability on a calendar and can adjust their rental period without reaching out to support.
Show quantity availability in calendars
If your business has multiple quantities of the same item, such as 15 identical DSLR cameras or 40 folding chairs, Booqable’s calendar can show exactly how many are available for each date. This feature is a favorite among equipment rental businesses, where clients may need to book multiple units at once.
You can choose whether to show quantity info, general availability, or hide both entirely, product by product.
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Final thoughts
Deciding whether or not to show availability on your rental website is more than just a design choice. It directly affects how customers engage with your business and how easily they can take action.
If your business benefits from fast, direct bookings, displaying availability builds trust and leads to quicker conversions. If your model relies on custom quotes and curated service, hiding availability allows you to maintain control over pricing and logistics.
Booqable gives you the flexibility to support both approaches. With customizable settings like product-level availability indicators, pop-up calendars, and quantity displays, you can tailor the rental experience to suit your goals.
Want to learn more? Visit our Help Center article on how to display and hide product availability.
