Customer reviews remain one of the most effective trust signals for rental businesses in 2025. Whether you rent out audio equipment, bicycles, bounce houses, or bridalwear, positive customer feedback is often what tips a potential customer toward making a booking.
Yet how businesses gather and showcase that feedback has evolved. This guide explains why reviews are still essential, where they matter most, how to collect them efficiently, and how you can use Booqable to manage review requests with very little manual work.
Why reviews still matter in 2025
Reviews for rental businesses continue to be the most trusted source of information for new customers. According to BrightLocal’s 2024 survey, over 88 percent of renters say they rely on reviews before making a booking decision. If your business does not prioritize reviews, you risk losing visibility, credibility, and bookings to competitors who do.
Reviews influence decision-making across every rental category, whether someone is renting a wedding tent, a sound system, or an industrial lift. Positive reviews give potential renters confidence that you will deliver what you promise, on time and in great condition. They also reinforce your reliability, show off your service quality, and support your visibility in search results.
A party rental company with dozens of detailed reviews about their clean inventory and reliable delivery service is more likely to win a last-minute event booking than a competitor with no public feedback. On the flip side, a business without reviews may appear inactive or untrustworthy, even if they are doing great work behind the scenes.
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Which review platforms matter most
Choosing the right platforms to collect and display reviews can make a major difference in your exposure, especially when customers are comparing options online. A Trustpilot study from 2024 found that 91 percent of customers aged 18 to 44 trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends. Reviews across multiple platforms can increase conversion rates by over 50 percent.
Google Business Profiles
Google Business Profiles are the most influential review source for rental businesses because they appear directly in Google Search and Maps. When someone searches for a local service like “lighting equipment rental near me,” your Google Business Profile shows up with your address, hours, photos, and customer reviews.
These reviews are often the first thing potential customers read and they play a direct role in how Google ranks your business locally.
To get started:
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Visit Google Business Profile and claim your business.
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Fill out all your details: service area, phone number, business description, and categories.
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Add photos of your rental products and storefront or team.
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Start requesting reviews using a custom Google review link, which you can include in emails sent from Booqable.
Facebook works as both a review platform and a customer service hub. Your Facebook Page includes a built-in reviews section where customers can leave a star rating and a comment. This feedback is public and it often appears when people search for your business name on Facebook or in broader search engines.
To get started:
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Create a Facebook Business Page or update your existing one
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In the Page settings, make sure the Reviews tab is enabled
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Invite happy customers to leave a recommendation after their order is returned
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Monitor your inbox and comments to engage with people and thank them for their feedback
Instagram does not have a traditional star-based review system, but it is one of the best platforms for showcasing real customer experiences. Customers frequently share photos or stories featuring rental products and tag the business in their posts. These tags can be reshared to your profile and used as visual testimonials.
To get started:
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Switch your account to a Business or Creator profile for analytics and contact buttons
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Post high-quality photos of your rental items in use and behind-the-scenes moments
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Use branded hashtags or ask customers to tag you after their rental
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Repost customer content to your Story Highlights and feed with permission
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Use apps like LightWidget or SnapWidget to embed your Instagram feed into your website
Trustpilot and Yelp
Sites like Trustpilot and Yelp provide structured review systems where customers rate you and write public feedback. These platforms are indexed by search engines so reviews may appear when someone Googles your business.
To get started with Trustpilot:
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Sign up for a free account at Trustpilot
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Customize your review page and claim your profile
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Share your review link in email templates or thank-you pages
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Respond to reviews publicly to show active engagement
To get started with Yelp:
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Claim your business at Yelp for Business
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Add your information, photos, and categories
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Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews after their rental
Industry-specific platforms
Niche directories can be especially effective for certain types of rentals. These platforms offer targeted traffic and built-in trust through customer reviews. They are designed for specific industries, making the feedback more relevant and visible to your ideal customers.
To get started:
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Identify which platforms are most common in your rental category
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Create a listing with full details about services, pricing, and terms
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Add high-quality product photos and examples of usage
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Ask happy customers to leave reviews directly on the platform
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How to collect reviews
Collecting reviews through short, well-timed surveys is one of the easiest and most effective ways to build a steady stream of customer feedback. Businesses that do not actively request reviews tend to receive feedback only when something goes wrong, which can lead to an imbalanced online presence. According to Podium’s 2024 research, 77 percent of satisfied customers will write a review if asked shortly after their experience.
The best moment to ask for a review is right after a rental item is returned. For example, a landscaping equipment rental business might use a three-question survey to ask about the pickup experience, product condition, and whether the customer would recommend them.
Surveys should be short and easy to complete. You can use the following tools to create a branded questionnaire and include the link in your post-rental communication:
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Google Forms
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Typeform
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Jotform
You can also embed links to your Google Business Profile, Trustpilot profile, or Facebook profile to make it easy for customers to leave a public review after completing the form.
Sending review requests through Booqable
Using Booqable to send review requests helps make this process easy and consistent. With email templates, you can easily send a follow-up message to each customer as soon as their order is marked as returned by clicking the ‘send email’ button from your order’s screen, and selecting a premade review request email template.
When you select this template, the email automatically fills out with the customer’s name, rental items, rental period, and any other custom variables, so there is no need to edit or personalize the message each time.
It only takes one click and it is a habit that you and your team can easily adopt. This approach makes sure you never miss the opportunity to collect feedback and helps build your online reputation steadily over time.
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Displaying social proof online with LightWidget
Customer-generated content is one of the most powerful ways to build trust on your website. When customers tag your business in Instagram posts or stories, they are essentially giving a public recommendation. Reposting that content or embedding it on your site allows potential renters to see real experiences from real people.
Booqable-powered websites support integrations with apps like LightWidget, which can display tagged Instagram posts on your homepage or product pages. This is particularly helpful for industries like event rentals, fashion rentals, and outdoor gear.
Seeing other people enjoying your products in context helps new customers imagine themselves doing the same. It also shows that you have a track record of satisfied renters and adds a layer of authenticity to your brand.
In summary
Reviews for rental businesses are still one of the most important tools you can use to grow your customer base. They influence decision-making, improve your visibility in local searches, and help potential customers feel more confident about booking with you.
Requesting reviews through short surveys after order return allows you to capture feedback at the perfect moment. Booqable makes this even easier by sending prefilled review requests that include the right order and customer details. You can trigger these with one click whenever you mark an order as returned, creating a routine that helps you build reviews without manual work.
Finally, showcasing social proof on your website allows you to display real customer experiences and makes your business look active, trustworthy, and engaging. No matter your rental niche, consistently collecting and displaying reviews is one of the most effective ways to optimize your growth.
