When starting a rental business in a tourist area, you would expect foot traffic to be your primary source of customers. However, Burra Bike & Board quickly realized this wasn’t the right direction. They decided to switch to a mobile rental service where customers can book online via a Booqable integration, and reservations are managed in the Booqable mobile app.
Burra Bike & Board
Lucy Robertson and James Morton started Burra Bike & Board in 2019 in Culburra Beach, Australia. This idyllic area on the south coast of New South Wales is the perfect place for multiple outdoor activities. Its beautiful river, lake, ocean, and national park make it the perfect vacation spot for tourists to relax and explore via bike, kayak, boat, or paddle board.
Burra Bike and Board was originally founded in a static physical storefront within one of the area’s prominent towns. They started by renting out bikes, surfboards, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and the associated accessories they require. This proved okay initially, but they soon found that foot traffic wasn’t the ideal way to get customers to visit the area.
So, they decided to transform the business into a mobile rental service with online bookings. This allowed them to serve a much wider area and made it more convenient for customers, who no longer needed to travel to their store to pick up their equipment. This is when Burra Bike & Board found its stride and was able to grow the business exactly how it desired.
All-in-one system
When it came time for Burra Bike & Board to transition to a mobile rental service, they knew they needed to implement a management system. It needed to allow them to accept online bookings and access bookings on the road from their mobile devices. While searching for a solution, they found Booqable’s all-in-one system combining bookings, inventory, and mobile.
Lucy and James started by adding their inventory to Booqable, setting up stock, pricing, and rental periods. They then used the WordPress plugin to integrate the online booking components into their rental website, built on the WooCommerce platform. This allowed them to showcase their inventory online and accept customer bookings and payments 24/7.
The Booqable mobile app allows them to access, create, and edit bookings from their mobile devices. This was essential as they no longer had a physical location, and carrying around a laptop isn’t ideal. By having access to their bookings in the mobile app, they can quickly plan their routes and create new bookings for customers who call to place a booking..
Sustainable growth
Since switching to a mobile rental service, Burra Bike & Board has generated sustainable growth across its delivery areas in Culburra and the surrounding towns. The implementation of Booqable has made it easier to manage inventory, get bookings, and access information on the road. Customers find the online booking flow to be very easy and user-friendly.
Booqable has become an essential and integral part of their business, especially during peak times like vacation seasons. It has allowed them to stay on top of their bookings and keep track of inventory while giving them the convenience of access while on the road. They hope to be able to continue their sustainable growth throughout the coming years.
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