Toy Share Experience is a toy rental service started with Booqable at the heart of its systems. From its online rental store to inventory management and technical support, the Booqable team played a role in helping them get started. Over a year later, they have grown massively and continue to grow every day thanks to the hard work of their team. They constantly analyze what toys will be trending and work with parents to get the most out of their service.
Toy rentals may not be something you immediately think of when you think of products that people will rent, but it is a growing niche. It has been successful in England, New Zealand, Spain, and Australia and is seeing growth in other areas like Canada - where Toy Share Experience is based. It’s not a niche we have touched on before, but it could be a hidden opportunity in your local area if you’re looking to start a rental business.
Toy Share Experience
Toy Share Experience was founded in Port Coquitlam, British Colombia, Canada, in February last year, just before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world. It was started when its founders saw the opportunity to avoid waste and have a significant impact. They had noticed that when parents buy toys for their young children, they will usually only play with them for a few weeks before they lose interest.
So, they researched why this was and what effect it had on the development of children. They found that children who focus on just one toy for a while are less likely to face challenges with their education than children who have lots of toys to choose from. So, along with creating their online rental store, they have created guides in collaboration with a child therapist to help parents develop their children’s skills.
They currently manage an inventory of 75 different toys from their store in downtown Port Coquitlam where parents can order and pick up toys. In addition, they can book online and receive free delivery with orders over $30. Of course, all bookings made through their store and managed in Booqable to ensure and streamlined and seamless experience for customers and staff.
Opening more doors
Having Booqable in the back-end of their business from the beginning has meant that they haven’t faced the same hurdles as some other rental businesses. In addition, this means that they have been able to add additional services to help families with their toy organization and child’s development.
As previously mentioned, they have worked with a child therapist to create a Development Skills Chart and Toy Rental Guide. It is designed to recommend toys to children of different age groups and skill levels to aid their development.
Parents can look through the guide and find what toys are most suitable for their children:
“If your child begins to improve in their balance, then you can look for toys related to balance. If your child begins to work with hand-eye coordination, then you can find toys to support that. All our toys are educational.”
In addition, they offer tidying services where they help parents organize their toys, so their room looks lovely. As well as assisting parents to decide what toys they can get rid of in exchange for rental coupons, and they can recycle for other children to learn from and enjoy.
The magical moments
Toy Share Experience loves how user-friendly Booqable’s rental software is and how easy it is to manage orders. If they have had any doubts, they have contacted support quickly and received excellent service. This hassle-free experience has enabled them to scale their toy rental business over the past year or so and continually grow.
Meanwhile, the owners of Toy Share Experience have been able to enjoy doing what they love:
“For us, the best part is when you arrive at the house of our customers, and the mother usually opens the door, and the kid immediately shows up behind their mother. Then, to take a look at their faces when you arrive with a box full of toys is a magical moment.
We also love seeing comments from our clients on social media. That’s a happy moment when you read a positive statement with all the effort we have been putting in.”
Customers have also benefited from Booqable’s easy online booking system that links directly from the header on the Toy Share Experience website. In addition, they have received positive feedback about how straightforward the order process is.
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