Welcome to our comprehensive guide on efficient rental inventory management for recreational equipment. Whether you're dealing with boats, jet skis, or safety gear, we'll explore practical strategies to keep your assets in top shape and readily available. We’ll cover managing your inventory system effectively, ensuring customer satisfaction, and smoothly running your operations.

‍

What is Rental Inventory Management?

‍

Rental inventory management for a recreational equipment rental business involves two key aspects: management of physical assets and the systems to oversee those assets. It is a strategy implemented to maintain all rental items, including boats, jet skis, and safety equipment, and track their availability and status. Keeping a well-maintained record of your assets ensures swift responses to any maintenance issues, maximizes usage and customer satisfaction, and aids in running smooth operations.

‍

How does Rental Inventory Management Work?

‍

Rental inventory management is a systematic process. It all begins with cataloging every boat and jet ski in your inventory. Each item is listed with its features, current condition, and rental status. Tracking these items is the next key part, using a system like barcoding or a digital platform to record when each item gets rented out and when it is returned. Regular inspections for the condition of equipment before and after rentals should be carried out to prevent any breakages or damage and to assess the condition. This maintenance can range from preventative routine checks and servicing to more major maintenance such as repairs of defective or damaged equipment or replacement of items beyond repair. Ultimately, it also entails making sure your rental items are always available for customers when needed. 

‍

Rental Inventory Management Benefits

‍

Implementing rental inventory management solutions in a recreational rental business carries several advantages. Among them, the capability to automate routine tasks to improve operational efficiency, is prominent. Others include:

‍

Enhanced Equipment Availability: Optimization of equipment use and rotation to avoid overbooking, and unnecessary wear and tear.

Improved Cash Flow Management: Helps in consistent revenue generation through processes payments and updates financial records promptly while minimizing expenses by tracking equipment condition and usage.

Reduction in Operational Costs: Real-time stock levels and monitoring equipment condition help to prevent overstocking and emergency maintenance expenses.

Optimized Storage and Warehousing: Efficient categorization and tracking of equipment leads to an organized storage system and easy equipment retrieval.

Accurate Demand Forecasting: Rental trends and historical data analysis assist in demand forecasting to prepare for peak seasons.

Minimized Equipment Downtime: Regular maintenance schedules ensure that equipment is always ready to use, boosting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Streamlined Maintenance Scheduling: Maintenance planning is streamlined, allowing the equipment to remain in top condition, extending its service life, and enhancing profits.

‍

Components of Rental Equipment Inventory Management

‍

Rental equipment inventory management in the varied realm of recreational rentals businesses hinges on several critical components that each play a pivotal role in the effective functioning and success of your business.

‍

Stock Tracking and Control

‍

To effectively manage your rental equipment, stock tracking and control must be meticulously executed. This involves more than just checking out equipment to customers and managing the check-in process. Instead, you should delve into more sophisticated methods, leveraging digital tools to create a detailed record documenting each piece of rental equipment's use.

Cloud-based software solutions have proven to be essential in achieving this level of tracking. They offer real-time updates on equipment condition and availability, ensuring that your operations are always informed by the most current data. This technology, whether it's a tailored software specifically crafted for your business needs or an off-the-shelf solution, also aids in managing inventory levels by tracking rental return timeliness and efficiently receiving returned rentals and updating inventory counts.

‍

Maintenance and Repair Scheduling

‍

Effective maintenance and repair schedules, ideally facilitated by automated systems, are another crucial aspect of rental inventory management. These schedules ensure optimal equipment availability and help minimize downtime, providing constant access to top-quality equipment, ready for use by your customers.

An advantage of using automated systems is their alert feature, which notifies you when maintenance or a repair is due. This can help you preempt potential rental downtimes. With early warning, you can avoid unexpected equipment failures or quality degradation, resulting in improved service and customer satisfaction.

‍

Equipment Lifecycle Management

‍

Understanding and managing every stage of your rental equipment's lifecycle is pivotal in making informed business decisions. By tracking the lifecycle of each item, from acquisition to disposal, you'll have a clear picture of the item's usage and condition over time. This consistent monitoring allows you to evaluate when maintaining an item becomes financially unviable compared to replacing it, guiding your decisions on when it's most beneficial to invest in new equipment.

‍

Seasonal Demand Analysis

‍

One of the variables that may significantly impact your rental business is seasonal demand. Due to the fluctuating nature of rental demand across different periods of the year, an in-depth seasonal demand analysis is a crucial component of rental inventory management. This analysis helps you plan your inventory levels, staffing needs, and marketing strategies according to the projected demand. By preparing for peak seasons in advance, you can increase your service efficiency and ensure optimal profit margins during the busiest times for your rental business.

‍

Tips for Managing Rental Equipment Inventory

‍

Managing rental equipment inventory for your recreational rental business can feel like a never-ending puzzle. However, with this crucial advice, it can become more of a treasure map guiding your venture towards greater efficiency and profitability.

‍

Forecast Demand

‍

Forecasting demand for your rental inventory can greatly influence planning and inventory management decisions. One effective technique is to analyze historical data from your own business to discern seasonal trends and cycles. Studying market trends, which can include anything from economic shifts to evolving consumer behavior, is another essential practice. Additionally, examining seasonal influences can help anticipate surges in demand, ensuring you are prepared to meet your customers' needs.

‍

Recognize Your Most Profitable Rentals

‍

Identifying the most profitable rental items in your inventory is crucial. This can be achieved through performance analysis, which involves evaluating which items are rented out most frequently and generate the highest revenue. Additionally, cost tracking can reveal which items have the highest return on investment, taking into account initial cost, maintenance expenses, and rental price. A deep understanding of customer preferences, based on feedback and rental history, can further allow you to optimize inventory and meet demand efficiently.

‍

Perform Periodic Inventory Audits

‍

Performing periodic inventory audits is a key aspect of inventory management. These audits involve reviewing your inventory for discrepancies, updating catalog information, and examining the condition of equipment. Regular audits provide a more accurate picture of your available stock, aiding in balanced inventory levels and preventing stock shortages. They also help to spot potential issues with equipment, ensuring rentals are ready for use and maintaining customer satisfaction.

‍

Preparing Your Inventory for Rental Inventory Management Software

‍

Before introducing rental inventory software to your business, a little preparation goes a long way. Here are some steps to get your inventory ready:

‍

1. Identify Inventory Size: Plan the optimal size of your inventory, balancing investment capital, storage capacity, and customer demand. Be ready for adjustments due to seasonal changes or preferences.
2. Strategically Store and Warehouse: Implement innovative ideas like vertical storage or compact racks to optimize space. Prioritize security measures to protect your equipment, and organize items in a way that facilitates easy retrieval.
3. Categorize and Group Products: Make your life easier by categorizing and grouping equipment. This could be by design, size, or material for kayaks, or engine type and seating capacity for jet skis. It'll help you locate items and keep track of their condition quickly.
4. Create a Detailed Equipment List: It's all in the details - jot down specifications, purchase dates, maintenance records, and current conditions. This list could be crucial in determining when it's time for a tune-up or even a replacement.

‍

Understand the nuances of prepping your inventory for a rental management system. Our guide is perfect when you're ready to let the software do the heavy lifting.

‍

Key Takeaways

‍

In managing rental inventory for a equipment rental business, business owners should be mindful of the following:

• Rental inventory management is a strategy involving both physical asset management and overseeing systems, vital for profitability and smooth operations in a recreational rental business.
• Utilizing cloud-based software solutions for real-time updates on equipment condition and availability, along with maintaining consistent maintenance and repair schedules, can reduce downtime and improve customer satisfaction.
• Effective rental inventory management also involves understanding and monitoring every stage of an equipment's lifecycle to make informed decisions on maintenance, replacement, or new investments.
• Rental inventory management can drive efficiency and profitability through an in-depth seasonal demand analysis, balancing inventory levels, and staffing needs effectively.
• Before integrating rental inventory management software into your business, consider carefully planning your warehouse storage strategies, categorizing equipment, and creating a detailed list of equipment and their conditions.

‍

‍

Frequently Asked Questions

‍

Why is Inventory Management Crucial for Rental Businesses?

‍

Inventory management is paramount to rental businesses for several reasons. It ensures equipment availability; customers can always access what they need, thereby promoting client satisfaction and retention. Efficient inventory management helps maintain the quality of rental tools, increasing their durability and subsequently reducing costs on untimely repairs or replacements. By accurately forecasting demand, businesses can prepare adequately for peak seasons and optimize resource allocation. Ultimately, inventory management is closely tied to a rental company’s profitability: manage your inventory well, and you maximize your odds of business success.

‍

How can I Predict the Demand for Rental Equipment During Peak Business Seasons?

‍

Predicting demand for rental equipment during peak seasons can be done through various methods: examining historical data, analyzing market trends, and accounting for local events or attractions. Historical data, both from your own business and industry data, can tell you when demand typically spikes and what equipment is often rented during those times. Market trends provide insights into what customers are interested in, giving you an advantage in tailoring your inventory to meet those needs. Lastly, keep an eye on local events and attractions. Big gatherings, sporting events, or festivals in your area can heavily influence demand.

‍

How Often Should I Audit or Check My Equipment Inventory?

‍

The frequency of inventory checks and audits largely depends on the size and activity of your rental operation. However, it is recommended to conduct an inventory audit at least once a quarter. This allows you to detect issues such as stock discrepancies, damage, or potential equipment misplacement. If your business experiences heavy and frequent customer traffic, you might consider more regular audits. Routine checks ensure that the inventory record remains accurate and highlights any preventive maintenance needs, ensuring the continued health and availability of your equipment.

Review automation fundamentally revolutionizes the way your rental business receives feedback. It's a technology-focused strategy that significantly enhances the way customer reviews are collected, monitored, and managed. In your recreation rental business, positive reviews can directly lead to more bookings and higher revenue.

‍

‍

What is Review Automation?

‍

Review automation is a digital process that simplifies the collection of customer reviews. It leverages technology to send review requests to customers seamlessly, eliminating the necessity for manual outreach. It's an automated system that prompts customers to leave reviews about their experience. This tactic employs digital tools to transform the traditionally manual process of asking for a customer's opinion into a streamlined, automated act.

‍

_{How do Automated Reviews Work?}

‍

Once a customer's rental session ends, an automated system triggers an invitation for them to share their experience. It typically involves an email or text message requesting for their feedback. After the customer submits their review, the automated system collects and categorizes these inputs based on pre-set parameters, such as star rating or date. The collected reviews may then be published on specified platforms or utilized within the company for service improvements. It's a complete, hands-off process that ensures you consistently collect valuable customer feedback, while saving your resources.

‍

‍

Benefits of Automation for Collecting Google and TripAdvisor Reviews

‍

Review automation can significantly enhance business performance.

‍

Visibility & Customer Attraction: Automation improves business visibility via SEO, driving word-of-mouth recommendations and enhancing company reputation.

Efficient Messaging: It helps create personalized review requests, enhancing customer engagement and making them feel appreciated.

Schedule Management: The ability to schedule review prompts according to customer behavior ensures regular feedback without causing annoyance.

Improved Review Collection: Automation eases feedback collection by eliminating manual tracking and reducing errors, freeing staff to focus on other tasks.

Online Presence: Positive feedback can be promoted on online platforms, establishing a strong online presence.

Effective Response to Criticism: Automation alerts businesses to negative feedback for quick resolution, maintaining a positive business image.

Google My Business Visibility: Automation increases the company's visibility on this key platform by boosting the number of reviews.

‍

‍

Automated Customer Review Software vs a Managed Service

‍

The main difference between a managed service and automated customer review software lies within the level of control, effort, and cost that you as a business owner are willing to either retain or delegate.

‍

In terms of a managed service for customer review collection, this usually involves employing an external team or company that specializes in procuring, organizing, and analyzing customer reviews. The benefits of such a service include having professionals handle the task, extensive customization options, and extensive analytical insights. The drawbacks, however, include the higher cost compared to automation software and potentially slower adaptation to your unique needs.

‍

In contrast, automated customer review software offers a more hands-off, cost-effective solution. Once set, it operates on autopilot, sending reminders to your customers, collecting reviews, and processing them for your review. Businesses prefer automation software due to its cost-effectiveness, consistency, and the ability to reduce repetitive tasks. On the downside, it may offer less flexibility and personalization than a managed service.

‍

‍

Setting Up Automated Review Software

‍

Embarking on the journey of setting up an automated review software? Great! With automation comes efficiency, simplicity, and effectiveness. But like any business decision, it's not merely about choosing the first software you come across. The process requires alert assessment, integration, training, and vigilance. You'll need to make sure the existing review methods aren't cutting it, choose a software that satisfies your requirements, seamlessly integrate it with your current systems, train your staff to use it effectively, and continually monitor performance. With these deliberate steps, you'll see an uptick not only in quantity but in the quality of your reviews.

‍

1. Evaluate Your Needs and Situation

Initially, assess the current method of collecting customer reviews. Is it manual, time-consuming, or ineffective? If so, you may need to look into automating this process. Calculate the time and resources dedicated to this task and determine whether automation could improve efficiency and effectiveness.

‍

2. Choose the Right Automated Review Platform

Once the need for automation is established, it's time to choose a review platform. Consider the cost, capabilities, ease-of-use, and the platform's reputation. It might be useful to speak with other rental businesses who have implemented such systems for suggestions or recommendations. Choose a platform that aligns with your specific requirements.

‍

3. Integrate with Your Existing Systems

The chosen review automation platform needs to be integrated with your existing CRM. Check whether the platform supports integration with your current system. The platform provider often assists with integrating their system into your operational processes.

‍

4. Train Your Staff

Ensure your staff is well trained and comfortable using the new system. Provide training sessions to ensure everyone understands the functioning of the new automation platform. This will ensure efficient use and better results.

‍

5. Regular Checks and Enhancements

Once the review automation system is implemented, continuously monitor its effectiveness. Are you getting more reviews? Are they more positive? Use this data to tweak and optimize the system for maximum benefit.

‍

‍

Key Takeaways

‍

1. Review automation is a powerful tool for recreational rental businesses to efficiently manage customer reviews, improve service delivery, and drive business performance.
2. Crucial factors influencing customer reviews include service quality, pricing, ease of use, company reputation, and effective communication among others. Through review automation, businesses can make informed adjustments to enhance these areas and ensure customer satisfaction.
3. A comprehensive implementation of review automation entails an initial assessment, choice of platform, integration with existing systems, staff training, and ongoing monitoring for optimization.
4. Tailored responses, professional tone, and prompt replies improve the effectiveness of automated review responses. Acquisition of Google reviews can be increased by requesting for reviews and incentivizing customers.
5. Consistent service quality and well-crafted review responses boost business credibility. Addressing customer feedback enhances business operations and fosters customer loyalty. SEO benefits from a continuous flow of reviews.
6. Comparatively, automated customer review software is more advantageous than managed services due to its consistency, task reduction ability, and cost-effectiveness, despite less personalized services.

‍

‍

FAQs

‍

How do Automated Reviews Differ from Traditional Review Methods?

‍

Automated reviews substantially differ from traditional review methods. Traditional review methods typically involve manual solicitation and collection of customer feedback, which can be time-consuming and inconsistent. In contrast, automated review systems proactively and systematically request reviews from customers, saving time while ensuring a steady flow of recent, relevant feedback. Additionally, automated systems are able to instantly organize and analyze reviews, providing critical insight that manual methods might miss.

‍

I run a small-sized rental service. Is review automation advisable for my size of business?

‍

Absolutely! For small businesses like yours, review automation can be a game-changer. Your team, as mighty as it might be, probably wears many hats. Automating reviews means you can channel the energy spent on manually seeking feedback into improving your services. A steady influx of reviews can also help you take the pulse of customer satisfaction and make any necessary adjustments. Plus, with unique insights to show off online, potential clients can easily spot what's to love about your services—helping you shine brighter in the marketplace. So, regardless of your business's size, review automation can definitely level up your operations.

‍

How do Automated Review Systems Handle Negative Feedback or Criticism?

‍

Automated review systems have mechanisms to handle negative feedback effectively. On receiving a low-rating or negative review, the system can trigger an alert for the business to take immediate action. Automated systems often provide templates for responding to suboptimal reviews, but it is vital to personalize these responses to maintain authenticity. If consistently negative feedback is received in a specific area, the system's analytical function can highlight this, offering an opportunity for improvement.

As an activity operator with a hectic schedule, finding the time to implement new growth strategies can be challenging. That's why we've put together a one-week guide with proven practices to help your business drive more revenue. It's simple—7 steps for 7 days. Follow these easy steps each day to optimize your business and unlock more revenue in no time.

‍

DAY 1: Customize Your Abandoned Booking Emails

‍

One of our partners' favorite features is our Abandoned Booking emails. It's common for customers to get distracted and leave your website without finalizing their booking. This is where Abandoned Booking emails come in. Peek Pro allows you to send automated reminder emails to customers that return them to their last place in the booking flow, helping you never miss a sale. 

‍

This revenue-generating feature has increased conversions by an average of 16% for our partners. Whether you are just getting started or already using this powerful feature, there's even more you could be doing to maximize profits with Abandoned Booking emails!

‍

Instead of sending generic emails, personalize your content to let clients know more about you and the exciting experiences you offer; Make a memorable brand impression by adding personal touches to your emails like photos and testimonials, or add targeted deals to your Abandoned Booking emails to encourage potential guests to book fast.

‍

Real-Life Example: Check out how Pedal Pub customizes their Abandoned Booking to successfully re-engage customers and boost conversions.

Take the opportunity to let customers get to know you and your brand before they book. Our advice to partners is to customize wherever possible! Follow this guide to get your abandoned booking emails set up today. For more tips on how to customize your emails, click here.

‍

‍

‍

Day 2: Upsell with Add-Ons & Bundles

One easy way Peek partners amp up sales is with our revenue-boosting Add-Ons & Bundles features. Enhance your customers' experience and boost cart sizes with little to no extra work required. Our partners witness an average 7.2% increase in sales using Add-Ons & Bundles. If you're not making the most of these revenue-generating features, you should be!

‍

Offer Customers More with Add-Ons

Add-Ons are a great way to improve customer experience while growing revenue. Your customers are already booking, so why not offer them a little extra? Peek Pro allows you to showcase all of your products and upgrades right in booking flow.

There are so many ways you can get creative with Add-Ons.  Need a little inspo?  You can use Add-Ons to upgrade guests’ experiences with a high-performance jet ski, for example. Or you can offer all the extras your guests will need for their adventure in one place, like sunscreen, a Go-Pro, water shoes and dry bags.

 Learn how to get Add-ons set up and start upselling your experiences.

‍

Boost Your Bottom Line with Bundles

Bundles encourage your customers to book and pay for multiple tours or activities all at once, automatically boosting your bottom line. For instance, you can:

• Create an optional upsell that allows customers to book multiple experiences at once
• Offer tour/ activity combos at discounted rates
• Sell required Bundle packages. For example, if your customer books a food tour you can set an ‘Empanada tasting session’ as a requisite of the tour.

You can enable it right now in the product section of your PeekPro account; for more detailed instructions follow this guide. To learn even more about the increasing revenue with Bundles, check out this webinar!

‍

‍

Day 3: Increase Bookings with Smart Cut-Offs

‍

Smart Cut-Offs are your secret weapons for squeezing more profits from your tours. Based on our data, there is a surge in bookings a few hours before activities start. Typically, you'd disable online bookings hours before your tour to give you and your team enough time to prepare for the activity. However, if your minimum number of seats is already booked, you're going to run the tour anyway - why not leave the booking open until the last minute?

‍

Smart Cut-Offs let you extend your online booking cut-off times when a minimum number of spots have been filled, allowing for more last-minute bookings. So how exactly does this work? This intuitive Peek Pro feature asks you for the minimum number of guests needed to run a tour. Once this number is reached, online bookings will remain open until the new cut-off time you have set up.

‍

Extending your online booking cut-off can lead to significant gains, as evidenced by an average 4% increase in sales for partners using this feature. In fact, these last seats are the most profitable, as you've already met your fixed costs for the tour. Extend your online booking cut-off and accept as many guests as possible!

‍

Ready to start earning more on your activities? Enable Smart Cutoffs today!

‍

‍

DAY 4: Add a 'Book Now' Button to Your Homepage

‍

There may be one small thing that's causing your business to lose big when it comes to bookings. Generating traffic to your website is just the beginning; you need to convert visitors into customers. If customers can’t quickly figure out how to make their booking, they might just leave your page and find another option. 

‍

Add a clear and prominent 'Book Now' button to your homepage to quickly get customers into your booking flow. This small addition can give a big boost to sales!

‍

‍

However, you can’t just stick a ‘Book Now’ button anywhere and call it a day. Where and how often this button appears on your website matters. Your 'Book Now' button should stand out and be easy to locate on both desktop and mobile devices. The term "above the fold" has been coined to reference the section of your webpage that the customer will see at first glance. Along these lines, size, color, wording, and font can also have an impact on conversions.

‍

Ready to get your 'Book Now' button setup?

‍

‍

DAY 5: Drive Demand with Advanced Pricing Rules

‍

Are you making the most of customer demand in every season? Advanced Pricing rules give you the flexibility to automatically adjust ticket prices to drive customer behavior and maximize profits year round. Peek Pro lets you automate pricing based on demand, the day of the week, time of day, and date ranges. 

‍

For example, if you are a seasonal business with predictable high and low seasons, you can define pricing rules to take advantage of peaks and valleys in demand. Increase pricing during busier times like weekends, special events and holidays, and drive demand to slower days/times by offering special discounted rates.

‍

You can even set up pricing adjustments at the start of the year to automatically take effect on specified dates. This means more revenue with less work!

‍

Check out this step-by-step guide to get set up today.

‍

‍

 Day 6: Secure Sales with Gift Cards and Memberships

‍

For many operators, the off-season means low sales and less revenue. Peek Pro makes it easy to generate additional streams of revenue year-round with gift cards and memberships. These features can help you build customer loyalty, capitalize on high-season demand and boost sales during the holidays.

‍

Guarantee Revenue with Gift Cards

‍

In today's world, people increasingly prefer gifting experiences over physical presents, making your tours and activities the perfect gift choice. Take full advantage of this trend and reach a whole new audience by offering gift cards directly through your website.

‍

Gift cards can increase your cart sizes as customers typically spend more when using gift cards for their purchases. It is a valuable tool for boosting revenue, especially during the holiday season when customers seek creative and unique ways to surprise their loved ones. Gift cards can grow sales by around 4% in December alone–a perfect bump to off-season sales. 

‍

‍

Make it simple for customers to give the gift of an experience. Peek Pro lets you offer gift cards to customers right in your booking flow. They can be redeemable for specific activities, rentals, or a chosen cash amount. 

‍

For an added touch, design your widget to send gift cards directly from customers to loved ones – complete with personalized messages. Get extra creative in your gift card emails by adding photos and testimonials to showcase what you offer.

‍

Check out this article to get set up and start boosting revenue year-round.

‍

Build Loyalty and Boost Profits with Memberships

‍

Make the most of your regular customers and offer deals that will keep them coming back. Memberships can help you build loyalty and generate a dependable, steady stream of income.

‍

‍

With Peek's membership feature, you can offer special activity packages and deals to encourage repeat business. Our flexible configurations allow you to create the membership program that works for you. Customize everything from duration and pricing, to imagery and description.

‍

You can even reward frequent customers with providing exclusive access to unique benefits and perks through a Customer Loyalty Program. Reporting’s a breeze too–Easily track and download member information and membership revenue with our new back-office reporting.

‍

Get started today with this guide.

‍

Already using memberships? Check out our new widget that lets customers gift a membership.

‍

‍

‍

DAY 7: Increase Ratings with Smart Reviews

‍

Did you know that 72% of customers won't convert until they've read some form of review? In today's content-saturated world, customers increasingly rely on reviews to make informed decisions.

‍

This is where our Smart Reviews come into play: Boost your online reputation and attract new customers with this easy-to-use automation. Send automated review requests to guests and promote the best ones on sites like Google and TripAdvisor. 

‍

‍

No more chasing down guests to post feedback; our perfectly-timed emails and text messages make collecting reviews effortless. Smart Reviews not only send review requests to the person who made the booking, but also to all guests who have signed Digital Waivers.

‍

You can customize your Smart Reviews request email to encourage guest response and generate additional sales. For example, personalize you automated review reminder emails with photos from guests’ adventures, links to your social media accounts and special promo codes.

‍

Check out this guide to get your Smart Reviews set up today.

‍

If you’re already using Smart Reviews, build customer trust by showcasing positive reviews on your website with a review widget. Learn how to get started here.

‍

‍

Bonus Day: Reward Staff with Customer Tips

‍

We know how important it is to hold onto good staff and keep them focused on making every guest’s experience extra special. Bumping up their take-home salary is a great way to do that! Let happy guests show their appreciation and keep your crew motivated with Customer Tips.  

‍

Peek makes it simple for customers to leave a tip without fishing around for extra cash or running an additional transaction. With our native tipping feature, your guests can choose to add a tip at any point in their customer journey, including right within the booking flow. This means, no cash needed. 

‍

Widget tipping allows your customers to add tips while making their bookings before the activity or rental has taken place. This functionality is crucial for businesses that want to create new revenue streams for employees, improve employee retention, and enable groups to tip easily without the hassle of coordinating tips after the fact.

‍

The Customer Tips feature is supported on both desktop and mobile, and can be used at the time of payment or after an activity or rental has ended.  Plus, customizable reporting makes it super easy for you to pay out the correct employees or distribute tips among your team.

‍

Get Customer Tips set up with this guide and enable tipping in the booking flow. For even more info, check out this demo.

As the sun sets on another exhilarating summer season, you face a valuable opportunity - the offseason. During this time, you can, and should, prepare diligently for the return of sunny days and eager adventurers. While your doors may be closed, these winter months are the ideal time to make changes that position your business for growth and success. 

‍

‍

‍Reflect and Analyze

‍

With summer over you should take this time to learn from your previous success and pitfalls. With Peek you can access detailed data on bookings, revenue, and customer reviews from the previous summer season. This insight enables you to identify trends, peak booking times, and top-performing tours or activities. 

‍

With Peek Pro’s reporting tools, you can gain  valuable insights to help influence which tours and activities you’ll offer next year, as well as where to market your experiences. Check out Peek’s suggested offseason reports:

‍

1. Sales by Weekday - Discover your best performing days with the Sales by Weekday report. Use this report to help schedule your activities for your next year or season. You may decide you want to set aside more resources on your better performing days or use Dynamic Pricing rules to reflect the higher demand on days like weekends.‍

2. Promotions - Running discounted promotions for holidays or special events? See which promotions are generating you the most revenue so you can better plan your marketing efforts for the next busy season.

3. Mobile vs. Web Online Sales -  As a general rule, it’s important that your website is mobile-optimized. It’s even more critical if you notice a lot of your bookings are coming from mobile. 

‍

Top Tip: Embrace customer reviews

‍

Use the offseason to engage with customer reviews. Show gratitude for positive feedback, emphasizing the value of your input. Equally, respond to negative reviews with professionalism and empathy, highlighting your dedication to improvement. Customer reviews wield significant influence in shaping your online reputation, making them a crucial component of your offseason efforts.

‍

Prep New Marketing Tactics

‍

Now’s the time to revamp  your marketing strategies by creating and scheduling email campaigns to keep your audience engaged during the offseason. By highlighting your membership offerings and alerting customers once new dates are available to book, you can entice customers to plan ahead for the next summer adventure. Through using your customer database, you can keep your business relevant and generate revenue even after the season is over. 

‍

This is also the moment to rethink your digital brand. You can enhance your online presence and improve search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to discover your tours and activities. Check out our recent webinar to learn how using Google Adwords can help you drive direct bookings from Google searches

‍

Top Tip: Enhance your tour descriptions using AI

‍

Utilize AI tools to elevate your tours and activities with captivating descriptions and images of your experience. Tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney can be powerfully leveraged to save time while creating vivid descriptions of your products. Add your core information like locations, highlights and attractions before testing out different prompts to produce the perfect description or image.

‍

‍

Create Your Calendar for the New Year

‍

While your activity calendar may be barren for the upcoming months, you should be making plans for the upcoming year. This process involves not only scheduling your tours and activities but also making strategic adjustments. Firstly, consider updating your pricing strategy. With Peek Pro’s Dynamic pricing rules, you can maximize revenue by adjusting prices based on changing demand. Consider these three factors when setting up Dynamic Pricing:

‍

1. Weekday vs Weekend - Optimize your pricing strategy for the increased demand on the weekends or a small discount during the week to encourage your customers to visit when demand is lower.

2. Seasonality - Make the most of the beginning and ends of your season by setting up specific pricing by time range. Operate only during the summer? Update your pricing to reflect the increased demand of June-August while incentivizing months like May and September.

3. Availability - Leave no seat unfilled by setting up minimum availability pricing rules that are implemented when there are only a few tickets left. Through this helpful tool, you incentivize customers to book and ensure your tour or activity is full and avoid lost revenue from unused tickets.
‍

This approach ensures that your pricing remains competitive and reflects market fluctuations. By implementing dynamic pricing, you can optimize revenue and attract more bookings.
‍

Additionally, don't forget to add blackout dates to your calendar if applicable. These are specific days or periods when you don't offer tours or activities due to various reasons such as maintenance, holidays, or private events. By clearly marking blackout dates in your calendar, you prevent potential booking conflicts and manage customer expectations effectively. A well-organized calendar with updated pricing and blackout dates sets the stage for a seamless booking experience in the new year.

‍

Top Tip: Promote early bird booking discounts

‍

As you prepare your calendar for the new year, consider enticing customers with early bird booking discounts through Promo Codes. By offering special rates for those who plan ahead, you can secure bookings well in advance, providing a financial boost during the offseason. This strategy not only encourages early commitment from customers, but also ensures a more stable and predictable revenue stream for your business in the upcoming year.

‍

Update Equipment Pools

‍

Prepping your calendar for the new year involves smart equipment management. With Peek Pro's equipment management features, you can keep your equipment pools up to date with correct counts and capacities. Introducing new equipment next summer? Be sure to add your new equipment to your Peek Pro account now to ensure smooth operations during the peak season.
‍

Moreover, you can efficiently manage various types of resources and equipment, from bicycles and boats to guides and vehicles, without hassle. This functionality helps you monitor your inventory, allocate resources effectively, and minimize human error, ensuring that you have the right equipment available when needed.

‍

Top Tip: Plan for seasonal changes

‍

Analyze historical booking data from the previously mentioned reports  to identify trends in equipment usage and bookings. Adjust your inventory accordingly, increasing the availability of equipment that experiences high demand in peak seasons and reallocating resources during slower periods. This strategic approach ensures you're well-equipped to meet customer needs while optimizing your equipment utilization throughout the year.
‍

As the offseason approaches, take action to ensure your tour and activity business thrives in the upcoming summer. Prepare now to guarantee your business not only survives but prospers when the warm weather returns. A well-prepared offseason is your key to a successful summer!

‍

In the digital age, understanding user behavior and making data-driven decisions is crucial for success. Google Analytics has been the go-to tool for measuring website performance –  think clicks, page views, bounces and many more. Google has introduced its latest iteration - Google Analytics 4 (GA4), to provide better insight into how your customers are interacting with your website. 

‍

In this blog, we’ll explore:

‍

1. What is GA4?

2. What are the key new features & benefits?

3. Why is this important for tour & activity operators?

4. How can I use Peek to track the whole customer journey?

‍

What is Google Analytics 4?

‍

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest iteration of Google's web analytics tool, and offers an integrated view of user behavior across websites, apps, and other platforms. While the earlier Universal Analytics version centered on pageviews, GA4 focuses on user-centric event and data, giving a fuller picture of the user journey.

‍

Key Features and Advantages

‍

1. Enhanced Cross-Platform Tracking: GA4 allows seamless tracking of user interactions across multiple platforms, including websites, mobile apps, and offline data. This means you can have a unified view of how users interact with your brand regardless of the device or platform they use.

‍

2. Event-Driven Data Model: Unlike the traditional focus on page views, GA4 lets you track custom events like button clicks and form submissions, offering a richer understanding of user actions.

‍

3. AI-Driven Insights: GA4 uses machine learning to automatically deliver insights, from predicting user churn to identifying high-engagement channels.

‍

4. Deeper Integration with Google Ads: GA4 seamlessly integrates with Google Ads, providing a more accurate view of how your advertising efforts contribute to user engagement and conversions. This integration allows you to optimize your ad campaigns based on user behavior data, maximizing your ROI.

‍

5. Enhanced User Privacy: Addressing data privacy concerns, GA4 introduces features like enhanced consent mode and data deletion controls for better compliance.

‍

How can I use Google Analytics 4 with Peek Pro?

‍

The new features offer a comprehensive understanding of user interactions, giving operators a better understanding of how their customers purchase and interact with their booking flow. With Peek Pro’s Google Analytics 4 integration you can seamlessly track your conversions from your website to better understand how your site is performing and who is booking. 

‍

Complete the following steps to get started tracking events on your booking flow: 

‍

1. First, you’ll need to access your GA4 Measurement ID. Follow these steps if you need help finding your ID.

2. Add your GA4 Measurement ID by going to Configurations→Analytics in your Peek Pro account.

3. Once you’ve connected the integration, you can begin tracking events like when Add-Ons, Promo Codes or Gift Cards are used in your booking flow. 

‍

TOP TIP: A quick and easy way to gain better insights into your customers’ behavior is to use the new Explorations tool. Explorations can be used to dig deeper into the customer journey like purchase funnels and audience segmentation to make better business decisions. 

‍

If you’re an operator using Peek Pro, learn more about getting started on Google Analytics 4 in our Helpdesk article. If you’re not currently using Peek Pro, sign up here to request a free demo.

As the temperatures rise and the days get longer, the summer season presents an exciting opportunity for tour operators to maximize their business potential and capitalize on the influx of eager travelers. With the right tools at your disposal, you can streamline your operations, enhance customer experience, and ultimately maximize revenue for your tour operator business. From automating communications to filling your tours to their fullest capacity, Peek Pro empowers you to take charge of your summer season like never before

‍

Prepare for a record-setting summer with our checklist of 6 business-optimizing strategies to make the most of the upcoming season:

‍

1. Customize Your Abandoned Booking Emails for Higher Conversion Rates
2. Capture Last Min Bookings with Smart Cutoffs
3. Upsell Your Experiences with Add-Ons
4. Boost Staff Retention with Tipping in the Booking Flow
5. Generate Repeat Business with a Loyalty Program
6. Other Feature Launches to Help You Maximize Your Summer

‍

Customize Your Abandoned Booking Emails For Higher Conversion Rates

‍

There are many reasons a customer gets distracted while booking an activity. By sending customers a little reminder of the experience they’ve left behind, you can bump your sales in a big way! For optimum results, customization is key - tweak the language to sound like your company, include enticing photos, customer reviews, and even add a discount code to increase conversions

‍

Capture Last Min Bookings with Smart Cutoffs

‍

Based on our data, there is a surge in bookings a few hours before activities start. Smart Cutoffs let you extend your online booking cutoff times when a minimum amount of spots have been filled, allowing for more last-min bookings.

‍

Upsell Your Experiences with Add-Ons

‍

Upsell your experiences and boost cart sizes by selling Add-Ons in your booking flow. Some easy examples include bottles of water, snacks, or towels. If you’re feeling more creative, you could offer champagne or branded merch.

‍

Boost Staff Retention With Tipping in the Booking Flow

‍

We know how important it is to hold onto your staff and bumping up their take-home salary is a great way to do that. With Peek’s native tipping feature your guests can choose to add a tip at any point in their customer journey, including right within the booking flow. Plus, Peek’s customizable reporting makes it super easy for you to pay out the correct employees (or you can choose to split them between the team)

‍

Generate Repeat Business With A Loyalty Program

‍

Make the most of your regular customers and offer deals that will keep them coming back. With Peek’s membership feature, you can offer various packages and deals to encourage repeat business. For Example:

‍

• Season Pass: Free access to kayak rentals from June to August
• Annual Pass: 50% off Jet Ski rentals with every Boat rental booking
• Package Deal: Make 10 bookings, and get the 11th free

Other Feature Launches to Help You Maximize Your Summer

‍

Make checkout even faster and easier for your customers with new payment options in your booking flows. Peek operators with the mobile wallet enabled are seeing it being used in 24% of transactions and the customer’s checkout experience is now 25% faster. Along with increased speed and efficiency, mobile wallet payments are becoming a preferred payment option for many, with 60% of people now feeling confident leaving their homes with just their phones! These new payment options ensure customers have more easy payment choices, helping you boost conversions and grow revenue.

‍

Summer is in full swing, and the time to capitalize on the bustling season is now! As a tour operator, you can't afford to waste a moment. Peek Pro, our all-inclusive booking software, equips you with the essential tools and features to seize the moment. From automated communications to loyalty programs, Peek Pro empowers you to make the most of this vibrant season. If you're already a partner, ensure you're utilizing all the incredible features Peek Pro offers to optimize your business. Don't leave any opportunity untapped! And if you haven't partnered with us yet, there's no time to lose. Reach out to our sales team today for a free demo and start reaping the benefits of Peek Pro immediately.

‍