Using Shopify for your rental business lets you accept bookings, manage payments, and rent products or services from one simple online store.
Key Takeaways
- Shopify works well for rentals when you use the right booking app, especially for calendars, deposits, and variable pricing.
- Clear policies, accurate photos, and secure payments protect your rental business from disputes and chargebacks.
- Strong product pages and simple checkout improve the customer experience, which leads to more completed rental bookings.
Shopify is an excellent choice for online rental businesses, combining an easy-to-use website builder with full payment processing options. The platform’s e-commerce foundation lets you rent items, offer services, and sell products from the same site. This guide shows you how to set up Shopify for a rental business.
Examples of Shopify Rental Businesses
Shopify’s user-friendly tools and hundreds of app plug-ins support rental businesses galore, from coastal getaways to urban e-bikes:
- Watersports rentals (boats, jet skis, kayaks, paddleboats, etc.)
- Vacation property rental
- Adventure rentals (ATVs, dune buggies, and motorcycles)
- Wedding venues
- Corporate event organizers
- Luxury clothing rentals
With the right apps, Shopify also supports service businesses, like spas, B&Bs, and tour operators. You can even run a local rental business with storage units, dumpsters, tool rentals, or ice sculpting services.
Real Sites That Use Shopify for Rentals
To see what your site can look like powered by Shopify, check out stores like RNTL (USA), Bloom (Australia), Outware (Germany), and My Party Box (New Zealand). These rental businesses use Shopify for everything from party supplies to gym-level workout equipment. They deliver smooth experiences for PC and mobile users.
8 Things You Need for a Rental Business on Shopify
Before setting up your Shopify store for rentals, it’s important to understand the key building blocks for a rental website.
1. Booking Apps
One of thesmoothest ways to bring rentals to Shopify is with a dedicated app. Shopify event apps add essential tools, such as the ability to manage reservations, cancellations, rental agreements, and refunds from your dashboard.
These apps also provide interactive booking calendars and communication tools. Everyday users can find the options they want, book their rental, and check out quickly.
An app-based solution is more dependable than DIY code. Otherwise, you run the risk of double bookings, mistaken charges, and other rental headaches.
2. Variable Rental Periods
A common question when using Shopify for rentals is how to configure pricing. Fees change depending on the length of the client’s booking, usually with hourly or daily rates.
Choose an app that makes variable pricing automatic instead of requiring you to juggle inventory for dozens of variant products. The goal is for customers to reach checkout with minimal hassle.
While not technically required, you should also look for discount functionality. Many rental businesses use multi-day discounts or holiday packages to increase bookings.
3. Prepayments
Prepayments are a good solution for rental reservations. With this method, you charge customers a set fee or percentage of the total bill in advance. You can configure Shopify to process the rest of the payment when the customer checks in or picks up the rental.
This ability helps protect you against fraudulent bookings or users who schedule multiple “fallback” rentals in case their itinerary changes. And with the right app, normal customers still enjoy an easy, hassle-free booking process.
4. Deposit Functionality
An important but tricky part of setting up a Shopify rental business is making sure your store supports security deposits. The last thing you want is to lose money because guests damaged your rental or “lost” valuable items.
5. Check-In Support
The bookings management solution you choose for Shopify should also provide tools for handling client check-ins and rental pick-ups. Ticketing is a popular option. Not only does this make your life easier, but it also gives you proof that you delivered the promised service.
According to Mastercard, chargebacks are a growing problem for businesses everywhere. Vacation rentals, travel, and hospitality businesses are hit the hardest, with chargebacks costing $120 per transaction on average.
Many of the 324 million chargebacks a year involve “friendly fraud.” This happens when customers book your rental property, and after their vacation is over, they cancel payment and claim they never stayed.
6. Add-Ons, Upsells, Essentials, and Extras
With Shopify apps, your rental business can boost revenue with value-added services and other opportunities to increase your total sales per guest. Here are a few ways other Shopify rental businesses are making extra money:
- All-inclusive vacation rental packages
- Premium upgrades, such as uplighting for wedding venues
- Rental bundles, like a “bike, surf, and kayak” trio
- Recommended add-ons, like spa services
- Time-saving party essentials for sale, such as take-home gifts and floral arrangements
The beauty of Shopify is how flexible it is for combining different types of products and services. Your customers can book a stay, rent dive gear, pay for in-person lessons, purchase swimwear for the family, and shop for vacation mementos, all from the same platform.
7. Integration With Your Preferred Payment Platform
Now that rental businesses handle transactions digitally, payment security is vital. Gone are the days when rental managers kept a copy of the customer’s credit card info in a filing cabinet. Storing that type of sensitive data on your computer isn’t safe, and it gets you into big trouble with credit card processors.
Handling security deposits, overstay charges, and costs for excessive damage requires integration with a trustworthy payment gateway. Payment gateways also allow for subscription-based offerings, like monthly or yearly rental packages at a golf club. Depending on your location, good alternatives include Stripe, PayPal, Verifone, and JPMorgan Chase.
8. Store Support
Last but definitely not least, any Shopify apps you select should have a reputation for stellar customer support. The specific needs of rental businesses on Shopify vary depending on the type of products or services you offer. Great app teams help you with the setup process and know how to overcome common obstacles with bookings management.
How To Use Shopify for Rentals
Setting up Shopify for a rental business doesn’t have to be complicated. That said, it pays to take your time and add the functionality you need before going live.
Decide What To Rent and Sell
Shopify can support both rentals and sales. Start by creating a list of rental products, ticketed events, or services you want to offer. Then look for popular products that might enhance the customer’s experience or provide convenience, such as sunscreen, clothing, catering, or branded merchandise.
Map Your Store
Next, envision how your store should look. Are rentals your main product or an add-on? Do they need an entire category with sub-pages, like “Bikes,” “UTVs,” “Motorcycles,” “Jet Skis,” etc.?
Choose the Right Shopify Theme
Shopify themes impact how your store looks and what tools come included. For example, some themes include account sign-ups so customers can view their reservations and purchase add-ons later.
Themes that work well for rental businesses on Shopify include:
- Property: Ideal for vacation property rentals and event venues
- Rebels: Bold and iconic, great for high-energy rental products like UTVs and jet skis
- Petal: A natural, wellness-focused theme for getaways and spa experiences
- Spoke: Targeted to outdoor and biking enthusiasts
- Voyage: A theme that revolves around photos and visual storytelling
- Tapestry: Gentle accents, perfect for wedding rentals, B&Bs, and other romantic experiences
Some paid themes include other presets that fit a different rental customer, like Athens (tool rentals) with Spoke, and Deck (open-air feel) for Voyage. If your ideal price point is “free,” choose Shopify’s Heritage theme. It puts more emphasis on photos than on hundreds of products.
Design Pages for Your Rental Products
Add or edit rental items from the Products tab on your Shopify dashboard. Just click “Add product” and start customizing details like the rental description and price.
Include Accurate Images
To avoid chargebacks, rental and service businesses need to deliver exactly what customers think they’re getting. This means including accurate photos of vacation properties, spa experiences, boats, tours, venue spaces, and other rentals. Product descriptions should be exciting but honest.
Integrate Your Booking App
Shopify apps are a breeze to install. From there, follow the app instructions to:
- Configure availability and blackout dates: Automatically prevent clients from booking when you’re not available.
- Set up lead times: Require customers to provide advance notice for rentals.
- Design custom tickets: Create a unique design for ticketed experiences, premium services, product rentals, and confirmation forms. That way, customers remember you.
- Gather customer information: Configure registration forms to capture client details, such as email addresses, phone numbers, and IDs.
Evey Events is a top-rated app for ticketing, venues, rentals, and merch sales. It can simplify the process of managing your rental business on Shopify, including booking reminders and calendar dates.
Create Clear Policies
Security deposits, cancellation fees, and charges for damage are normal with rentals, but they shouldn’t come as a surprise to customers. Prevent misunderstandings and payment disputes by clearly outlining your policies and displaying them. The checkout page could explain that you charge a $50 fee for last-minute cancellations, for example.
Test the Rental Process
Running a rental business on Shopify works, but you have to stretch the platform’s capabilities a little. To avoid hiccups, always test features before taking them live. Perform several test rentals yourself, including security deposits, inventory management, check-ins, and returns.
Making It Easier To Manage Your Rental Business on Shopify
Using Shopify for rentals doesn’t have to feel complicated. With Evey Events, you can simplify reservations and manage check-ins with tools built directly into your store. You can also add booking calendars, set up different ticket or rental options, and sell related products without switching systems.
Evey’s built-in dashboard keeps everything in one place while real-time tracking and flexible customization tools help you stay organized and deliver a smooth experience for every customer.
Discover how this popular Shopify events app can support your rental operations. Try a free demo of Evey Events today.
