From Dream Party to Done Deal: How Rental Wishlists Can Boost Your Event Business

Planning a party or event is exciting but can also be overwhelming. Between juggling themes, decorations, food, and entertainment, keeping track of all the necessary equipment can be a nightmare. This is where your event and party rental business comes in! But how can you make the rental process smoother and more attractive to potential customers?

Keeping track of what customers need for their specific event can quickly become overwhelming. Adding a rental wishlist feature to your website is a game-changer. A rental wishlist allows customers to easily select and save items they want to rent in one convenient place. As they browse your rental inventory on your website, they can add tents, tables, chairs, lighting, decorations, and other rental items to their wishlist with just a few clicks.

Why add a wishlist to your event rental website?

A rental wishlist allows customers to easily select and save items they want to rent in one convenient place. As they browse your rental inventory on your website, they can add tents, tables, chairs, lighting, decorations, and other rental items to their wishlist with just a few clicks. Here are some of the benefits of adding a wishlist to your event rental website.

Streamlined quoting process

Once a customer finalizes their wishlist, they can easily convert it into a quote request. This saves them time and effort while providing you with a clear picture of their needs. This streamlined process allows you to send accurate and timely quotes, increasing the chances of securing the rental.

Improved communication and collaboration

Wishlists allow customers to share their selections with friends, family, or co-planners. This fosters collaboration and ensures everyone is on the same page. It can also be a great way for them to solicit feedback and refine their final choices.

Increased conversions and order sizes

A wishlist gives customers a visual overview of everything they’ve selected and the total rental cost. This encourages them to complete their rental order in one transaction instead of leaving items out or splitting it across multiple orders. The convenience of a wishlist makes customers more likely to rent more items, boosting your average order sizes.

Fewer exchanged emails and calls

Customers constantly email or call your staff without a wishlist to piece together their rental needs and get quotes. A wishlist replaces much of this back-and-forth communication, allowing customers to simply share their final wishlist with you when they’re ready to complete their order.

How to add a wishlist to your event rental website

Booqable makes it easy to add a rental wishlist to your event rental website, and its settings allow you to customize the experience. This allows you to instantly start accepting quote requests from potential customers and streamlines the experience on your website. In addition, it is easy to follow up with quotes, contracts, and invoices to complete the rental process. Here is how to add a wishlist to your rental website with Booqable:

Step 1: Turn off availability

The first step in setting up wishlists is to turn off availability. This ensures that products added to the cart are not immediately reserved, but instead generate draft orders which are essentially requests.

1. Go to Settings:

• Navigate to Settings > Online reservations > Preferences > Availability.

2. Disable availability:

• Choose the option to ‘Disable availability’.
• This change means that customers will no longer see product availability, allowing them to add any items to their cart without immediate reservation.

Step 2: Translate customer-facing words and phrases

To enhance the user experience and make it clear that customers are creating wishlists or requests rather than immediate reservations, you’ll need to update the terminology on your site.

1. Access Translations:

• Go to Settings > Translations.

2. Update terminology:

• Under the panels Online reservations, Cart, and Checkout, change the words and phrases to reflect a wishlist or request system. For example, replace “Add to Cart” with “Add to Wishlist” and “Checkout” with “Submit Request”.

Step 3: Accept draft orders and send quotes

Once the wishlist system is set up, all online reservations will be received as draft orders. This allows you to review, edit, and send quotes to customers.

1. Review draft orders:

• When a new draft order comes in, click into the order to review it. This is a good opportunity to adjust prices, add custom charges, or apply discounts.

2. Send quotes:

• If you’re satisfied with the order, click Create Quote and then Send email to send the quote to the customer. Booqable provides email templates to simplify this process.
• Alternatively, if you need to include terms and agreements, you can send a Contract/Waiver form. If you prefer to send an invoice, use the Pro Forma option.

Step 4: Move draft orders to reserved

Once you have confirmed the order with the customer and they are ready to proceed, you can reserve the items.

1. Reserve the order:

• Change the order status to reserved by clicking Reserve on the order screen. The products will then be reserved in your account, making them unavailable for future reservations during the order dates.

2. Accept payment:

• If you need to accept payment, refer to Booqable’s guide on accepting manual payments to complete this step.

Start accepting quote requests

Implementing a wishlist functionality on your event or party rental website can significantly enhance the user experience, making it easier for customers to plan their events and for you to manage orders. Following these simple steps, you can transform your online reservation process into a streamlined, user-friendly system.

With today’s customers expecting convenient, seamless user experiences, adding a rental wishlist to your website will give you a competitive edge. Event planners and party hosts will appreciate the wishlist’s organizational and planning benefits. And your rental business will enjoy more completed orders and higher profits.