Monday, July 7, 2025
Scott Whitesell
Whether you’re renting surfboards in the summer or skis in the winter, seasonal businesses live and die by how well they fill their calendar when it matters most. The truth is, it’s not enough to hope walk-ins carry your season, especially when travelers are planning their rentals online weeks (or even months) in advance.
So how do you get more of those online bookings?
Here are 7 proven, low-cost ways to turn website visitors into paying customers without spending a dime on ads.
Most people leave a rental site not because they’re not interested… but because it took too long to find the “Book Now” button or the process felt clunky.
Fix this:
The faster and cleaner your checkout experience, the more customers complete it.
Trust is a huge part of online conversions, especially for first-time customers. You don’t have to be a huge brand to earn that trust — you just need to show you’re legit.
Try this:
Upsells not only increase your revenue per booking, but they also make the checkout process feel customized.
Some quick ideas:
These small additions feel like helpful suggestions, not sales pitches — and they make the experience feel more premium.
You want to show up when someone searches “surfboard rentals in [your city]” or “ski rentals near [resort name].” That’s local SEO — and it still drives real results.
Start here:
Backlinks from local tourism sites or surf blogs can also give your site a serious boost.
If your rental process isn’t available 24/7, you’re losing business.
Modern customers expect to book on their own time and that includes 11pm from a hotel room or the car ride to the beach.
A modern rental system should let you:
You do less manual work, and your customers get a smoother experience.
During the busy season, scarcity drives action. Don’t be afraid to show when things are running out.
Examples:
If you’ve ever seen a hotel site say “Only 1 room left at this price” — you know this works.
Just because it’s the off-season doesn’t mean you should go silent. In fact, it’s the best time to prepare for a strong return.
What to do:
Use this time to build a following and warm up your audience — so when the season hits, you’re not starting from scratch.
You don’t need to run ads or hire an agency to grow your online bookings. With a few smart tweaks, your shop can start capturing more customers, making more money, and working less during the busy season.
Want help putting this into practice?
At SurfShare, we help seasonal rental shops streamline the entire process from waivers to ID uploads to checkout all in one mobile-friendly flow.
If you’d like to see how we’ve sped up checkout by over 75% for other shops, feel free to reach out by booking a demo here.
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