If you own a rental shop or work in one, you will know by now that nearly all your customers are tourists to your local area. However, are you making the most of your local area? We will help answer those questions on how you can better connect to the rich and potentially untapped travel market of your local area.
Your customers aren’t just in need of a cycle ride, they want an authentic and engaging travel experience. Authenticity or experiential travel is a trend that has significantly benefited the bike rental industry. It is a form of tourism in which people focus on experiencing a country, city or particular place by actively and meaningfully engaging with its history, people, culture, food, and environment. Neighbourhood bike shops are viewed as the key to local exploration and adventure.
The first thing you can do is make sure your inventory of bikes and accessories are suitable for your area. Evaluate the area around you, what the terrain and cycle paths are like, then look into what actually brings people to this area. It could be an area of significance in history, a food lovers paradise, city architecture, great mountain biking tracks, or its beaches. Whatever it is, your bikes must be the greatest possible match in the area to create the best possible authentic experience. Accessories can be just as important, for example, baby seats or trailers will be popular in family-friendly cycle routes, or if the area has a little market, a basket on the bike can improve the rider’s experience.
Secondly, you should advertise the attractions of your local area on your website and any of your promotional material. For example, if you have a medieval castle in your area that is known for bringing tourists to the area, it would be a mistake not to advertise that you are near this and that it has some amazing cycling routes. Also, your knowledge of the local area needs to be second to none with your website, your staff and yourself having the opportunity to make such a difference by informing every customer that is seeking an immersive experience, where to cycle and what bike to use.
Lastly, it’s not all about the bikes and physical location of your store that effects authenticity, but also events and the weather. You must be aware of the seasons and what events are taking place around you, cycling or non-cycling related they are going to bring people to the area. Customers might want to ride a bike to an event or compete in an event with one of your bikes. Customers might be hiring bikes from you and are unaware of a current event so informing them of this event could improve the quality of their experience, or even reduce the chances of disappointment as major events can disrupt certain travel plans.
With the help of Booking YoYo, you can promote all types of bikes and accessories online, alongside relevant information about their qualities and features.