Last Updated: 27th February, 2024
A concept that has been going on for centuries in the offline world has now come as a storm in the online world. People through brokers or middlemen have been renting out property and equipment for a very long time.
Entrepreneurs with this idea started online businesses of renting houses, cars, etc. The sharing economy has grown tremendously in the 20th century as people prefer to rent out products for a short duration of time rather than buy them.
The rental industry has changed people’s ideology over time in many industries like hospitality and transportation. It has given these industries a new venture to branch out.
What we will cover in this blog post:
What are the Growth Opportunities in Sharing Economy?
The rental industry is proliferating with exponential growth rates across global markets. For example, the estimated global construction equipment rental market size in 2023 is over $100 billion and the global car rental market is worth $104 billion. Following these sectors, we have growing rental niches such as fashion, furniture, car, party supplies, electronics, scaffolding, watersports rental, and more.
Due to the convenience of renting that provides customers with on-demand equipment and also takes away maintenance troubles, consumers are now more willing to rent equipment than ever before. All these factors highlight an opportunity to launch your own rental store. Below you can find some new-age rental business ideas that are expected to grow with maximum momentum.
Which are the Profitable Business Models in the Sharing Economy?
Heavy Construction Equipment Rental
Growth of Online Construction Equipment Rental
With the rise in infrastructure development, the demand for construction equipment has also increased. Since buying out every single tool on their own is a costly and unessential investment for construction companies and small contractors, starting an online rental business that deals with construction equipment is a sound business idea. Excavators, Forklifts, backhoe loaders, and dozers are among the most rented construction equipment.
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With digital advancements, it has become easier for equipment rental companies to track equipment usage and monitor rental operations transparently. Consequently, this further reduces the operational costs by automating key processes such as inventory, invoicing, managing returns and even collecting rental security.
Dozr, EquipmentShare, and Yard Link are the perfect examples of online heavy equipment rental marketplaces. They are not only able to accept online bookings 24/7 but also have a comprehensive admin dashboard to handle all operations from one place. With digital technology, these equipment rental companies are able to make the equipment rental process a whole lot faster, easier, and less expensive compared to traditional rental businesses.
Revenue and Growth Stats
- The global construction equipment rental market is expected to grow from $100.51 billion in 2023 to $130.51 billion by 2028, at a compounded annual growth rate of 5.6%
- North America was the biggest region for construction equipment rental in the year 2023 and is further expected to retain that position
- There are more than 18000 equipment rental businesses in the United States and a major share of the market (45%-50%) is dominated by the key players
Online Equipment Rental Business
The Growth of Equipment Rental
A person goes into a local shop, checks if the required equipment is available, and then rents it for a set period. However, the customers did not always find the equipment they needed at the time they desired. So with technology came the equipment rental businesses.
According to the online equipment rental industry guide published on Yo!Rent official website (online rental software), the growing population and urbanization have led to a proliferation of construction activity, especially in developing countries. But the equipment doesn’t come cheap and its value is always depreciating after the purchase, so it’s often preferable to hire equipment.
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Many big brands that offered their products offline have shifted their efforts to renting out their products to people who do not want to own these products. Some of the products that can be rented in this niche are tools (any kind of tools and electronics), medical equipment (also include wheelchair rental), medical supplies, sports and outdoor (also include camping gear), home appliances, washer/dryer, heating, and air conditioning.
Revenue and Growth Stats:
- As per ARA, the equipment rental revenue is expected to grow by 7.1% and reach $76.6 billion by the end of 2024.
- Some growing sectors of the equipment rental industry are power equipment, tool rental, material handling equipment, event and party supplies equipment, and medical equipment rental.
Capture the Opportunity by Starting your own Niche-Specific Rental Business
Online Car Rental Business
The Growth of Car Rental
Car rental has always been a profitable business because of high demand from diverse types of audiences including tourists, students, corporate employees, B2B operations, and more. The industry benefited a lot from the emergence of online car rental models. Today, entrepreneurs are happily investing in car rental marketplaces and websites and also generating substantial returns from them.
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Companies like Turo have made it easy for anyone to rent a car of their choice. Much like how one searches for clothes or other essentials on eCommerce websites, users can search for cars by entering their choice for features, make, color, transmission, and much more.
Revenue and Growth Stats
- The global car rental market was valued at $104 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $166 billion by 2032.
- As per Statista, by 2028, 73% of total revenue will be generated through online channels
- The user penetration in the car rental market was 7.3% in 2023 and is expected to reach 8.1% by 2028
Online Dress Rental Business
The Growth of Dress Rental
A person would want to wear a Louis Vuitton tuxedo for his best friend’s wedding but would not want to spend thousands of dollars on one event. A trend amongst millennials is to wear designer clothes to a special event, but most don’t want to repeat the dress for other parties. The whole idea behind dress/clothes rental is to utilize the worth of branded clothing by renting them to other people.
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Many businesses which can generate profits in this niche have been subjected to a centralized business model. The owner of the website has an inventory of the clothes and rent them to multiple people.
Even large enterprises are using this model and making their expensive clothes available on rent. Some businesses in this industry are also utilizing the subscription-based revenue model to yield continuous income. The items that can be rented in this niche are dresses like formal wear, traditional dress, wedding dress, fancy dress, and more.
Recommended to read: How To Start An Online Dress Rental Business
Revenue and Growth Stats
- The online clothing rental market is expected to reach $ 1.75 billion by the end of 2024
- Its global CAGR rate is an impressive 10.8% in the period 2023-2028, closing at $2.63 billion
- North America leads the online clothing rental market, followed by the Asia-Pacific region.
- Women end-user segment accounts for the highest market share accounting for nearly 58%.
- The growth of “fast-fashion” trends further accelerates the demand for clothing rental businesses
Online Vehicle Rental Business
The Growth of Vehicle Rental
With rise in global tourism and traffic in densely populated cities, the demand for renting vehicle rentals in multiple categories has been observed. Except cars, renting out vehicles such as RVs, trucks, and adventure vehicles can be a profitable rental business idea to start with. Analyzing the potential of the industry, this niche can be targeted easily due to lack of technology driven businesses in the sector.
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With evolution of technology most of the vehicle rental have started to shift their bookings and all other operations online. Also, many segments such as trucks and luxury cars have seen rise in rental demands due to higher purchase and maintenance costs.
Recently, RV rental businesses have paretnered with banks to provide affordable plans to the customers.
Revenue Stats and Growth
- The Recreational Vehicle Rental Market has an astonishing CAGR of 30.14% in the projection period 2024-2027
- The Truck Rental market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.32% till 2030.
- The global luxury car rental market is projected to grow from $39.54 billion in 2022 to $65.42 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 7.5%
Online Camera Rental Business
Growth of Camera Rental Business
Owning an expensive camera these days adds to the overhead cost of maintenance. Generally, people find it a costly affair to own multiple lenses, cameras, and other accessories. Consequently, it gets tough for an individual to have a collection of all the purpose-specific equipment.
Pertaining to this, starting a camera rental business can be an effective solution to provide customers with the latest cameras, lenses, and other accessories.
Scope of Camera Rental Business
The camera is used on multiple occasions and professions. Some of the leading tasks where the camera is used are
- Weddings
- Sports photographers
- Business photoshoots
- Wildlife photography
- Fashion portfolio shoot
- Vlogging etc.
Social media is on the rise and the user count has increased rapidly. All the professions that require cameras usually prefer advanced tools for the best results. Since it becomes difficult to have the latest gear all the time, renting is the perfect option for professionals.
When starting a camera rental business, you need effective business planning, defined revenue streams, and dedicated camera rental software that is reliable, secure, and user-friendly.
Reports and Stats for Online Camera Rental Business
- As reported by Statista, the cinema camcorder is the most rented camera equipment followed by Mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
- According to DroneRush, a high-end consumer camera drone costs around $1800 which is a costly affair for most professionals. So, there is a vast scope for rental businesses dealing with camera gears.
- One of the biggest names in the online camera rental industry, LensRentals was started in 2006 with a single camera, and currently has revenue of $19 million.
Online Furniture Rental Business
The Growth of Furniture Rental
People, especially millennials, have started moving to different places for many reasons. They also prefer to travel light and take the least number of furniture items. The place where people wish to settle, they prefer to rent furniture and interior decoration materials. This niche has huge potential as people are moving more and more towards renting furniture than actually buying it.
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Many businesses have come up in the interior decoration rental segment. They now provide items on a monthly rental basis. Packages are set up according to an item that is being rented. Long-term renting has become a trend in this industry. Some items can be plants, furniture, household appliances, and more. On an online furniture rental marketplace, you can even more diverse and bigger catalogs.
Revenue and Growth Stats for Furniture Rental Industry
- The global furniture rental service market is valued at $9.2 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $14.8 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 7%.
- 509 businesses are currently operating in the U.S. furniture rental industry.
Online Accessory Rental Business
The Growth of Accessory Rental
There are items that complement the main product and are needed only for a short period. Such items are often left in storage rooms after one-time use. People have started utilizing the full value of the products as the condition of these products wears off after some time.
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Businesses are not just renting out single items they have a decentralized model where all the categories of items are present. Jewelry rental website has become immensely popular but they will be profitable only in the centralized model. Items that can be rented in the accessory rental industry are Camera Lenses, Festival Items – Lights, Christmas trees, Jewelry, etc.
Revenue and Growth Stats
- Total Revenue that accessory rental gathered in the year 2019 – $6 billion
- Number of business in the accessory rental – 12,644
- Annual growth of accessory rental in 2014 – 2019 – 3.1%
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Other Rental Items
The Growth of Other Rental items
Other than the above-mentioned items there are more items which can be rented. These items were being rented in the offline world but they have shifted online according to the demands of the users.
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There are a lot of things that can be rented and some of them are caskets, animal/pet, portable toilet, cake, baby toy, and more. Entrepreneurs have to make sure that these items do not involve emotional value because people do not prefer to rent items which they are emotionally connected to.
How to Plan the Perfect Strategy to Get Started in Sharing Economy?
Research your market thoroughly and test if you’re useful
Businesses in the sharing economy are dependent on the renters and rentees to make the website profitable. An entrepreneur might be sure that his/her website will bring ease in the area of operation, it is important to take note of the demand and supply of the products in the target area.
Due to the complexity in the rental industry, the entrepreneur has to research and analyze both the customer and the supplier side. Make sure you conduct extensive research to study the market. If there are enough customers in your area make sure there are enough suppliers too.
After thorough research, make sure you test the market too. Start with a minimum viable product (MVP) and launch it in the market. Check if people are volunteering using it. Doing so will help you identify problems that you can rectify later.
Insights on Rental Industry for 2022 – 2027
Note: There are some products which people do not prefer to rent out or use. Many factors influence product selection, some of the factors including emotional value, hygienic reasons, etc.
Make sure you offer the right value to the user
Airbnb does not need to spend a massive amount of money to entice property owners to list on their website. The owner will prefer to list themselves as they will be earning extra money. Answers to questions like “What’s in it for me?” should be elaborated on the website to enable visitors to understand the value. It is an essential element to consider before creating a content strategy for your brand.
Build your trustability
In the sharing economy, the trustability of your business is directly proportional to the success of your business. Honest and transparent reviews are important to improve the trustability of your business. Provide quality products and customer service and you can easily win customers trust. Furthermore, customers must be able to voice their concern and give feedback.
How Can I Build a Rental Website?
You can select either a custom or off-the-shelf solution. Launching your rental website through online rental software like Yo!Rent can add competitive advantage while building a rental website from scratch will take a few months.
Yo!Rent is a market-ready solution through which entrepreneurs can easily launch a rental website/marketplace. Important multivendor capabilities, including renting and selling, that are needed to make the website profitable are already present in the platform. Furthermore, entrepreneurs can customize the platform according to their business needs.
Final Thoughts
In Europe, where economic growth rate is lower, rental has still been expanding at around 3% each year, and more in some countries – the highest growth in European countries occurred in France (5.7%), the Netherlands (5.2%), and Spain (5.1%).
Based on figures published by the American Rental Association (ARA) and the European Rental Association (ERA), the global rental growth rate is around 5.0%. That’s for a market that is valued globally between US$90-100 billion, with approximately 80% of that generated in Europe and North America.
Choosing the right technology partner is the most important aspect of a successful business. Yo!Rent is an online rental marketplace solution which can help enterpreneures launch a multivendor website. It is customizable according to the needs of the entrepreneur. Other benefits are self-hosted, licensed based system, free 1-year technical support, free personalized demo and many more.
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