What began as a startup idea for a camera and audio hire platform in 2019, Sharegear has rapidly evolved into one of Australia’s top camera rental companies, proudly shipping nationwide. Based in Melbourne, Sharegear has grown from a small business offering local warehouse pick-up for a limited range of gear into a nationwide service with a continually expanding inventory. A major contributor to their success? The implementation of Booqable, which transformed their operations in the early stages and helped them scale to become a leading rental solution for Australians.
Below, Kieran, one of Sharegear’s founders, shares insights into the key Booqable features that powered their growth.
Processing orders without overbookings or delays
One of the biggest challenges for any growing rental business is tracking inventory and managing bookings efficiently. Sharegear faced this issue as their business expanded, but Booqable’s automated inventory management system allowed them to effortlessly track stock levels and process orders without overbooking or delays.
Kieran explained, “The inventory management feature has really helped us scale without any hiccups.”
This feature became essential as Sharegear expanded its range of products. Managing rentals manually would have been overwhelming, but Booqable’s dashboard keeps the team organized with a clear order schedule for daily pickups and returns, even accounting for new online orders.
“With the dashboard, it’s all done for us, and the team can check this for themselves,” Kieran added. “For businesses looking to improve inventory control, Booqable’s tools are a game-changer.”
Automating discounts for longer rental periods
Another standout feature for Sharegear is Booqable’s customizable pricing templates, which allow them to provide discounted rates for extended rental periods. This pricing model caters to both casual and professional customers seeking longer-term rentals without the burden of high daily rates.
Kieran shared, “The pricing rules we set up—where the longer you rent, the more discounted the daily rate becomes—have been one of the key drivers in growing our customer base. This feature alone has taken us from start-up to successful, without a doubt.”
Unlike competitors in Melbourne that only offer basic weekend deals, Sharegear implemented continuous discounts for longer rentals.
“Our competitors only provide basic weekend deals. We took it further and implemented unlimited discounts for longer rentals, which our customers love. It’s been a huge selling point for us,” Kieran noted.
Integrating Booqable with wordPress to boost expansion
Integrating Booqable’s online reservation feature into their website was pivotal to Sharegear’s expansion. This integration enabled them to display rental inventory (both individual items and bundles), accept online bookings, and process payments seamlessly.
Booqable’s collections feature allowed Sharegear to organize products into categories like “Cameras,” “Lenses,” and “Accessories,” making it easy for customers to browse and find what they needed. Bundling items—such as cameras with specific lenses, tripods, or memory cards—simplified the rental process and ensured customers had everything required for their shoots.
Kieran emphasized, “Booqable’s definitely allowed us to create a really customer-friendly website. The aesthetic of Booqable’s interface really suited our branding compared to other platforms.”
This customer-friendly design enhanced satisfaction and helped Sharegear effectively manage its inventory by tracking complete sets of equipment in real time.
Using the mobile app for local deliveries
As Sharegear expanded its services to include deliveries across Melbourne, the Booqable mobile app became an invaluable tool for managing logistics.
“Being able to manage local deliveries directly from the Booqable mobile app has for sure made a difference for our team in the last year,” Kieran noted.
The app enables real-time insights during the delivery process, including the customer and order details. This allows delivery drivers to stay up-to-date on the go, ensuring they always have the latest information accessible on their mobile devices.
Growth driven by the desire for progress
From a small side hustle to one of Australia’s leading camera rental platforms, Sharegear’s growth underscores the power of Booqable’s rental management features. By automating inventory, improving bookings, and managing local deliveries, Sharegear has optimized operations and expanded its customer base. With ambitious plans to double interstate orders and become Australia’s number one rental hire platform, Sharegear is setting new standards for the rental industry.
