Reaching the Full Potential of Rental: Understand Your Customers and Rent More

An overview of ARA’s consumer research study for rental professionals

American Rental Association | Page 1 of 4

• What do customers think about equipment rental?

• Why do customers choose one store over another?

• What can you do to attract more business?

• Did you know that most customers consider the overall rental experience

as very positive depending on customer segment?

• Or that people under the age of 45 are more likely to rent in the next year

than those over 45?

T he American Rental Association (ARA) conducted an extensive consumer research study to understand the profile,

trends, attitudes and behaviors of equipment rental customers that provide answers to these questions and much

more. The survey was conducted for four specific customer segments:

• Professional Contractors

• DIY Homeowners

• DIY Party and Event Consumers

• Professional Event Planners

This survey was performed by the Sigma Group, an independent research organization, using a hybrid telephone/online

survey that questioned a representative sample of the general population about their rental behavior and preferences

over the last two years as well as their expected rental behavior in the future.

An overview of ARA’s consumer research study for rental professionals

American Rental Association | Page 2 of 4

Respondents answered questions in their own words, so

these are unprompted opinions of actual rental customers.

All collective responses are well within the acceptable margin

of error, making the data statistically valid.

The survey results were analyzed and compiled into a guide

available just for ARA members. Along with gaining a better

understanding of who your key target audience is, it also

includes recommended sales and marketing activities and

insights on the top five things that customers are looking for

in a rental store. Use this information to help maximize your

rental business’ potential.

Following is a look at some of the results for each customer segment:

Professional Contractors:• 93 percent of professional contractors

ranked their overall satisfaction with their

rental experience as very positive.

• 89 percent are planning to rent equipment in

the next year.

• The majority of customers in this segment

are considered to be the sole

decision maker.

• Average age of professional

contractors is just over 54

years of age.

• Location and convenience

are the two largest deciding

factors in choosing one

rental store over another.

Larger companies, with 50 or more employees, are more likely to rent and their rental frequency is higher.

An overview of ARA’s consumer research study for rental professionals

American Rental Association | Page 3 of 4

DIY Homeowners:• 92 percent of DIY homeowners ranked their overall satisfaction with their rental experience as very positive.

• 60 percent under the age of 45 are likely to rent in the next year.

• Of those people likely to rent and are under the age of 45, more than 40 percent have children under the age of 17.

• Older renters are more likely to rent garden and landscape equipment and less likely to rent air compressors and

related tools.

• When choosing one rental store over another, cost is the largest concern for customers under the age of 45, while

location is more important for those over 45.

DIY Party and Event Consumers:• 94 percent of DIY party and event consumers ranked their overall

satisfaction with their rental experience as very positive.

• 53 percent are female, but it’s likely that they are not the sole

decision maker.

• The majority of consumers who rent party and event equipment

are under the age of 45, and nearly half of them have children

under the age of 17.

• Rental frequency in this market segment tends to be lower,

accounting for a lack of customer awareness.

• Cost and customer service are the two top factors in choosing one rental store over another.

Understanding the age distribution can give you an idea of projects customers are working on and what future work they might be

planning. For instance, a young homeowner may

have several projects spaced out over time.

Research in this area points toward delivery costs as being an issue. This is possibly an expectation of free shipping that has been set by online retailers.

An overview of ARA’s consumer research study for rental professionals

American Rental Association | Page 4 of 4

Professional Event Planners:• 97 percent of professional event planners

ranked their overall satisfaction with their

rental experience as very positive.

• 91 percent of professional event planners

are likely to rent items in the next year.

• The majority (nearly 70 percent) of key

decision-makers in this segment are female

and most identified themselves as the sole

decision maker.

• On average, professional event planners

rent equipment more frequently as this is

part of their business model.

• Customer service and familiarity are the

two top factors in choosing one rental

store over another.

Thank you for your interest in the Reaching the Full Potential of Rental white paper, brought to you by ARA. The

document in its entirety includes key messaging points as well as marketing and sales initiatives and is available

exclusively to members of ARA.

For information on ARA membership, please contact us at 800-334-2177, option 1,

or membership@ararental.org.

Many times, younger event planners rent more frequently because they have a greater

number of smaller events, while more established planners

might rent less frequently due to the size and complexity

of their events.