Product update: Better multi-channel rental management and more flexibility

Since the previous product development update, we have shipped the first version of the online store and are already improving it with new functionalities. But what else have we done during the past month? Read more to find out.

Better multi-channel rental management

Our online store is now up and running with the first live users. Thank you for the trust, Lapland Safaris and Äkäslompolo Sportshop!

Since the launch of the online store, we have been focusing on enhancing some essential functionalities related to renting online while also serving walk-in customers.

• Possibility to make products available only on certain channels. For some products that have a smaller inventory capacity or require specific expertise to use, you might want to make them available only for in-store rentals or phone/email reservations.
• Possibility to define how much in advance online reservations must be made. During the peak hours when there might be queuing customers in the store, some "smarter" individuals might figure out they are able to bypass the queue by making an online reservation outside the store. This kind of behavior would likely have a negative effect on the experience of the customers who are waiting for their turn in the queue. To prevent this, it is possible to make online reservations available only if booked in advance.
• Possibility to set maintenance time for products. After the rental ends, the products are rarely immediately ready for the next customer. To make sure every customer gets a well-maintained and cleaned product that is clean and works properly, you might want to add a maintenance time for each product, which blocks the availability for the chosen time period after the rental.

Coming soon: Possibility to define maximum availability for each channel

Inventory and booking calendar

The calendar view gives you a complete picture of your products out on rent and the upcoming reservations. It helps you to schedule rentals more accurately and follow the movements of your products even on a unit level.

The calendar enables observing reservations and filtering the view by product or product category. 🗓

Improved overview of the inventory availability

The small update visualizes the availability of products in the main view.

Green = Availability over 50%, Yellow = Availability under 50%, Red = Out of stock. 🚦

Added flexibility for defining opening hours

In addition to the basic nine-to-five rhythm, we are now supporting exception times on a daily and periodical level. This adds flexibility on how rental shops can determine opening hours, for example, during public holidays and on- and off-season. Especially for rental shops that are renting out products online, setting opening hours is relevant because, based on those, customers are allowed to make online bookings.

Coming soon: In addition to 24-hour rental periods, allowing shops to determine daily rentals within the opening hours

Possibility to add multiple users for one account and manage user roles

Earlier, it was possible to have only one login credential per Twice account. This approach turned out to be quite inconvenient. From now on, the admins of Twice accounts will be able to send invitations to their colleagues via email, making it possible to sign in with individual login credentials. There's no limitation to the maximum number of seats per Twice account.  

Coming soon: Possibility to assign different roles for users.