The landscape of our mobility is constantly changing. Of course, this also has a clear impact on the rental and logistics of renting vehicles. Our managing director at Dockx Rental, Joeri Dockx, therefore takes a closer look at a few trends:
1. Automated
“We are increasingly moving towards a climate where physical rental points are becoming less important. Actually, you shouldn’t have to interact people when picking up a car or a van. Please note that it is certainly not the intention that our shops be converted into fully automated locations. It is indeed an and-and story. It’s an extra asset if rental can take place without human contact, especially in times of Covid. What’s more, you’ll save quite a bit more time if you choose contactless pickup via our new app.
Everything has to be faster and more efficient these days. Time is money, so we also go along with this trend to make things more comfortable for our customers. They used to come to you; but now, as a company, you have to go to them. That way, you keep your finger on the pulse and can make a difference. So how do you get the keys to your car? It’s easy. They’re stored in the glove compartment and you just unlock the car using your smartphone.”
2. Relief
“Nowadays, as a company, you have to relieve the customer as much as possible. That’s why we not only look at our own customers, but also at retailers. What I mean is, you see that (DIY) chains like Hubo, Brico, or IKEA also offer vans. This is only logical because not everyone can easily fit five Gyproc panels into their car. But offering a vehicle is not the core business of those companies. That is where we step in. We park our van at these companies and immediately charge the end customer. The retailer pays nothing. We provide the service, and we also know how everything works. If, for example, there is a claim, we can deal with it quickly from an administrative point of view, because rental is our core business.”
3. Shared vehicles
“Sharing cars will also be part of the mobile future. For us, the challenge is to offer added value that makes it more interesting for the customer to choose us. Full service and expertise are additional advantages. We’re also seeing a trend of shared cars becoming less interesting because of Covid.”
4. Electrification
“You cannot ignore the electrification of vehicles. However, you should bear in mind that an electric van is two to three times more expensive. Should we then also significantly adjust the price? No, this is not yet the case for our sector. A customer who wants to rent a van for a few days is not interested in a ‘green vision’. Even petrol or diesel as a fuel does not factor into their decision. The functionality of the van is central.”
5. Comprehensive concept
“Renting a van is one thing, but when people move house there is a lot more to it. Offering a comprehensive concept is interesting. Customers can order not only the vehicle, but also useful boxes, work materials, protective covers, moving lifts, etc. Anyone moving house already has enough on their mind. Our service offers a helping hand. The customer does not have to search for all the services they need on a bunch of different sites. Everything can easily be found under one roof here.”
