Retail

Can a Racket Rental Kiosk Run a Try-Before-You-Buy Demo Program?

Yes — and it removes the staffing cost that makes manual demo programs hard to run profitably. Australian pro shops already prove the model: Sturdy Racquets charges $10 for a 2-day demo and $10 off a purchase within 30 days, Tennis Direct charges $25 per racquet credited off the sale price. The logic is that a racquet is a personal purchase — weight, balance, grip size and string tension can't be judged from a web page — and players who can't test a frame rarely commit to it. A 24/7 self-service kiosk automates the booking, payment, deposit and return steps that a staffed demo counter otherwise handles one shift at a time.