Skiset I Val d'Auréa Snow & Bike - Thanks to Lokki, I've developed my biking business

Jérôme Vuilleret, manager of Val d'Auréa Snow & Bike, a ski and bike hire-purchase store in Valloire, Savoie, is one of the pioneers of bike rental in the mountains. Aware that global warming is accelerating what he calls the "4-season mountain", i.e. the need to diversify the traditional activity of ski resorts, he has chosen to digitalize his bike business with Lokki to accelerate this development.

Tell us your story!

I've been store manager at Auréa Snow & Bike, a member of the Skiset network, for 30 years now! Our main activity is ski rental in winter, but we're pioneers in cycling, which we've also been renting out for 30 years. Initially, it was a way of "keeping busy", but in view of the environmental context, we've intensified this activity over the last few years. We've found a fairly satisfactory modus operandi for making this business profitable : we buy the bikes new, run them for 2 months, then sell them on. This enables us to sell at a fair price, given the bikes' current market value, and also to keep nothing in stock. In the end, the operation is neutral and we make a profit on the rental.

The challenge of
Jérôme

With global warming, we're diversifying our business to cover June, July, August and September. The aim, not only for us, the rental companies, but also for the départements, institutions and regions, is to offer a diversified, multi-activity rental offer over the 4 seasons. With the ideal playground we have in Savoie, it would be a shame not to offer cycling. And that's exactly what we've managed to do in Valloire, with a fleet of 50 bikes: mountain bikes, road bikes and electric bikes. We offer dry hire and accompanied touring/walking with service providers. We have a very diverse clientele, especially since the arrival of the VAE, which has democratized cycling in a quite exceptional way.

How did Lokki help you? 

This is my fourth summer with Lokki ! Before, we were working on a home-made Excel document: it worked well, but we wanted to work on a much easier tool, both to enable our customers to book online, but also to avoid booking errors as much as possible.

The tool is much appreciated by our customers, but also internally, including our technicians, who were rather reluctant at first. In the end, they're the ones who use it the most and the best, because they see how much time it saves and how practical it is on a daily basis. It's very professional and user-friendly.

Honestly, it' s magical - no more mistakes or forgotten reservations! Before, we knew what time the bikes were returned, but not when they would be available. Today, if the bike doesn't show up, it's reserved, no more.

This time-saving also allows us to deal more calmly with seasonal peaks, which are clearly more intense in cycling than in skiing. With cycling, it's 8 weeks a year, non-stop, all week, twice a day! So with Lokki, we don 't improvise. On the contrary, it allows us to anticipate, and when we're in a rush, that's really appreciated.

You also get the feeling that there are people behind the software! The platform is very mature and constantly evolving, and I often receive emails with new features and webinars. I really appreciate that.

With the help of Lokki

‍Lessstress

We anticipate peaks in activity and rushes - no more improvisation!

Better customer experience

Online booking facilitates the customer journey

Peace of mind

No more mistakes or forgotten reservations!

An easy way to diversify your business with complete peace of mind

"There needs to be a rebalancing between summer and winter, even if skiing remains our main activity. Only companies that diversify to work in all 4 seasons will come out on top".

An online booking platform to boost sales

"Today, bicycles account for 17% of our sales, which are increasing every year. Our goal is to reach 25% of total sales".

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