Founded in 2016, RVezy lists more than 15,000 RVs, tent trailers and campers for rent in Canada and the United States.
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As sales of recreational vehicles fall across Canada, an Ottawa startup that connects RV owners with renters via an online marketplace is using its platform to steer potential customers toward dealerships.
Founded in 2016, RVezy lists more than 15,000 RVs, tent trailers and campers for rent in Canada and the United States.
The company, which charges a 20 per cent service fee for each transaction, boomed during the pandemic as travel-starved North Americans flocked to the site when COVID-19 restrictions curtailed air travel and made staying in hotels and Airbnbs less palatable. As a result, RVezy, which has about 80 full-time employees, saw its revenues grow nearly 40 per cent between 2021 and 2023.
CEO and co-founder Will Thompson says revenues have been “normalizing” over the past year as other forms of vacationing make a comeback. But he expects traffic to get a bump this summer, thanks to a new partnership with a segment of the industry that once considered RVezy a major source of competition: RV dealerships.
Last fall, his firm quietly launched a new marketplace that connects private sellers and RV dealers from across Canada and the U.S. with consumers who can rent the vehicles through RVezy as a “test drive” before deciding whether to buy them. RVezy has since inked partnerships with close to 20 groups representing hundreds of dealerships.
Thompson believes the concept will be a hit with consumers and dealers alike.
“It’s never been done before where you can rent (RVs) before you buy,” he says. “Which, when you think about it, is bonkers. You’re going to drop $45,000 for a trailer and you’ll never even test drive it? I think, just like how we really revolutionized for the first time in Canada the concept of the sharing economy for RVs … I think we’re going to do the same thing on the purchasing of RVs.”
RVezy doesn’t charge dealers to list their vehicles, instead generating income from rental fees. The company also sells leads to dealerships, steering them toward “high-intent” customers who’ve rented from RVezy and seem keen on buying.
“It’s going to drive more sales,” Thompson says. “It’s that beautiful kind of symbiotic (relationship).”
The move comes as RV dealerships look to reverse a recent decline in sales that followed a pandemic-fuelled bump. According to the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada, sales of new RVs fell 20 per cent last year compared with 2022, as inflation and rising interest rates eroded Canadians’ disposable income.
