How to grow your payments app with costume and fancy dress hire
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
Costume and fancy dress shops hire and sell outfits for parties, stag and hen nights, school plays, theatre groups and seasonal events. Most hires need a hire fee and a deposit that is returned when the costume comes back undamaged, and busy weeks around Halloween and Christmas bring long queues. A payments app that takes the hire fee and deposit by link before collection, refunds deposits simply and takes group bookings can win these shops, and every customer who pays sees your app.
Talk to costume shops
Ask local costume and fancy dress shops:
- How do customers pay for hires today?
- How do you take and return deposits?
- Do schools, theatre groups or parties book in bulk?
- How busy do you get around Halloween and Christmas?
Take the hire fee and deposit before collection
A payment link for the hire fee and deposit lets customers pay at home, so collection is quick on busy days.
Take group bookings
A link each member of a group can use means a stag party or school play can each pay their own share.
Grow through parties and events
Costume shops work with party entertainers, event organisers and theatre groups. One shop on your app can introduce the others.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
What about party entertainers?
The party entertainers guide covers deposits for bookings and payment on the day for entertainers, face painters and bouncy castle hire.
Party entertainers →What about formalwear hire?
The bridal and formalwear shops guide covers deposits when a dress or suit is ordered and balances paid later, often split between family members.
Formalwear hire →Can I call it a bank?
In most countries "bank" is a protected word you can only use with a banking licence. Call it an account, a wallet, an app or a platform. The accounts and payments behind a SendPay Business platform are powered by licensed partners.
Is there a step-by-step plan I can follow?
Yes. The free launch checklist takes you from picking your people and naming your app to setting fees, going live and winning your first ten customers.
Digital bank app launch checklist →How do I start?
Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you pay. Your platform can be live on your own domain within 24 hours of confirmation.
Build my platform →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.