About Rent-to-Own - Rent-to-own Reports and Studies

Survey of Rent-to-Own Customers

published by the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Economics

[This report is most beneficial to policy makers, news reporters, legal and legislative analysts]

While there has been considerable debate concerning the rent-to-own industry over the past decade or more, there has been little independent systematic examination of the typical experience of rent-to-own customers. FTC staff attempted to fill this gap by conducting a nationwide survey of rent-to-own customers. Between December 1998 and February 1999, more than 12,000 randomly selected U.S. households were surveyed, identifying more than 500 rent-to-own customers who were interviewed about their experience with rent-to-own stores. The survey is the first study on rent-to-own customers and the industry by a federal governmental body.

Read this report in HTML and PDF formats

APRO Annual Industry Statistical Survey and Trend Analysis

[This survey is most beneficial to financial analysts, investors, news reporters and new RTO business owners]

Every year, APRO commissions Industry Insights to conduct a benchmark study on the financial state and economic impact of the rent-to-own industry. Industry Insights has been conducting its survey since 1993 and has helped build the financial story for the rent-to-own industry for its future from its past. The survey measures the most predominant economic impact and financial figures defining rent-to-own's economic health, such as annual revenue, number of customers, number of stores, etc. Click here to view graphs derived from the annual rent-to-own industry survey results. It is very important that all APRO members participate in the annual survey. The numbers generated from this survey have built the rent-to-own industry’s financial and economic story, thereby contributing to the industry’s financing, public offerings, media relations and governmental representation. In 2006, APRO leaders went to great lengths to streamline the survey and provide an easy way to complete the survey through an online process. The survey questions are posted online in the spring and compiled in the summer for release in the fall. The survey results are provided free to those APRO members who participate in that year’s survey. Copies can also be obtained by contacting Laurie Hill (ext. 103) or Richard May (ext. 104) at 800/204-2776. For rental dealers who do not participate in the survey, copies cost $500. The survey is available only to APRO members.

Rent-to-own Customer Satisfaction Report and Trend Analysis

[This analysis is most beneficial to current rent-to-own owners, advertisers and regional/store managers]

Every five years, APRO commissions nationally renowned market research company America’s Research Group to survey and define the customer satisfaction rate for the rent-to-own industry. The study surveys current rent-to-own customers throughout the country and defines the specific areas where rent-to-own companies can improve their business. APRO commissioned its first customer satisfaction survey in 1994. This report is available to APRO members only. Please contact Richard May by e-mail or by calling 800/204-2776, ext. 104, to obtain a copy of this report.

Rent-to-own Potential Customer Perception and Trend Analysis

[This analysis is most beneficial to current rent-to-own owners, advertisers and regional/store managers]

With rent-to-own serving only 3 million customers from the 45 million Americans fitting the economic demographic of the rent-to-own customer, industry leaders have been grappling at how to attract the potential customer to their stores and to the rent-to-own concept. In 1997, APRO turned to Trenholm Research Group to identify the major obstacles and perceptions of the rent-to-own industry with the potential customer who fit the RTO demographics but do not rent-to-own. APRO commissioned Trenholm Research Group again in 2004 to follow up the survey and provide the statistical framework on how to better market the RTO business to the customer that should be using it. This report is available to APRO members only. Please contact Richard May by e-mail or by calling 800/204-2776, ext. 104, to obtain a copy of this report.

Rent-to-Own Agreements: Purchases or Rentals?

By Michael H. Anderson and Raymond Jackson Published in the Journal of Applied Business Research Spring 2003

[This article is most beneficial to policy makers, news reporters, legal and legislative analysts]

The rent-to-own business has emerged as an important component of the retailing sector. A common perception of RTO is that it is a disguised, high-interest installment agreement as most consumers eventually acquire the contracted merchandise by making all scheduled payments. The authors of this study examine the nature of RTO agreements by using a unique data set of more than 350,000 transactions drawn from 100 RTO stores in 46 states. The main result is that RTO agreements are more frequently used for short-term needs rather than as a method of acquisition. Legislative and legal efforts to classify RTO agreements as primarily installment contracts cannot be justified by their statistically proven pattern of use in the marketplace.

Read this report in HTML and PDF Formats

A Reconsideration of Rent-to-Own

By Michael H. Anderson and Raymond Jackson Published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs Winter 2001

[This article is most beneficial to policy makers, news reporters, legal and legislative analyst]

University of Massachusetts finance professors Michael Anderson and Ray Jackson began their independent financial analysis and research of the rent-to-own transaction and industry after reviewing the market and realizing the that industry has been academically untapped in regards to institutional research. As a consequence, the two professors began their series of studies with the rent-to-own industry with “A Reconsideration of Rent-to-Own” that investigates the market value and customer pattern rent-to-own provides in the American economy. “A Reconsideration of Rent-to-Own” is the introductory study of a series of research models and papers Anderson, Jackson - and later Sanjiv Jaggia--are conducting regarding the rent-to-own transaction and its impact on the American economy.

Read this report in PDF format

The Rent-to-Own Industry

By Doug Schuler and Gerry Keim Published in the Cases of Business Ethics College Textbook Winter 2006

[This chapter is most beneficial to policy makers, news reporters, legal and legislative analysts]

The rent-to-own business faced the most pressing public relations and government relations crisis an industry can ever face. Read the dynamics of a Congress wanting an entire industry put out of business and a front page Wall Street Journal article that began the attack. What did the rent-to-own industry to successfully turn around these dire circumstances to become even more successful and accepted into the American market and society? The rent-to-own trade association, APRO, is the real-life case study for college business, political science and public relations students to study how an industry and trade association turns their most detrimental crises into a business, political and public relations success. For more information on this paper, please contact APRO Public Affairs Director, Richard May.

Understanding the Asset Limited Income Constrained (ALIC) Consumer

By Jim Witte and John Mittelstaedt Released at the Macro Marketing Conference, Washington, D.C. Summer 2007

[This paper is most beneficial to policy makers, news reporters, legal and legislative analysts]

Two Clemson University Sociology Professors are studying the newly coined Asset Limited Income Constrained (ALIC) consumer in America. The rent-to-own customer represents the newly coined demographic and the sociological reasons why ALIC consumer choose very carefully and directly the choices they make as an ALIC consumer. For more information on this paper, please contact APRO Public Affairs Director, Richard May.

Renting the Good Life: A Law and Economics Research Paper

By Jim Hawkins Published in the William & Mary Law Review Spring 2008

[This paper is most beneficial to policy makers, news reporters, legal and legislative analysts]

The rent-to-own business has been inspected by legal and legislative scholars for the past thirty years with a negative and mistaken premise. The University of Texas law student dissects the legal arguments against rent-to-own and its ramifications with public policy and the market. For more information or to view a copy, contact APRO Public Affairs Director, Richard May.