Minimum number of participants required for booking: why is it not possible?

Some service providers would like their activities to be bookable online only for a certain number of participants (for example, a minimum of 4 people). This request, while understandable from an operational perspective, is not compatible with best practices for online sales.

❌ An obstacle to booking

If you prevent bookings before a group of 4 people arrives, you risk blocking sales completely. This is because:

• Individuals will never be able to book alone or in pairs,

• They will not know if there are already any registered people,

• And so they won’t dare to book… even if a session is almost full!

👉 Result: no session is triggered, and filling becomes much more difficult.

✅ It is better to capture the customer, even if it means rescheduling

In online sales, it's better to take a reservation, even a one-time one, than to lose it due to a minimum number of participants. A session can always be:

• Confirmed if other customers are added,

• Rescheduled or canceled with a clear and professional message.

This allows you to start group building, instead of waiting for an entire group to spontaneously show up.

🛠️ Tip: the "Minimum Capacity" order data

A good practice is to create a custom order data, for example titled "Minimum Capacity". This allows you to inform the customer at the time of booking:

This session requires a minimum of X participants. If this threshold is not reached, it may be rescheduled.

It’s a transparent way to secure the customer relationship without blocking the sale.

🚀 An effective alternative: potential planning

To go further and maximize your chances of filling your sessions without blocking sales, we recommend using potential planning (or "AI planning").

This system allows:

• To automatically open a session upon first booking,

• To favorite this session in online display,

• And to block competing sales in this slot if you wish.

This greatly increases the chances of getting 3 or 4 participants together, without blocking the sale at the base.

📣 Need help setting up your schedule?

Our support team can guide you step by step. Contact us at [email protected] or via chat.