Solving the Low-Bookings Puzzle: Possible reasons and solutions

Have you ever faced a decline in bookings during your hosting journey? Understanding the reasons behind this downturn is key to finding effective solutions to increase your bookings.

Before diving into actionable tips, it's essential to consider local travel trends that directly impact booking demands. For example, you may notice an uptick in booking requests during festive seasons like Hari Raya and Chinese New Year, as well as during school holidays. Conversely, there may be quieter periods at other times. Being aware of these seasonal variations can help you tailor your hosting strategy accordingly.

Below are some possible reasons for low bookings and some strategies to improve them. Generally, you want to remove any potential barriers for Guests to book your car.

Your listing has low availability

If you're too particular about when you share your car during off-peak seasons, you might experience even fewer bookings. Typically, Hosts with greater availability—more days open in a month—attract more bookings. Potential Guests aren't restricted to certain days of the week, and your car will appear more prominently in search results for specific dates.

Solution: Expand your car's availability, including weekends, and especially during public holidays, school breaks, and other significant dates.

Your pricing is uncompetitive

If your daily rate is significantly higher than that of other Hosts offering similar cars nearby, potential guests may opt for alternatives instead of booking your vehicle.

Solution: Compare the daily rates of similar cars in your area and consider adjusting your pricing to remain competitive.

If you’re a new Host, starting with a lower daily rate can increase your chances of securing initial bookings and enticing potential Guests. Strive to earn your first few 5-star ratings from Guests, which can lay the foundation for future bookings. Once you've garnered some positive feedback, you can reassess your pricing strategy to match that of your competitors. However, do take a conservative approach when increasing your daily rate and avoid pricing it too high.

Read more: Dynamic Pricing

You are not taking advantage of listing features

If your listing features are not optimised, Guests might refrain from booking your car. For example, if you don’t have the Instant Booking feature enabled, Guests might hesitate to book since there might be a longer turnaround time for booking acceptance.

Allowing Guests to request for delivery will greatly increase the chances of getting your car booked. Delivery service is after all, preferred by the majority of Guests.

Solution: Enable Instant Booking and allow Guests to request for delivery if you haven't already done so. In addition, you could consider enabling long-term bookings as well to attract Guests who need a car for an extended period.

Read more: Listing Features | Arranging deliveries

You have low Acceptance Rate

Keep in mind that if you reject too many booking requests or have a low Acceptance Rate on the platform, Guests might assume that you're not reliable as a Host. On the other hand, Hosts that have high Acceptance Rate as well as meeting other criteria will be awarded with the Superhost status, providing them with more visibility and making their listings more desirable to Guests.

Solution: Be prompt in responding to booking requests (Your booking will be auto-rejected if you fail to respond within 24 hours or 1 hour before the booking start time, whichever comes first). Also, it’s extremely crucial to update your calendar regularly to avoid potential rejections due to your unavailability.

Read more: Superhost | Hosting Standards

You are not able to cater same-day bookings

Most of the booking requests are made in less than 24 hours before the booking starts. This is where the demand is and being able to capture them could help you maximise your earnings.

Solution: If you’re unprepared to take on same-day bookings or need more time to prepare in between bookings, update your availability calendar regularly to avoid having to reject any booking requests and impacting your performance.

Your listing doesn’t stand out

Poorly written listings with insufficient information and low-quality pictures can deter potential Guests from making a decision or lead them to believe that your vehicle is not well-maintained.

It is important to ensure that your listing is well-crafted with an accurate description of your car, including its features and condition. Use visually appealing pictures that showcase your car’s best features to attract potential Guests and increase the likelihood of securing a booking.

Solution: Showcase your car in the best light - take clear photos of the external and internal highlighting any features that it might have. Choose the best photo as your default listing cover photo (this what the Guest will see first when they browse for available cars).

Read more: Make your listing more attractive

You don’t communicate effectively

Communication is key to any successful business. If you're not responsive or communicate poorly with Guests, they may not trust you or feel comfortable booking your car.

Be clear and professional in your communication. If a Guest has a question or concern, address it as soon as you can to help them. Remember, good communication will lead to higher chances of getting repeated bookings from the Guest in future.

Solution: Do you often get the same question from your Guests? Consider adding them to your listing description or create a Car Manual that you can send to Guests whenever they book your car.

You don’t clean or maintain your car

Not cleaning or maintaining your car can cause problems like bad smell, unsafe driving, negative feedback, and fewer bookings.

By doing proactive maintenance, you can improve your car's appeal, safety, and comfort for Guests.

Read more: Car maintenance and safety tips

You have low Guest ratings

Ratings could make or break your chances when it comes to securing bookings from Guests. If you have low ratings or negative reviews, potential Guests may not want to book with you.

Solution: Address any issues that might result in negative ratings or reviews quickly. Take Guest’s feedback seriously and make necessary changes to ensure a positive booking experience going forward. If you believe that you have been given an unfair review, please do not hesitate to contact us through our live chat feature for additional support.

Your car is not at the right location

One of the key factors that can significantly impact your bookings is the location of your car. Ensuring that your vehicle is listed at the right location plays a crucial role in attracting the right Guests and maximising your earning potential on the platform.

Verify Your Car's Location Accuracy

It is essential to double-check and confirm that your car is listed at the correct location. Inaccurate location details can lead to missed opportunities as potential Guests may not find your vehicle when searching for rentals in specific areas. By ensuring that your car's location is accurately reflected on TREVO, you increase its visibility and appeal to a broader range of Guests.

Addressing Delivery Cost Concerns

Another aspect to consider is the cost associated with delivering your car to Guests. If the delivery charges are perceived as too expensive by potential Guests, it may deter them from booking your vehicle. To overcome this challenge, you could explore moving your car to a location with higher demand and potential bookings. By strategically relocating your vehicle to an area where there is greater interest from Guests, you can reduce delivery costs and make your listing more attractive.

Maximising Bookings through Strategic Location Placement

Choosing the right location for your car can make a significant difference in its rental success. By analysing booking trends and demand patterns on TREVO, you can identify areas that are popular among Guests and strategically position your vehicle in those locations. This proactive approach can help you attract more Guests, increase booking frequency, and ultimately boost your earnings as a TREVO Host.

Your are not promoting your car

You could get a steady stream of bookings by optimising your TREVO listing and featuring it in its best light. However, if you'd like to get an added advantage, you might find it beneficial to promote your listing on social media, particularly Facebook Marketplace and Carousell. This is of course, on top of the marketing that TREVO is already doing to promote the platform.

On top of getting more people to book your car, did you know that you can earn up to RM230 from referring new users to TREVO? Learn more.

Summary

The journey towards strengthening booking rates and increasing earnings on TREVO is a multifaceted endeavour, requiring Hosts to navigate through a myriad of challenges and seize upon strategic opportunities for optimisation. Anchored in the principles of adaptability and responsiveness, Hosts can cultivate a competitive edge by optimising listing features, enhancing communications, and offering compelling pricing. Through these concerted efforts, Hosts can establish a compelling value proposition, attract a broader audience of potential Guests, and ultimately, elevate their earnings trajectory on the TREVO platform.