If an owner is concerned about their number of bookings check these things and if any apply send them the feedback.
-Not festival friendly
Being festival friendly widens the audience that may like to book. Possibly consider being festival friendly for one festival season and see how it goes. The camper will be parked up the majority of the booking and the misconceptions of your camper being destroyed by a festival goer is something we do not have evidence of in past experience at Quirky.
-Not pet friendly.
Pet friendly is a filter that is amongst the most popular and being pet friendly widens the audience that may hire. Being a pet friendly van does not mean that you have no control over the pets that you allow. Due to space you may choose to have a 2 maximum rule or you may choose to include that you will only allow small dogs etc. You could also trial this to see if bookings increase
-No EU travel.
This sounds scarier than it really is. If this is something you are at all open to then it could be worth going for it. EU bookings tend to be high value and longer. We can help them with what is needed for an EU travel booking and it again widens the audience that may book.
-Higher than recommended base rate
While owners are in control of their base rate it is possible to be priced out of bookings especially if there are a number of other campers based in the same area. We have a recommended base rate for your camper of £XYZ and we recommend this based on a number of factors. It maybe that being closer to this figure could be beneficial for your bookings.
-Few or poor quality images.
Imagery can really elevate a camper vans listing and it gives the customer a feel for the camper before they see it in person. If they already have a pro shoot recommend sending it to us and we can pick the images for the website. If they don’t please recommend a pro shoot to help with their listing and attract potential hirers. If a campervans images aren't great hey are unlikely to be used for marketing which can also make a difference on bookings.
-No Isofix but a family friendly campervan.
Isofix is around £30 online and can be fitted by the owner. This widens the audience the campervan can tailor for as a lot of newer car seats have Isofix. Isofix attachments are not permanent and can be removed at any time without damaging the van in any way. Highly recommend for family friendly vans
-Check the listing.
If there are any parts that are extremely short recommend the owner reviewing.
If some customers have questions the listing does not answer they may not get in touch and just opt to not book the van. Any details a customer may find useful are always good to have included in the listing
-Reviews
Highly encourage them to ask hirers for reviews. People not only like to see that the van has already been tried out by a hirer but it gives a sense of trustworthiness without the sales aspect that can get a hirer to go ahead and book.
-Instant book
It is proven vans on instant book get more bookings. We encourage this as much as possible. If their times are set up, they can use special hours and block out dates they absolutely can’t do they still have control but make use of the instant book benefits for customers.
-Add-ons
We recommend having an extensive list of add-ons. It is also ok to have an add-on list even if you don't possess the add-ons right now (they can be sourced before the booking begins).
-Opted out of seasonal discounts
It can be really handy to opt into these if an owner is struggling with bookings. They will always be notified of discounts we run and can opt out at any time. This could be good during quiet season or even just to top up bookings in the busier seasons
Example email to an owner
How do I get more bookings?
"There are many reasons why your campervan might not be as popular as you anticipated. Here are some common reasons why this might be and somethings to consider if you’re occupancy is low:
- Is my van overpriced? - Consider lowering your base rate, especially if your van is newly published so you can get some bookings (and more importantly good reviews!) on your page.
- Do I have any reviews? - Every Quirky customer gets sent a review request after their booking ends, so make sure you are reminding them to complete this when they drop back your campervan! Campervans with positive reviews will always appeal more to prospective customers.
- Are my photos good enough? - Customers will always eat with their eyes, and we cannot overstate the importance of professional standard, high quality photos. If you feel like your photos are lacking, contact our team and would be happy to advise you further.
- Flexible availability? - If you have a lot of days blocked off/limited opening hours, this might effect your popularity. If you want to maximise occupancy, make sure you have as open a calendar as possible."