There are RV buyers entering the market who can hardly remember a time before cellphones. Now, with information so easily accessible, consumers expect proactive communication from businesses. This new communication loop is shaping the customer experience dealers are expected to offer. Before, “customer service” meant tactics like smiling with talking on the phone, so it comes across to your customer, or believing the customer is always right. Now, “ customer experience ” is how your customers interact with your brand throughout the entire sales and service cycle, from the first time they see one of your ads, to after they drive off your dealership’s lot.
Customer experience should be foundational to your dealership, connecting every department and guiding how your entire team communicates with customers.
All the industry forecasts RVDA monitors indicate that the RV market will remain strong into 2022. The most recent data shows sales at RV retailers of more than $26 billion annually, compared to $14 billion in 2012. As dealers continue to grow, the tools they need to manage their business need to grow with them. We are pleased to see the advancements that IDS has made in Repair Event Cycle Time (RECT) reporting for their clients as dealers work to improve efficiencies in fixed operations, which support the influx of new customers entering the RV market.
PHIL INGRASSIA President of the RVDA
MILLENNIAL AND GEN Z BUYERS
RV industry demographics are changing. Over the last few years, we’ve seen an influx of first-time buyers, many of whom are Millennials and Gen Z. According to the Go RVing RV Owner Demographic Profile , 22% of RV owners are between the ages of 18 and 34 , and 43% of new RV buyers plan to buy from an RV dealership. Not only that, but 60% of all RV sales go through dealers, rather than private sellers – a change from previous studies which showed that more buyers were purchasing RVs through private sellers. This fresh audience brings their own set of priorities and preferences to the market. Dealers will need to consider how to appeal to this new demographic through their sales tactics, marketing campaigns, and communications, and overall dealership experience.
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