Email is the channel preferred by
outdoor product retailers for hearing from manufacturers — at least those with only a few locations, judging by Brand and Dealer Relationship Trends, a new study from Huebner Marketing,
conducted by Ascend2.
Of the retailers or dealerships polled, 37% of those with one to five locations prefer email, versus 26% of those with six to 20.
However, in-person visits are favored by 55% of firms with 20+ locations. At that level, only 11% choose email.
Brand communications in whatever channel are
critical in this time of supply chain issues and COVID-19.
That said, this is a booming. field—nearly half of sellers of big-ticket outdoor products report than
their business grew by 10% or more last year.
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What do we mean by outdoor products? The respondents sell:
- RVs —
29%
- Boats — 32%
- ATVs — 37%
- Snowmobiles —
18%
- Golf carts — 26%
- Motorcycles — 28%
- Jet skis — 20%
- Zero-turn mowers — 38%
Meanwhile, they are moving online — 49% of the respondents are focused on increasing their online sales, indicating a switch to
digital. However, 53% hope to increase their in-store sales and 53% to improve the customer experience.
And many see online ordering as the most valuable technology a manufacturer can
offer, including 63% of retailers with more than 20 locations, and 48% of those with 6-20 and 52% of those with one-five.
Moreover, 50% of those with more than 20 stores
want manufacturers to provide an online company store, as do 35% of those with one-five.
The top challenges facing dealerships in the year ahead:
- Market fluctuations — 38%
- Product quality at all levels — 28%
- Fuel price fluctuations —
28%
- Dealer staffing — 27%
- Changing consumer tastes — 27%
- Potential interest rate hikes —
19%
- Political atmosphere — 19%
- Unstable overseas economies — 18%
- Inadequate
warranty support — 14%
- Dealership consolidation — 14%
And, they face these challenges when working with
manufacturers:
- Timing/speed of delivery and service — 39%
- Product quality — 34%
- Price point —
30%
- Ease of ordering/sales process — 23%
- Customer service support (dealer) — 22%
- Agreement terms—21%
- Sales training—19%
- Lack of product differentiation—19%
- Lack of
brand positioning—17%
- Promotion of my business/lead generation—16%
- Respect of territory—16%
Brand reputation is deemed extremely important by 48% and very important by 27%. Only 3% say it is not at all important.
Retailers want other forms of support from brands, including
cooperative advertising programs (68%), more flexible use policies and programs (48%), better online access to brand and marketing materials (42%), higher reimbursement percentage (36%) and more
manufacturer-branded marketing materials (36%).
And retailers also desire these tools from manufacturers:
Warranty and support —
53%
Incentives — 31%
Sales leads — 31%
Cooperative advertising programs — 29%
Sales lead follow-up —
29%
Post-sales customer service offerings (for buyer) — 27%
Sales training — 25%
Sales events — 22%
What to
end-customers want? They are motivated by:
- Price — 46% of retailers
- Warranty — 32%
- Brand
reputation — 30%
- Customer support — 30%
- Product features — 30%
- Product
availability — 28%
- Financing options — 23%
- Dealer product knowledge — 19%
- Ability to test the product — 18%
- Product curb appeal — 10%
Retailers have a slightly different set of
priorities:
- Price point — 40%
- Timing/speed of delivery and service — 31%
- Customer service support
(dealer) — 30%
- Agreement terms — 24%
- Manufacturer’s brand strength — 22%
- Sales training — 21%
- Ease of ordering/sales process — 21%
- Promotion of my business — 18%
- Respect of
territory — 16%
- Product differentiation — 13%
What would motivate a retailer to add a brand?
- Demand
for product/brand — 67%
- Product relevancy — 60%
- Manufacturer warranty support — 28%
- Other brands’ national
advertising — 18%
Ascend2 surveyed 279 retailers of big-ticket outdoor items.