Earlier this year, Go RVing partnered with Ipsos, the global leader in market research, to develop a comprehensive look at the buying process customers go through for their first-time and repeat purchases. Recognizing the key differences between towable and motorhome buyers, Go RVing revisited the research to map first-time and repeat buyers in these two distinct groups.
Although the information is more specifically intended to assist RV dealers, the findings are also insightful for RV and boat storage operators and developers. Here are some key findings:
- Motorhome owners often rent RVs as part of their pre-ownership RVing history. They move to purchase their own RV due to wanting more input into the features, finishes, and amenities that make the RV feel like their own.
- Towable owners have a much higher propensity for tent camping before ownership, with a desire for an upgrade in accommodations being a key indicator in initial RV ownership spark.
- Motorhome owners show an immense interest in social media and YouTube to immerse themselves in the brand culture, understand from influencers how the lifestyle works, and gain first-hand owner accounts to help make a purchase decision.
- Towable owners show the highest level of trust in traditional in-person dealership visits to make their purchase decisions as they primarily are looking at features and layout over brand affinity.
- When researching topics, pricing is a top-searched element among Motorhome buyers while Towable buyers search most often for information related to towing capacity.
- The desire for new features is a main driver of new RV intention for both Motorhome and Towable owners, but the features targeted differ. While Motorhome owners put greater emphasis on a want for privacy, Towable owners seek slides, fireplaces and new configurations.
