Consumers & Their Never-Ending Research Process

As much as we would like to think buyers wake up one day, decide they want to buy a new bike, and walk into a dealership to do it - we know that’s not really how it works. Buyers think for months about what they want in their next ride. They compare features, model years, and dealerships to find their next obsession. And sometimes, they look even if they aren’t really planning to buy - just because they want to see if that irresistible bike happens to be on the market. So we can keep set realistic expectations - we asked buyers directly about their research process.

To start - we went high-level - asking overall how long they research before they buy. The vast

majority said they look for their next unit for over a month before diving in - and 22% said they spend more than a year looking - which is impressive, but not necessarily surprising. Bike buyers aren’t easy going about what they want and are brand loyal to a fault - so they are willing to wait it out if they need to .

But these are buyers are the majority - the ones who say they are openly looking to buy - what about those riders who just like to look at bikes for the fun of it? So we asked. Turns out 83% of them are checking out listings regularly, even if they aren’t in the market at the moment. They just like to look at what’s out there. Dream about what could be. But what happens when they run across that one bike they can’t live without? 89% said they would buy it. So these are people who aren’t looking to buy right now - but said they would buy if the right bike came along. That’s huge. In my mind - this statistic alone is why you should always have your inventory online - winter, spring, summer, or fall. It doesn’t matter. These buyers are more than happy to take their best laid plans and throw them out the window.

And because we hear from dealers all the time that believe buyers are only looking for bikes in the spring and summer - we decided to make that our last question for buyers. And, as we thought - only 12% said they exclusively search in the spring and summer months. The other 88% are searching throughout the year. That’s right - all year long. So - by keeping your listings up throughout the year - you never know who you are going to attract. And, because not all dealers believe that buyers continue searching in the “off season”, you might even have slightly less competition.

While it would be ideal for us if consumers didn’t feel the need to spend months and months researching - that's just not the reality - so if you can’t beat them, join them. Make your listings irresistible - so it fuels their passion and makes them have to have that new bike. Show them something they can’t resist.

How Consumers Search & What They're Searching For

We know motorcycle buyers can be brand loyal -- with 27% saying manufacturer is the most important thing to them when searching for their next ride. I didn’t fully believe it until I was at an event where we were giving away a free Yamaha dirt bike - and someone decided not to enter because they only ride Suzuki. That’s serious dedication.

But is that dedication reflected in their search habits? Yes. And are they searching any other way? Yes. We took a look at search habits for buyers on Cycle Trader from 2017 to give us a better understanding of what they’re up to.

Starting out the most popular - manufacturer - in 2017, our top five most searched manufacturers were:

Harley-Davidson - 20%

Honda - 15%

Yamaha - 9%

Kawasaki - 7%

Suzuki - 6%

Harley’s been a powerhouse in the industry for a long time - and riders, both new and old, like to check out what’s on the market from them. But Honda’s continues to keep a fairly close pace behind them. Another interesting thing to note is that 12% of buyers chose not to search by manufacturer. So that could account for new buyers in the industry who aren’t sure what they want to ride yet, someone looking to switch types, or just sheer curiosity as to what else is in the market.

Some buyers choose to take it even more detailed than just manufacturer and choose to search by model. Now - this is a smaller group, so the percentages are much smaller - but these are the loyal of the loyal. They not only know what manufacturer they want to ride, but what bike specifically. Harley still holds the top spot - with Honda and Kawasaki not far behind.

Street Glide - 1.5%

Road King - 1%

Gold Wing - 1%

Road Glide - .9%

Ninja - .8%

Even fewer riders - but still some - choose to narrow their options by type. These riders are looking more generally, rather than focusing on a specific bike make or model. This could be new riders who aren’t yet brand loyal, riders entering a different stage of their riding life, or maybe they’re just looking for a new type of bike to add to their collection. Trikes and dirt bikes lead the pack for this type of search behavior - not surprising, since they are more of a speciality.

Trike - 2.6%

Dirt Bike - 2.6%

Sportbike - 2.1%

Cruiser - 1.8%

These buyers know what they want - and their search habits reflect that. They can be loyal to a fault - but that knowledge just gives you the ammo to fuel their obsession.

The Experiential Market

Riding is all about the experience - and it’s meant to be. No one wants to park their bike in the garage - they want to get out and ride it. Which is why you have to make the buying of a bike about more than just the initial purchase - it’s about helping future riders imagine themselves living the lifestyle that comes with the bike. And this is becoming more important as millennial consumers make up more and more of the marketplace. As a whole, this demographic is focused more on experiences over actual product - so helping them understand the lifestyle that comes with their bike is key.

There are a lot of ways that buyers can choose to pass their time - the fact that they’ve decided to buy a bike puts you in a good spot - now it’s your job to help them transition into this new lifestyle as seamlessly as possible. Here are a few ideas to get your gears turning:

• Offer a first time riders program that allows them to get to know other riders in the area, while getting to know their new bike. 

• Put together a group ride to a local hotspot for dinner or drinks (responsible quantities only). 

• Develop a brand ambassador program for customers who are willing to promote your brand in exchange for designated time in your shop to maintenance their bike. 

• Host a ride-in at your dealership for the Super Bowl, complete with all the tailgate necessities.

Just a few suggestions to get you started. Whatever you decide - by providing your customers ways to easily experience and adopt the lifestyle, you are building a brand for your dealership that extends beyond just selling - and that’s how you keep customers coming back again and again. So as you think about putting the effort in on the front end, ask yourself - do you want to sell just this one bike or do you want to sell 2 or 3 or 4?

Did You Know You Have Two Dealerships?

Don’t act so surprised - it’s true. Of course, there’s your physical location - the place you probably spend most of your time and energy - but, whether you realize it or not, you also have an online dealership that requires just as much time and attention. When you think about how consumers are searching, relying more and more on the Internet - it’s clear why you should be putting just as much time into your online presence as you do your physical one.

Potential buyers are checking out your inventory online long before they step through the doors of your dealership - meaning they are experiencing your brand before you even know they exist.

Let that sink in.

If you aren’t putting the effort into your listings, it will show - and no matter how good your customer experience is at your physical dealership - buyers may never get to experience it, because they won’t be interested in visiting.

These new Internet savvy shoppers use your online presence to judge what their experience will be like when they come to your shop - which means you should be putting just as much effort, if not more, into your online presence. It needs to be complete and truly reflect the experience they will have if they choose to do business with you.

There are a lot of ways to accomplish this - but let’s just start with the basics. You should always:

1. Include a price (when you can)

Everyone has a budget - I do, you do - and guess what, so do your potential buyers.

No one likes to find exactly what they’re looking for and then find out it’s way over what they can spend. We get that there are rules about how you price new models - but always, always, always include something - even if it’s MSRP. As for used inventory - there’s no excuse. Put a price. Plain and simple.

And just to drive this point home - when we asked them directly - 90% of consumers said they won’t even click on a listing that doesn’t have a price. So if you don’t include a price, your really might as well not even putting that piece of inventory up.

2. Put up real pictures

People are visual. They like to see what they are going to be getting for their money, good and bad. If the bike has a scratch or issue - go ahead and show them that. Even though it might not seem like it - by being honest up front with a buyer about any issues the bike has, you’ll go a long way in gaining their trust. If you choose not to be upfront with them about any damage - you’re setting yourself up to provide them with a bad consumer experience if they do come see the bike in your shop.

Now, we understand this is easier said than done. So while we don’t encourage stock photos, we would say that they are better than none at all.

3. Remember that descriptions are actually important

Again, these buyers are dreaming about this next bike. This is a passion of theirs - so fuel it. Encourage it. As you write your descriptions - provide them with a nice mix of practical and lifestyle. Don’t use manufacturer descriptions - sure, you’ll want some of the practical details included - but spend some time telling them why riding this bike is amazing, why they can’t miss out on it. The goal of your description should be to make it impossible for the buyer to not come try the bike out for themselves.

We realize that by following this advice - you will have more work to do - but we promise you it will be worth it. Your consumers will know before they step onto your lot what type of experience to expect and already have a basic level of trust for your dealership - and that is worth all the time and effort you’ll put in. And if you need something to get you started - download our Listing Success Checklist for quick reference on how to build strong, attractive listings.

Help Us, Help You.

As we build up the content we’re providing to you - we want to make sure it’s as helpful and educational as possible. Tell us a little more about what kind of content you’d like to see, so we can produce more of what you want - and less of what you don’t.

The Cycle Buyer: A Deeper Dive Into Communication Expectations

Obviously - we all want to better understand the cycle buyer. The more we know, the more effective we are in positioning your inventory to them. Lucky for you - Cycle Trader has the ability to run custom surveys to asks these buyers our most burning questions - and because we like you - we’re going to share what we’ve found.

To start off - we asked buyers about how they prefer to hear from you, the dealer, once they’ve submitted a lead. So - here we go:

54% prefer to be contacted via email.
65% would like a response back within the same business day.
45% will wait one day for a response before they move on.
52% will contact another dealer if they don’t hear back in a timely manner.
Once a dealer contacts them - 71% plan to have the keys within a week.

24 hours - how dare you! would be how we would sum up these statistics. These buyers are motivated - and the longer it takes you to get back to them, the more likely it is they are going to head down the street to your competition.

They want to hear from you because they’ve done their research and are ready to buy. If you don’t prioritize helping them, they will move on because at the end of the day, their top concern is not whether they get their next ride from you or the other guy - they just want to get out and ride.

Bottom line - these leads are yours to close. Get back to these buyers - and soon - because they are yours for the taking.

SEM 101

SEM 101

Search Engine Marketing - or SEM - has become an increasingly popular way to target consumers in your local market. Often referred to as paid search - these campaigns run across all of the major search engines, are incredibly customizable, and should be considered as part of a well-rounded digital marketing strategy.

While Pay-Per-Click campaigns are likely the most well-known type of paid search - there are other varieties that could peek your interest and be a good fit for your dealership. Since this is our 101 guide - we’re going to start by giving you an overview of each type of SEM campaign to help you get a firm understanding of how they work individually and together.

Pay Per Click

The most recognizable type of SEM campaign is a Pay-Per-Click or PPC campaign - you’ve likely seen one of these ads today. When you search for a product or service in Google, for example, PPC ads display at the top and bottom of the search results. They are distinguished from other search results by a small “Ad” icon. 

What differentiates Paid Search ads from the other organic search results is that advertisers pay for each click on one of these ads - where you don’t have to pay for a click on an organic search result.

PPC campaigns are built on keywords, ads, and landing pages. Once you’ve identified keywords your customers might use to search for your products - you can bid on these keywords and have your ad displayed when a potential customer searches for one of these terms. You will be able to write custom ads that are relevant to these keywords and choose the webpage that these searchers will land on if they click on the ad.

Display Ads

Display ads are another option when it comes to paid search campaigns. These ads are more traditional banner ads - rather than a designation on a search result - and allow you to target ads to an audience that has been identified as in-market or that show an affinity for certain products or services that you offer. To give you a real life example - since I spend a lot of time on automotive related sites - I’ve been identified as someone who is interested in possibly selling my car - and ads for Kelley Blue Book - are now displaying as I’m checking the weather on weather.com. 

Remarketing

Remarketing is also powered by banner ads and allows you to target past visitors to your website. Once a potential buyer has left your site - these ads follow them as they browse other sites or do subsequent searches related to your products. I’ve been searching on Amazon - and left that site to check the news on CNN.com – and right there on CNN.com, I see an ad encouraging me to return to Amazon to check out additional products.

And because we always want you to fully understand that value of your partnership with RV Trader - we want to reassure you that we have active campaigns in each of these SEM categories - all with the goal of driving potential buyers to your listings. RV Trader has a strong reputation with search engines and a dedicated team - all with the various certifications to qualify their expertise - focused on constantly improving these results. As we grow and hone our efforts - as a customer, your dealership will also benefit with the major search engines. Rest assured that we are always looking for the latest and most innovative ways to drive connections to you. And that’s just an added perk of being online with us.