The first few months of 2025 have brought significant volatility to the marine industry, and many of you have asked whether this market is beginning to resemble 2008. While there are clear signs of uncertainty, the reality is more nuanced—and importantly, we’re seeing buyers behave very differently than they did during the last major downturn.
With market headwinds changing, every dollar you spend as a business needs to work harder. As fewer buyers attend boat shows and offline events, investing in digital channels where buyers spend most of their journey and that deliver real, measurable leads is essential. If margins are tightening, now’s the time to utilize channels that actually drive more sales.
As we head into the summer season, we wanted to share what we’re seeing in the data, what’s changing across our marketplaces, and what we’re doing to help you stay ahead.
From Our Seller Community and soldboats Data, We Know:
- Retail sales are down approximately 20% year-over-year.
- New inventory is sitting longer, especially in entry-level and mid-tier segments.
- Boats are lingering 30–45 days longer on average than this time last year.
- Continued inflation, interest rate uncertainty, and global tariff concerns are making headlines—and keeping buyers cautious.
Despite the Broader Slowdown, the Story on Our Platforms is Different:
- Traffic is flat YoY, but buyers are more engaged, returning to our platforms regularly—averaging 16.8 million visits per month.
- App usage has surged, now accounting for ~20% of daily traffic, with longer session times and more listings viewed per visit.
- Leads per listing are up 7% year-over-year, driven by better presentation and tools that help buyers connect more easily.
- Values have remained strong for boats under 45 feet, averaging 6% higher than last year.
- Demand for new in-stock boats remains high, selling faster and for 15% more compared to the same time last year.
Unlike 2008, the data shows that buyers haven’t disappeared—they’re just more deliberate. They’re spending more time researching, comparing, and narrowing down their options before making a move. In the last 90 days alone, shoppers have saved over 1.3 million boats across our platforms. This shift in buyer behavior is why we’ve made it a priority to focus our product updates on aligning with current shopping habits.
In this current market environment, we’ve made some improvements so buyers have a better online experience and you are best positioned to sell more:
- Enhanced Boat Trader and YachtWorld app experiences with streamlined browsing, resulting in a 40%+ increase in lead conversion across both platforms.
- New mobile boat detail page, including prominent lead form positioned higher on the page for faster engagement and increased contact conversion.
- Updated “More From This Dealer” section, helping shoppers browse more of your inventory with less effort.
- Expanded location filters, now including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for broader reach.
- Faster site performance across key pages to ensure buyers can view more of your listings quickly.
- Three-column search layout across all sites for better scanning and engagement.
- Enhanced Market Evaluation Tool, now with active + sold data and a “Year Expansion Filter” for broader insights.
- AI-generated listing descriptions and photo enhancements (coming soon) to help create standout listings faster.
We continue to focus on lead quality and will be launching configurable lead verification soon – so be sure to check out our monthly Product Updates to see what’s coming. Or, contact your account team to walk through what’s new.
In addition to the improvements we’ve made, there are key things you can do to drive the best results:
- Optimize your listings with high quality photos and videos, detailed specs, engaging descriptions.
- Price competitively – well-priced boats (and boats that show a price!) continue to attract qualified leads. You have access to exclusive market value data with your Advantage subscription.
- Respond quickly to inquiries; a recent MRAA study shows that 40% of dealers are not even tracking lead conversion.
- Be ONLINE where the shoppers are – buyers are shopping more selectively, and they are online doing that shopping.
Markets go through cycles. What we’re seeing now isn’t panic—it’s recalibration. And in times like these, businesses that stay visible, responsive, and adaptable are the ones that emerge stronger.
Over the past 60 days, 200 new customers have joined our platform—and we’re glad to have you on board. We’re focused on helping you drive results, even as the market shifts.