- October traffic (+39% YoY) and listing views (+49% YoY) shows sales trend continues; Demand stands firm as boat leads (+82% YoY) keep delivering;
- Boats Group’s soldboats.com data shows October U.S. boat sales +11% YoY;
- Southwest and West Coast regions had highest YoY lead growth
As battlegrounds raged and COVID-19 cases rose in October, boat shopping held its reign as the perfect online escape from all the headlines. October data from Boats Group’s Boat Trader, YachtWorld and boats.com marketplaces show a strong start to the final stretch of 2020 with more sustained growth in terms of traffic, listing views and leads over last year.
Last month’s increased traffic (+39% YoY) and listing views (+49% YoY) suggest this year’s historic sales trend will carry through November and December with a rise of +82% (YoY) more inquiries made to sellers. All major boat types saw more than +75% YoY increases in demand with the ski/wake, pontoon and cruiser categories continuing to tote the most YoY growth.
While Florida, the Southeast and New England regions led in total leads, the Southwest and West Coast topped the charts for YoY lead growth. The heightened level of marketplace activity from coast-to-coast continued to convert to actual sales and Boats Group’s soldboats.com data sources show October transactions matched September’s lift of +11% over 2019.
With the news of more cancelled events, the importance of digital marketing and relying upon a trusted sales platform with strong SEO to be ranked and viewed, is significant. Digital strategies have stood up to this year’s challenges and are today’s proven leading blueprint to connecting with buyers virtually and selling more boats faster.
Take center stage just as you would at a boat show with frequent, targeted online outreach, such as digital ads that are enhanced with localized geo-targeting or placed in front of boat shoppers who have been actively searching for that specific type of boat. Demographic filters can also be applied for marketing rare boats to niche segments.
As we wind down the year, determine how you want to fish in 2021 – with a spear or with a net – where all the fish are biting.
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Media contact: Jenny Burkett, press@boats.com