Two Winnebago Motorhomes Earn Top Industry Honors

By: Winnebago

With the introduction of four new models, including the Class A gas Intent and the Minnie Plus fifth wheel, 2017 has proven to be something of a watershed year for Winnebago.

Now two of the RV industry's leading publications have singled out the Horizon, the company's sleek new diesel pusher, and the Revel, its new 4x4 B-van, for special recognition.

Horizon: RV of the Year and Best of Show

The Horizon was recognized with RV Business magazine's prestigious "RV of the Year" award, given to the one RV that best represents the ability to “push the envelope” through design and engineering, and the RV judged most likely to "impact recreation vehicle product development down the road."

Available in two floorplans, the 41- to 43-foot Horizon features modern Euro-inspired design and styling, with high-gloss laminates, radius doors, plenty of stainless steel and backlit translucent panels. The overall impression is that of an interior that would be at home on a multi-million dollar yacht.

As Winnebago President and CEO Michael Happe noted, "When you walk in it, you feel like you could be in a flat in London or a condo in Manhattan... This strikes a chord with those customers looking for the RV lifestyle but wanting a contemporary design."


The new Horizon seamlessly blends function and design, reducing the need for onboard propane storage with features like an induction cooktop and a diesel-fueled heating system. Interior storage is abundant and extremely functional, and attention to detail is superb.


The Horizon also earned "Best of Show" accolades from RV Pro magazine, which singles out the best of the best at the annual RVIA show in Louisville in November.

Revel: Best of Show

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the rugged little Revel also garnered "Best of Show" recognition from RV Pro.

Engineered specifically for the Mercedes-Benz 4x4 Sprinter chassis, the Revel is designed for a new type of RVer, outdoor adventure enthusiasts who want to stray far from the beaten path. In addition to its off-road ability, the Revel incorporates a 200-watt solar power system, diesel-powered heating, and a cassette-type toilet for extended boondocking.

Other innovations that caught the eye of RV Pro include a power lift bed in back that raises to provide a 140-cu. ft. gear garage, a dinette with a pull-up table that converts to additional sleeping space, and a full wet bath that can also be used for storage or as a wet gear closet.

With four new models and top honors from the industry's leading publications, Winnebago is really hitting its stride, developing new types of RVs to attract new types of consumers to the RV lifestyle.

Listing Price Insights You Can't Afford to Ignore

The whole goal of advertising your listings is to make sure they are getting the most possible exposure - so it makes sense that you’d want them to be as enticing as possible for a potential buyer. And when there are competitors in your market - you want to make sure that from the very beginning - people choose you over the guy down the street. 

So if you’re trying to build a listing that will entice and attract your potential buyer - it seems logical to include the details that these buyers value most - right? But do you really know what that is? If we’re being honest, I think most of the time we’re really just guessing. But we shouldn’t. So to take the guess out of it and make sure we weren’t leading you astray, we just asked buyers directly.

It was a close call - but when asked what is most important when searching - 28% of buyers said price. Type was a close second at 27%, which didn’t surprise us - because buyers do have an idea

of how they would like to use their future unit - but in the end, how much they want to and can spend is what will ultimately drive their purchase decision.

And what really reinforces the importance of price is that when asked if they would even click on a listing with no price in their search results - 83% of buyers said no. They want to know up front what this unit is going to cost them - and if they don’t know, they aren’t interested in learning more about it. They don’t want to fall in love with on particular rig and then be heartbroken when it is way more than they can spend. The worst part for you is - if that happens, the consumer suddenly has had a not-so-great experience with your dealership that could easily have been avoided.

Now - we’ve heard that there are two main reasons that you might not want to include a price on your listing.

1. The manufacturer won’t let you list anything but MSRP on a new unit and you might be able to offer a better price in person.

2. It’s a great way to encourage phone calls and emails because the consumer will contact you to find out the price and then you can convince them to come into the dealership.

As for the the MSRP issue - no matter what price you can offer in person - including something is always better than nothing. At least then the buyer will click through to your listing and you can offer them more information about your dealership or tell them to contact you for the possibility of a better price. Having that MSRP there keeps you in the game and you’re underestimating the consumer if you assume they don’t think MSRP is negotiable.

Now, for the greatest myth in the RV industry - not including a price will drive emails and phone calls, right? Wrong. The first issue with this logic goes back to that 83% of buyers who won’t click on a listing without a price - because now you’re working with a much smaller pool of potential buyers who might be interested in your listing. And because we this information may come as a shock, we went ahead and asked these buyers - if they were to submit a lead on a listing with no price - why would they do it? 97% said they only submit their information to find out the price. From there - 56% said they might choose to stop by the dealership - but 41% said they have no intention of going in. So not only have you lowered the number of people who might click through to see your unit - and of that group, only a few might stop in - but they really just want to know how much the unit costs. We should call this group the not-quite-ready-to-be-in-the-83%-group, but that’s what you’re dealing with.

You can’t argue with the data. Price is important. Buyers want to know it and not including it puts your listings’ performance at risk. Period. It’s such a simple thing to include - give it a try. It’ll be worth it.

Are You Encouraging Your Consumers to #OptOutside?

REI has our potential consumers pegged - have you seen their ads? They are awesome. Even if you don’t like to be outside - these ads make you want to strap on some hiking boots and head for the Great Outdoors.

Three years ago - in a particular moment of genius - they rolled out their #OptOutside campaign, where they closed their doors and encouraged both their employees and customers to choose a day outside, instead of one fighting the Black Friday crowds. And to be honest, we can’t think of a campaign that better fits RVers. Now, just because REI came up with this idea doesn’t mean you can’t attempt the same thing - getting some of the great exposure for your dealership with minimal effort.

While you may not be willing to close your doors - even just for the one day - you can easily take to social media to chat with your followers about the #OptOutside campaign and openly encouraging them to hop on the bandwagon. Just doing this will show your followers that you are in tune with popular campaigns and trends, as well as their lifestyle and interests - giving you a level of credibility and relevance, particularly with the millennial audience.

If you want to kick it up a notch - you could encourage your customers to share images with you as they actually opt outside. Again - this is a great way to get some consumer generated content without having to develop a whole campaign from the ground up. You know your followers are out there using their RV - so have them show you how they are using it this holiday season! Last but not least, you could even give away a prize for the best picture depicting what it means to opt outside. This gets a little more complicated because you’ll want to be thorough in developing the rules and regulations for a campaign like this - definitely check in with your legal team - but the engagement you could get from this type of campaign could be huge.

All in all - we just love REI’s campaign because it really feels like the core of our industry. We all want to find more consumers who are turning away from having copious amounts of material things in favor of great experiences outdoors. So whether you want to truly capitalize on this or just help raise awareness for what's already been set in motion, we encourage you to embody the lifestyle you sell - your customers new and old will thank you for it.

The RV Buyer: A Deeper Dive - Brand Loyalty

We all want to think that consumers are loyal. To manufacturers and to us. But the reality is - they aren’t. Not in the RV industry at least. And while you may hope this isn’t true, the statistics don’t lie:

● Overall - only 10% say they are searching for a specific brand or manufacturer
● 82% said that as a first time buyer they were not loyal to a specific manufacturer
● 86% said that as a repeat buyer they were not loyal to a specific manufacturer

So why is that? As you can see from the statistics - brand loyalty doesn’t grow over time. You would think that it would - that only first time buyers would be unsure of which manufacturer they wanted to go with - but despite having a theoretically good experience with one manufacturer - second and third time buyers are also non-committal when it comes to their next unit.

There’s a simple answer.

Consumers’ top priority is getting the amenities they want for a price that fits their budget.

Sure - maybe they like to dream about that high-end unit with amazing floors that look like something out of a museum, has an outdoor TV and a high-end manufacturer name - but the reality is that this amazing unit might be outside of their price range. And because of that - they would rather switch to a different, less expensive manufacturer to get all the things on their wishlist, rather than give something up just for a name on the bumper.

Think about why these buyers are interested in the RV lifestyle to start with - great adventures, more time with family, exploring the outdoors, spending less money on vacations or even house payments. They are interested in getting out there - and they want whatever unit will help them do that comfortably and for a budget they can afford.

This doesn’t mean all hope is lost or your branding efforts are in vain - you just have to be smart about it. Keep these insights in mind when you market these units to consumers. Highlight the lifestyle they are getting when they commit to a particular unit - and in some instances a manufacturer - and make sure it's all about them and not you. This is the ticket to making the sale.

The Future of the RV Industry is Yours for the Taking

I’m not the first person - nor will I be the last - to share with you that the millennial generation, those 18-35 years old, is different than any other generation. They’ve been described as being non-committal, job-hoppers and easily distracted by technology — but they also offer the RV industry a great opportunity to capitalize on their desire for experiences and achieving true work-life balance well before retirement.

The goal for every dealer and OEM is to help them as a first time buyer and earn their loyalty so multiple purchases can be made throughout their lifetime. As a generation raised in the shadow of a recession, making a purchase as large as an RV can at times seem overwhelming. Millennials are often more prone to rental or sharing options rather than purchasing a unit themselves, which is why it is important to offer guidance and options throughout the process. As a dealer for instance, promoting payment options over unit price, developing leasing options, highlighting how your parts and services teams will continue to serve them into ownership and reinforcing that your relationship will continue long after the dotted line is signed. As an OEM, it all comes down to your brands image. These millennial consumers pay attention to brands that align with their values — so think about marketing campaigns that relate to their lifestyle, giving back to the larger community or promoting your brand’s unique value proposition. Focusing your efforts on creating an ongoing, positive brand experience will get you lots of points with the millennial buyer and help position you as a contender when they go to make their first and future purchases.

Even though the millennial generation has it’s “challenges”, they are looking to lead lives in line with the values of the RV industry — family and community focused, adventurous and free to roam. Engaging this generation may take more work on the front end, but they hold more opportunity than any other generation that has come before them.

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 am looking to upgrade my HVAC  system and researching that online - I’ve been identified as someone who could be interested in the Nest Thermostat - so now their ads are displaying while I check the weather, even though I've never visited their site.

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.

The RV Buyer: A Deeper Dive - Communication Expectations

As your partner in this industry - it is our job to provide you with as much insight and educations as possible - and what better thing to focus on than gaining a deeper understanding of your potential buyer? Lucky for you - RV Trader has the ability to run custom surveys to better understand the thoughts and needs of potential buyers - so this will be the first edition of a larger series breaking down some of the insights we’ve learned from these custom polls.* This month we will be focusing on a buyer’s preferences once they’ve contacted you about a particular vehicle.

So - let’s dive in. When it comes to a potential buyer’s contact preferences - they shared that:

• 60% prefer to be contacted via email. 
• 56% would like a response back within the same business day. 
• 48% 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 - 55% plan to have the keys within a week. 

While these statistics all have individual implications in terms of how you should interact with a potential buyer - the big takeaway here is that these buyers are motivated. They have done their research, identified the amenities they need, the price they are comfortable with - and you have the unit they want. They are coming to your dealership with their research done and ready to buy.

But - and here is where the rubber meets the road - they aren’t above going to another dealership if your communication strategy isn’t up to snuff. They expect a good experience because this is a big purchase for them - and they want your customer service to reflect that.

Bottom line - these leads are yours to close - and as hard as it can be to get back to consumers quickly, it’s imperative that you do because they are ready to buy and are yours for the taking. 

*Hotjar 2016