Boat Sales Rise Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic [U.S. Yacht News]

The United States heads for a boat buying boom in the future of 2020, with boat sales, yacht leads and web traffic reaching record highs despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the economic effects of Covid-19 pandemic hitting businesses hard across the nation, the marine industry has seen a surprising market uptick. In a recent survey, 70% of dealers reported retail growth during May, found MRRA/Baird/Trade Only. Used boat sales have also seen a marked increase, with 74% of dealers reporting growth in May.

Interest In Boating Is Growing Immensely – Why?

Marketplace data from Boats Group from the month of May indicates that the interest in boating has been growing to record high levels. Online, we see that boat and yacht listing websites like Boat Trader, YachtWorld, and boats.com increased their web traffic and leads, with a 56% year over year (YoY) increase in traffic and a 177% YoY increase in leads.

The increase in interest in the boating market indicates that in times that call for seclusion, consumers are shifting how they choose to spend their leisure time, with boating becoming a more appealing option than traveling or joining the crowd in an entertainment venue. In the U.S., leads on boating inventory are experiencing a huge amount of growing interest.

YoY Growth: Leads By Boat Category, United States:

On a company level, Denison Yachting has also seen return that reflect the nationwide trend, with increased attention to our website and our yacht listings.

Denison Yachting Web Traffic During Covid-19:

• • Over 55,000 users attended our Virtual Boat Show, of which over 300,000 pages/listings were viewed.
• • Over 50% increase in daily traffic on our website since February 2020
• • Over 100% increase in daily views on our YouTube channel since February 2020

“While the uptick in web traffic and sales have been greatly driven by our client’s pent-up desire to get out on the water amid this lockdown, a major contributor has also been the innovations that were birthed from these challenging times. From hosting a “Virtual Boat Show” to mailing out Virtual Reality Headsets, our team purposed to innovate in the midst of new challenges and we’re thankful to be reaping great results.”

Across the U.S., boat leads have been pouring in, an encouraging uptick for boat brands and brokerages. We can see triple digit growth for every region of the U.S., most notably for the Southwest, the Plains, and the West Coast.

YoY Growth: Leads By Region, United States:

“After months of hard work, the returns we’ve been seeing are incredibly encouraging. Not just for our brokers, who are busier than ever closing boats, but for the marine industry as whole, which continues to be a huge driver in our nation’s economy. We see this as good news for us and great news for boat owners who have trusted us to get their boats sold. At the end of the day, we’re excited to see our customers enjoying life on the water, making memories after long months of isolation.”

Whether you’re looking to get on the water with your first boat purchase, or you’ve been a boater for years, our professional yacht brokers are ready to serve you in finding the perfect vessel.