New NMMA program to track retail boat sales
CHICAGO, Ill. – The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is launching a new statistical program to track monthly retail boat sales that will provide the industry with more timely information than is currently available, it reported in a statement today.
This program was one of the initiatives proposed at the Grow Boating meeting held in Chicago in early October, according to NMMA.
Engine and boat manufacturers are invited to participate in the monthly survey, which will monitor boat sales at the zip code level by length and type, using information that will be collected by engine manufacturers through their warranty programs.
“In order for us to track the results of future Grow Boating marketing programs we need to provide almost real-time sales results,” said NMMA’s director of Industry Statistics, Jim Petru. “The current programs rely on state registration numbers, which take 90 to 120 days to compile. This time lag is too great to allow us the ability to change a program in the current boating season.”
Both engine and boat companies will be involved in the new program. Engine manufacturers will provide engine and boat sales data by the tenth of the following month, while boat manufacturers will annually provide translation tables converting the hull identification number (HIN) into boat type and length. Participants will receive regional sales data by the fifteenth and will have the option of purchasing data that is broken down into segments covering smaller areas, all the way down to specific zip codes, NMMA reported.
“An added benefit for engine manufacturers is that they will be able to analyze their sales at the horsepower level by boat type and length using more timely data that will help them to better manage their business,” said Petru.
NMMA is seeking responses to its call for participation by December 8. For more information, contact Petru at (312) 946-6202; jpetru@nmma.org.
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