38 • August 2026 • Powersports Business

BY BRENDAN BAKER

• EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

If the last few years have taught powersports dealers anything, it’ s that the customer buying journey has changed for good. Shoppers no longer begin their search by walking into a dealership or waiting for the weekend to browse inventory. Instead, they’ re researching vehicles from their couches after dinner, comparing prices across multiple websites, watching walkaround videos on social media, and narrowing their choices long before they ever speak with a salesperson.

That evolution has fundamentally changed the role of the dealership website. It’ s no longer just a digital brochure. It’ s often the customer’ s first impression of the dealership, the primary source of product information and, increasingly, the deciding factor in whether that customer ever visits the showroom. According to LeadVenture’ s new State of the Dealer report, dealerships that recognize this shift and execute the fundamentals consistently are separating themselves from the competition. Ironically, while artificial intelligence dominates industry conversations, the report suggests that the biggest opportunities for dealers still come from getting the basics right.

Drawing on data from more than 6,800 dealership websites, along with feedback from dealer advisory councils, 20 groups, and retail partners, the report examines how today’ s consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase powersports vehicles. Hayley Holland, head of brand and client marketing management for LeadVenture, said during a recent Power Hour podcast that the goal wasn’ t to overwhelm dealers with marketing jargon or complicated analytics. Instead, the company wanted to translate the data into practical strategies dealers could implement immediately.

“ The fundamentals still matter,” Holland says.“ What has changed is where customers experience those fundamentals. They’ re making decisions online long before they ever walk into your dealership.”

That insight serves as the foundation for nearly every recommendation in the report. While technology continues to evolve rapidly, successful dealerships aren’ t necessarily the ones adopting every new digital tool. They’ re

the ones making it easier for customers to find inventory, trust the information they’ re seeing, and receive prompt, personal service throughout the buying process.

YOUR DEALERSHIP NEVER CLOSES One of the report’ s most striking findings illustrates just how dramatically shopping behaviors has shifted. LeadVenture found that 54 % of dealership website traffic now occurs after 5 p. m., when most dealers have already locked their doors for the evening. Customers are spending those hours researching inventory, comparing models, checking financing options, and submitting lead forms while relaxing at home after work.

For dealers, that means the website has effectively become an overnight salesperson. Every inventory listing, every photograph, every pricing detail, and every contact form is working long after employees have gone home.

The implication is significant. A customer who submits an inquiry at 9 p. m. isn’ t simply waiting until the next business day; they’ re often continuing to shop that same evening. If another dealership responds more quickly or presents more complete information online, the opportunity may disappear before the original dealer even opens the following morning.

That changing behavior also reinforces another major conclusion from the report: today’ s buying journey isn’ t linear. Consumers bounce between Google searches, dealership websites, Facebook Marketplace, YouTube videos and social media before making a purchase decision. Rather than moving neatly through a traditional