{"id":3853,"date":"2016-06-10T23:42:58","date_gmt":"2016-06-11T03:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boatchat.com\/blog\/?p=3853"},"modified":"2016-06-17T15:11:35","modified_gmt":"2016-06-17T19:11:35","slug":"boat-dealers-sell-to-millennials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boatchat.com\/blog\/lead-generation\/boat-dealers-sell-to-millennials\/","title":{"rendered":"No Bull \u2013 Boat dealers must connect with millennials in 8 seconds"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kayak\"

One way for boat dealers to engage younger buyers is to start them with kayaks and paddleboards. Photo: Pixabay.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Even as boat sales continue to recover from the recession, millennials don\u2019t seem to be getting in on the action. Adding to the challenge is that millennials reportedly have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. The eight-second attention span announced by researchers last year in a Microsoft study<\/a> was down from 12 seconds in 2000. In\u00a0case you\u2019re wondering, the attention span of a goldfish is nine seconds \u2013 don\u2019t ask me how they determined that.<\/p>\n

Boat buyers are getting older<\/h2>\n

According to Boating Industry Magazine<\/a>, shifts in population numbers are affecting boat sales, as boat buyers continue to get older.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach year, the age of the average boat buyer is about six months older than the year before, according to analysis by Info-Link. Info-Link has tracked buyer registration data back to 1997 and in that time, the average buyer age has increased by about 8 years. Although the periods don\u2019t line up perfectly, that\u2019s much faster than the aging of general population from the 2000 to 2010 Census, where the average age increased only 1.9 years to 37.2 years old.\u201d<\/em> -Boating Industry Magazine<\/p>\n

This data makes it clear that boat dealers must adapt their sales and marketing strategies to connect with this younger set. Clearly, reaching out in digital space is the key. Microsoft says the following four factors that impact their attention:<\/p>\n