How Customer Expectations Have Changed: What Powersports Buyers Expect Now

When we first published this article in December 2019, the advice was simple: be online, be connected across touchpoints, personalize, and have accurate information when a customer asks. All of that still holds. What has changed is the bar. A powersports shopper today has usually compared the model, the price and your store before you know they exist, and they judge you on how quickly and how specifically you answer.

Below: what shifted, which data describes powersports buyers rather than car buyers, and what to change first.

What changed between 2019 and now

The table below compares what a typical powersports shopper expected around 2019 with what they expect now. It is our summary of the sources at the end of this article, not a survey result.

What the data says, and who it describes

Much of the "customer expectations" research online is about car buyers. It is useful, but it is not the same customer. Here is what we could verify, labelled by who was actually studied.

The smartphone became close to universal over the life of this article. Powersports dealers answer web shoppers' questions far less often than car dealers, and the industry's average Internet Lead Effectiveness score has sat in the mid-40s for five years. And car buyers who do more of the deal online report higher satisfaction, a car-buyer finding but a fair signal for any big-ticket vehicle.

How powersports buyers differ from car buyers

This is the part most "changing expectations" articles skip. They borrow automotive research and stop there. A powersports buyer shares the digital habits, but several things about the purchase are different, and each one changes what "meeting expectations" means.

They often know the product better than your newest salesperson

Riders research for fun, not just to buy: owner forums, ride reviews, their riding group. Rollick's 2023 survey describes shoppers doing most early research online and turning to online communities for varied opinions. A salesperson who reads the spec sheet back to them loses credibility. One who knows accessory fitment, real-world range and service intervals earns it.

The season compresses demand

Car buying is spread across the year. Powersports demand bunches up when the weather turns and before riding and hunting seasons. That is exactly when response times slip, because the same staff are handling more walk-ins, more deliveries and more service write-ups. Rollick's survey also found powersports purchases typically close within a month or less, so a lead that waits two days in spring may already have bought elsewhere.

Households own more than one machine

Rollick reports that owners across powersports, RV and marine own, on average, at least two additional outdoor products beyond their primary one. A family with a side-by-side may also own a dirt bike, a youth ATV and a fishing boat. If your records treat each sale as a separate customer, you miss the second and third purchase and the trade-in cycle.

Riding communities carry your reputation

A car buyer might tell a friend about a bad experience. A rider tells the group ride, the club page and the forum thread, and other riders set their expectations by it: the price, the setup fee, the wait for first service. Consistency matters more than any one great deal.

The relationship runs through service

Rollick found half of powersports owners use their machine for more than 90 days a year. Machines that get used come back for tires, service and accessories. That makes the service drive part of the sales experience, and service convenience part of the expectation.

What still happens in person

None of this means buyers want to skip the store. Rollick's respondents still visit dealerships to finalize the purchase and take delivery, usually well informed and with financing details ready. The test ride, the rider and passenger fit check, the trade inspection and the delivery walk-through still matter. What changed is the order: buyers want the price, trade estimate and credit application handled first, so the visit is about the machine. Our guide to buying a motorcycle online from a dealer walks through which steps move online and which stay in the store.

What a dealership should change first

You cannot fix everything at once. This is the order we recommend, starting with the gap the data shows most clearly.

1. Mystery-shop your own website. Submit an inquiry about a specific unit, from a phone number and email your team does not know, and see what comes back in 24 hours. Pied Piper says dealers are twice as likely to be top performers if they commit to responding to web customers at least once each day and measure web response monthly.
2. Answer the question that was asked. Reply with the price, availability or detail the shopper wanted, by text or email, then call. Doing both is where powersports trails automotive most (24% against 62%). End with a specific appointment time, not "come by anytime."
3. Put the real price and fees in writing early. Send an out-the-door worksheet on request, and list freight, setup and documentation fees the same way online and in store. Rollick's respondents put fairness and transparency slightly ahead of low rates. Price and fee advertising rules vary by state. This is general information, not legal advice.
4. Photograph the actual unit. Every unit, to a written standard, listed quickly. Our powersports inventory photo guide has a walkaround shot list and a check-in workflow.
5. Let buyers start the deal online. Trade photos, credit application and deposit, captured on the website and attached to the customer record, so the desk does not ask for them twice.
6. Text properly. Get consent, use a registered business number, honor opt-outs and log every message. Our article on texting customers the right way covers the setup and the compliance layer.
7. Plan for the spring rush. Decide now who covers leads on weekends and after hours in peak season, and how stalled shoppers get re-engaged so your team can focus on live deals.
8. Keep one record per household. Link every unit, service visit, trade and conversation, so the next salesperson or service advisor sees the history.

If you want to map these changes onto every stage a customer passes through, from first search to second purchase, see our guide to the powersports customer experience.

Quick self-check

You should be able to say yes to each of these:

• Every unit online has a price or a clear explanation of why not
• Every new unit has photos of that unit, not just OEM images
• A test inquiry gets a personal answer the same day, seven days a week in season
• Fees are listed the same way on the website, the worksheet and the buyer's order
• A shopper can start a trade estimate and credit application online
• Texting runs from a business number with consent recorded
• Service customers can book and get status updates without a phone call

Where PSX Ascend fits

Most of the list above depends on two things working together: a website that shows the real machine and a CRM that keeps the conversation moving.

PSX Ascend dealership websites connect to your inventory tools, so current vehicle details, pricing and actual photos appear on the unit pages, with clear paths for trade, finance, availability and contact. The lead, the vehicle and the action the shopper took travel into the AI-powered powersports CRM, where history, preferences and trade-in details sit in one profile and your team can reach the shopper by phone, text and email.

Associates work each new lead with quick touches and accurate notes, and managers are prompted to review stalled deals. Then ALMA, our Automated Lead Management Assistant, does the repetitive work of re-engaging stalled shoppers and brings them back to a live conversation with a person. It assists your team rather than replacing it, and makes no AI voice calls.

You can also see the same certified dealership websites on our sister site, PSXDigital's certified dealership websites page.

Sources

• Pied Piper Management Company, Indian Motorcycle Ranked Highest in 2026 Web Lead Response Study; Industry Enters 5th Year of Stagnant Performance, press release, March 23, 2026 (2026 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness Powersports Industry Study).
• Rollick, The Future of Buying: Navigating Powersport Consumer Trends, 2023 consumer survey of powersports, RV and marine shoppers.
• Cox Automotive, 2022 Car Buyer Journey Study, January 18, 2023 (car buyers, not powersports).
• Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet, updated November 20, 2025.