Great Outdoors Online Expo drives caravan sales
Show-special bargains snapped up at three-week online showThe electronic gates might have closed on the Great Outdoors Online Expo, but some of the 50 participating dealers are still reaping the benefits of caravancampingsales' inaugural three-week virtual caravan show.
Among those riding the wave of the popular online show was Sydney multi-brand outlet Parravans, which got off the blocks early with nine show-special caravans sold in the first week alone, while Chinese brand Fantasy Caravan saw a big five-fold increase in buyer inquiries during the Expo period.
Running July 1-22, the Great Outdoors Online Expo featured more than 500 show-special deals from 50 dealers across Australia, showcasing more than 40 RV brands,
New Age Sydney Sales Manager Abraham Fouani said the flagship Sydney showroom had a "fantastic' response during the Expo, thanks to some "huge" discounts on advertised caravans, pop-tops and camper trailers, combined with factory bonuses like a $1000 fuel card, 12 months' free insurance and up to $2500 factory-fitted extra equipment.
"I've been with New Age for nine years, and we had a record month (in July) unlike anything I've seen in my time with (the Melbourne-based manufacturer)," Fouani said.
"The discounts were huge, but combined with the 'Road to Freedom' promotion run by New Age head office, it was a great success (and) we're still going off the back of it now.
"Enquiries on new vans in particular (during the Expo) went through the roof," he said.
While admitting the cancellation of the NSW Caravan Supershow had been a big blow to the industry, he said the Online Expo had proved a good alternative with the added benefit of "less hassles, with less transport, less expenses and less setting up (compared to the Supershow)... you can cripple your dealership for the two weeks it takes getting the vans out to the (Rosehill Racecourse venue)".
The Great Outdoors Online Expo wasn't a big success for all participating dealers, however, with Queensland's Kratzmann dealership reporting no sales of any of its 'show special' vans advertised during the three-week period.
More first-time buyers
The New Age Sydney dealer also confirmed a rise in the number of first-time caravan buyers since the lifting off coronavirus restrictions in NSW and Queensland.
"We're finding more first-time buyers on the market... They're people that have cancelled trips overseas," Fouani said. "I think they will provide a small window of opportunity, perhaps adding an additional five per cent to the (overall) market.
"People just need to get away from everything, and they don't know if they're going to be shut up or opened up from one day to the next," he explained.
"We're definitely seeing families as well as baby boomers... I'd be surprised if we didn't see a big lift in caravan registrations in the second half of this year.
"You'd be surprised at the number of older people (I've talked to) who can no longer spend their $50 or $60 or $70,000 on an overseas trip and are spending that money instead on a caravan."
Another trend he's noticed is more people trading in bigger caravasn for smaller models, possibly due to fewer larger sites at many caravan parks. He said it's resulted in increased interest in lighter, more compact models like the latest New Age Manta Ray Pop Top.
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