Outdoor Leisure Vehicle Market: Opportunities in a Challenging Landscape

The outdoor leisure vehicle market—especially for caravans, motorhomes, and campervans—has faced some tough times recently. From supply chain issues to shifting consumer habits, it’s been challenging for many in the industry.

Let’s look at the online interest in caravans in the UK since 2004.

In the chart below, you can see that interest in ‘caravans for sale’ was on a steady rise from 2010 onwards after the financial crisis in 2008.

It’s a keyword with good commercial intent. In other words, people are in the market to buy a caravan. They’re not looking for information.

Interest started to drop in 2018. Then came ‌the pandemic, where interest boomed. Since then, interest has decreased again to a point where demand now is almost the same as in August 2008. Each month, there are 40,500* searches a month on ‘caravans for sale’.

Now, let’s look at the interest in ‘motorhomes for sale’. The monthly search volume for this keyword is 60,500, nearly 50% more than for ‘caravans for sale’.

The pattern is similar to the caravan market, although demand now is back to roughly the same level as in August 2013.

With ‘campervans for sale’, the picture is slightly different. The monthly search volume is also 60,500. Although there is the same ‘pandemic boom’, online interest is back to the same level as in August 2017.

And, when you remove the pandemic spikes, ‌interest in campervans still looks healthy.

What can we take from these trends?

People interested in caravans appear to be more economically sensitive than people interested in motorhomes and campervans. Online demand for the latter two markets is high.

Although interest in motorhomes dropped after the pandemic boom, there's still high demand for them. Demand for campervans, certainly online, is now higher than for caravans.

With the recent news of caravan dealers going into administration, the market is consolidating as it adjusts to lower demand. Caravan dealers need to diversify their range to include motorhomes and/or campervans.

Motorhome and campervan buyers seem more willing to travel to see and buy these vehicles. This opens up the need for caravan dealers to think outside their traditional catchment areas to find new customers.

That’s why your website is an increasingly important part of your business. It’s a platform reaching more prospects more easily and cheaply than ever before.

It’s tough out there. But demand is still there and it’s a time to target your marketing even more carefully to keep building your business.

Actionable Strategy

Wrapping it up

This week’s newsletter gives you a full look at the search trends for the commercial and transactional keywords where people are in the market to buy caravans, motorhomes, or campervans.

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Niche Down Your SEO: Focus your SEO efforts on targeting ‌emerging trends in specific niches, such as "compact campervans" or "sustainable motorhomes."

Updating your website and content to focus on these topics can help you rank higher and capture more targeted leads in these growing sub-markets.

Looking for more tailored strategies? Stay tuned for our next edition, where we’ll explore how outdoor brands are adapting and thriving.