Go RVing dug through data collected in its recent RV Owner Demographic Profile to distinguish differences between the youngest RV owners and more traditional RVers.
Go RVing’s Millennial/Gen-Z Special Report found young owners sought excitement, new travel options and boondocking opportunities when using their RVs.
The report found millennial and Gen Z owners are the most diverse RV owner group. The report found 42% of millennial and Gen Z owners identifying with at least one growth audience (defined by Go RVing as Hispanic-Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and LGBTQ+ consumers. The total is 40% more than the 30% of all RV owners who identified as being part of a growth audience.
Three-quarters of millennial and Gen-Z owners are employed full-time and live with children in the home. Nearly two-thirds (63%) reported annual incomes over $75,000.
“Millennials and Gen Z are enthusiastic about RV travel,” the report said, “with a large majority agreeing that it is a convenient form of travel for all ages and that RVing is for everyone.”
Nearly two-thirds of millennial and Gen-Z buyers said they had childhood camping or RVing experience. Past camping experiences were cited as the group’s top motivation for buying an RV, followed by a desire for a change in travel method (27%) and the ability to go off-roading or boondocking (19%).
Millennials and Gen-Z owners use their RVs for a median of 30 days, comprising more than half (54%) of their vacation time. The RV owner group commonly travels with a spouse (82%) and children under 18 (67%). A quarter of millennial/Gen-Z RV owners travel with pets. Typically, these RVers will be fishing (48%), hiking (42%) and visiting local attractions (37%) during their RV trip.
Four in five millennial/Gen-Z RV owners bought a new RV, with 44% making cash purchases and 22% using dealer or private financing. Go RVing said their buying process is influenced heavily by digital resources, with 95% researching with online platforms. Dealership websites (38%), social media (37%) and RV sales listings (37%) are other resources, along with dealership visits (48%) and talking to other owners (47%).
The report found most millennial/Gen-Z owners planned to buy another RV. The study found 83% of millennials and 72% of Gen-Z owners planned to buy again. RV brand loyalty among the owners is high, the report found. Between the age groups, 89% of RV owners said they were likely to buy the same brand, citing quality (31%), a good brand experience (31%) and desired features (20%) as reasons why.
The report said, “Their intention to repurchase and their loyalty to brands that provide quality and positive experiences indicate a strong future for the RV industry with these younger generations.”
