RV tire-buying segment an attractive demographic, but will fuel prices keep them parked this summer?

“We want them driving,” says Mike Wilborn, store manager at the Allen Tire Co. outlet in Lakewood, Calif. The 21-store chain serves all tire categories, yet RVers have proven to be a profitable segment over years – choosing from Allen’s stock of Goodyear, Kelly, Michelin, BFGoodrich and Uniroyal RV tires. They also purchase repairs, especially for brakes and shock absorbers.

Just last week, the Lakewood branch moved 16 entire sets of RV tires.

“They’re still buying the tires and driving on them,” Wilborn tells Tire Topics, “but they’re driving shorter distances.” Up to this point of the year, “it’s mainly the older folks who are retired that we see. We get a lot of complaining about the price of gas and diesel, but we haven’t seen a slowdown at all,” he reports.

“We’ll know more when school lets out; that’s when the busy season starts,” Wilborn reports. “We’ll have to see if a slowdown starts then.” He is slightly fearful of his RVing clientele deciding to stay parked at a favorite California beach instead hitting the road.

Most RVers are simply adjusting to fuel costs rather than not traveling in their RVs, according to a recent nationwide study.

The latest biannual Campfire Canvass survey of RV owners, conducted by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), reveals that 76 percent of RVers intend to use their vehicles at least as much this spring and summer as last year.

Of those who said their plans would be affected, 58 percent said they’d travel to destinations closer to home, 35 percent said they’d travel fewer miles and 34 percent said they’d stay longer at a single destination.

Surprisingly, one-third of RV owners say fuel costs won’t affect their travel plans at all. Their travel intentions reflect research by PKF Consulting. The firm found that even as fuel prices increase, RV trips remain the most affordable way for a family to go because of the significant savings on hotels and restaurant costs.

Many families are taking shorter, more frequent weekend trips. According to the survey, nearly 75 percent plan to spend at least five or more weekends in their RVs.

Wilborn at Allen Tire says the segment’s demographics make RVers an attractive addition to any tire dealer’s customer base.

The typical RV owner is age 49, married, owns a home and has an annual household income of $68,000, according to Dr. Richard Curtin, director of the University of Michigan Survey Research Center, which has extensively studied the RV industry.

More RVs are owned by 35-to-54 year olds than any other age group, he says, and by 2010 RVs will be owned by 8.5 million households — an 8 percent increase, outpacing the overall U.S. household growth of 6 percent, Curtin estimates. “The enormous baby boomer generation is reaching retirement age and is expected to continue dominating the RV market.”

Based on the accumulated research, RIVA’s national pro-RVing television advertising campaign is targeting three groups of potential participants:

Members of the first segment, “The Family that Plays Together,” typically are between the ages 35 and 49 and have at least one child. Their average household income is $85,000. Of the RV prospect segments, this group is more likely to include Hispanic consumers. Members of this group are receptive to messages emphasizing the convenience and flexibility of RVing with children.

The second segment, “The Get Up and Go Crowd,” finds RVs appealing for weekend outings with their “toys” – motorcycles, ATVs, boats, etc. Members of this category are enthusiastic about motor sports, sporting events and saving money on travel. Their average household income is $81,800. More than half of this group are between 35 and 49 years old and the majority have no children.

Of the three prospect segments, The Get Up and Go Crowd is more likely to include African Americans and consider RV travel a good value. This segment is likely to respond to messages that connect RVs with motorized recreation and sporting events and emphasize the affordability of RV travel.

Members of the third category, “Nature Lovers,” enjoy the peace and quiet of scenic destinations off the beaten path. Respondents in this category rate camping in comfort, staying fit and strengthening relationships as important. They express concern about RV driving and have an average household income of $93,600.

Of the prospect groups, Nature Lovers are the oldest with 35 percent between the ages of 50 and 64. Also, they are typically empty-nesters. They’d be likely to appreciate the advantages of having a home on wheels in remote areas where lodgings and restaurants are hard to find.

Efforts by tire dealers to effectively pursue the RVer-based marketplace have mostly been flat thus far – at least in the Lone Star State, according to Brian Schaeffer, executive director and CEO of the Texas Association of Campground Owners. “There are some print- and Internet-based advertising opportunities for tire dealers and manufacturers, but I’m not aware that any of these vehicles are currently being used,” he tells Tire Topics.

“The key would be to focus on large states that get a tremendous amount of year-round RV travel, such as Florida, California and Texas. Each of these states have RV-related publications and websites targeting millions of consumers. In addition, there are some national websites that would be particularly effective,” Schaeffer points out.

At the local level, Schaeffer suggests placing ads in the directories handed out for free to RVing campground guests.

Allen Tire has a 5-percent-off discount coupon in the brochure distributed at Anaheim RV Village. The company also strives to cultivate a strong word-of-mouth referral network by providing friendly and expert service, says Wilborn, in addition to running coupon-based ads in local newspapers that RVers are likely to pick up.

For more information, visit www.allentireco.com, www.riva.org, www.GoRVing.com or www.texascampgrounds.com.