The end of another quarter means it is time for another RV Market Brand Consideration Report, and we’re back with our roundup of Australia’s most-searched brands for Q2 2024. As with our other market reports, the RV Market Brand Consideration Report is intended to provide insight into the competitive landscape of the Australian caravan market and consumer preferences as measured by search activity.
Read on for our findings, and don’t forget to download the report to see where your brand ranks among Australian searches!
A Note on Methodology
This report leveraged a number of keyword research tools to assess search volume across Australia. Our research comprised 108 brands across the motorhome, camper and caravan categories, along with more than 10,000 search terms, and 3.2m searches across the quarter. This data was broken into four key categories: all brands, Australian-made, imported, and discontinued.
We have also included, for the first time, 12-month search volume trends for the keyword ‘caravan for sale’ and eight caravan and RV categories: off-road caravans, small caravans, pop-top caravans, hybrid caravans, family caravans, motorhomes and camper trailers.
12-Month Search Volume Trend
Caravan For Sale
In the 12 months to May 2024, search volume for the term ‘caravan for sale’ is down 31% from May/June 2023, declining from an average of 9,650 searches a week to an average of 6,650 searches a week.
Off-Road Caravans
Searches for off-road caravans revealed a similar story, with a 25% decrease year-on-year, albeit with a greater number of spikes over that period, as the graph above shows.
Small Caravans
Searches for small caravans remain relatively steady however, indicating that the category remains fairly resilient to the economic pressures of the past year, likely due to the more affordable nature of small caravans.
Pop-Top Caravans
The pop-top category has experienced a slight 10% decline over the past year, its search volume displaying a similar degree of ‘bumpiness’ to that of the small caravan category.
Hybrid Caravans
Hybrid caravans have seen some of the sharpest decreases over the past year, declining roughly 20%. Interestingly, search volume for hybrid campers remains fairly steady over the same period. It could be that the more affordable nature of campers makes the category more resilient in the same fashion as small caravans, or it could be that hybrid camper buyers are committed to the category and lifestyle despite increased pressure on budgets.
Family Caravans
The bigger they are, the greater the decline, with searches for family caravans also slipping approximately 20% this past year. It is worth noting that all the categories we have looked at so far saw their greatest spikes in search volume over the December to January period – a possible case of summer envy perhaps?
Motorhomes
Similarly, motorhomes experienced a 20% decline in search volume over the past year, with noticeably fewer spikes over that period than were seen in other categories.
Camper Trailers
In contrast to the relatively minor decreases in searches for small caravans and hybrid campers, camper trailers experienced a 17% decrease in search volume over the past 12 months. It could be that this discrepancy is due to consumers perceiving a separation between camper trailers and hybrid campers, with the former encompassing more expensive, specialist off-road models, while the latter comprises simple, lightweight, and versatile caravans.
Australia's Most-Searched Caravan Brands
In a development (or lack thereof) that should surprise nobody, Jayco remains supreme amongst all brands, holding a 27.5% share of the Australian search market. However, while Jayco’s position remained unchanged, its overall search share decreased 1.1% from the previous quarter (28.6%), a 3.9% relative slump.
Second-place MDC saw its share hold steady at 4% from quarter-to-quarter, though it has seen an 8% relative increase year-on-year. Avan also held steady at 3.2% over the past two quarters, though that number is down from 3.4% a year ago. Rounding out the top 5, Ezytrail and Austrack both increased their search share on a quarter-to-quarter and year-on-year basis, experiencing a 7% and 16% bump respectively over the past 12 months.
The remainder of the top 10 largely held steady on a quarter-to-quarter to basis, with minor fluctuations up and down. The greatest decline in the top 10 was seen by New Age Caravans, whose search share slumped 15% on a year-on-year basis, despite staying steady over the past two quarters. Outside of the top spots, the story for many brands was one of declining search share, reinforcing the shift we saw last quarter towards larger brands.
But the real story of the quarter was Highline Caravans, whose search share soared from 0.2% to 1.8%, following news in May of their collapse into liquidation. This surge, along with the cumulative gains made by small brands towards the bottom of the list, explains why the big players at the top all saw a decrease in their market share, despite increases across the board in their total search volume.
Top-20 Most-Searched: Australian-Made
Jayco’s position is even stronger in the Australian-made category, where it holds a 36.9% market share, an astronomical lead over its next closest competitor, Avan, at 4.2%.
Several brands in the top-10 of the Australian-made category saw year-on-year declines in their search share that ranged in severity, from a 4.5% relative decline in the case of Avan, to a 16% relative slide for New Age. Meanwhile, brands in positions 11-20 were a mixed bag, their search shares fluctuating up or down by 0.1%. The exceptions to this were Patriot Campers and Track Trailer, who both experienced a 0.2% decrease in search share from quarter-to-quarter, an 11.1% and 10.5% relative loss, respectively.
All of these losses were mostly to the benefit of brands outside the top 20, with several small brands seeing minor increases in their search share quarter-to-quarter and year-on-year. On a 12-month time scale, the back half of the Australian-made category was also something of a mixed bag, with brands throughout positions 40-69 gaining, losing, or maintaining their search share.
In fact, the most consistent segment in the category was positions 70-77, with every brand listed there maintaining its search share between Q3 2023 and Q2 2024. What this indicates is a small but committed customer-base who are drawn to these small brands for a specific reason, and unlikely to shift their allegiances in the short term.
Top 20 Most-Searched: Imported
The imported category, meanwhile, offers some more revealing insights into consumer preferences in Australia. In the top 5, every brand except Opus Campers increased their search share quarter-to-quarter, with Austrack making an impressive 9% relative gain, putting it hot on the heels of Ezytrail in second place.
However, beyond the top 5, results were a little less consistent. Snowy River, Mars, Stoney Creek Campers and Black Series all registered quarter-to-quarter decreases in their search share, although Mars remains up on a year-to-year basis.
Brands in positions 11-25 seemed to alternate in terms of wins and losses: 11th-ranked Adria is up 21% year-on-year, while the 12th and 13th ranked Kedron Campers and Lumberjack Campers are down 20% and 28% respectively over the same period. Right behind them in 14th and 15th, Starvision and Fantasy Caravans both recorded quarter-to-quarter and year-on-year gains, only to be followed by Conqueror Campers, who registered a slight loss on both a 3-month and 12-month basis.
What this tells us is that although some smaller players are making headway, consumers are by and large shifting their focus towards larger and more trustworthy brands during times of economic uncertainty. The full extent of this shift remains to be seen, but for now it seems safe to say that we can expect it to continue at least through to the end of the year.
Top 20 Most-Searched: Discontinued
The discontinued category is comprised of brands that are no longer in business, and is intended to offer insight into the ongoing consumer interest in these brands.
As can be expected, Highline Caravans sit well clear of the pack with 72.1% search share, up from 19.9% in Q1 2024. As we have already discussed, this balloon in search share is due to the recent news of Highline entering liquidation. Given that this news only broke in May, the majority of this surge is due to people looking for more information about the company, rather than prospective buyers looking to snap up models.
Naturally, Highline’s gain came to the detriment of other brands in the category, with every brand witnessing precipitous drop-offs in their search share this past quarter. In position two and three sit Billabong Caravans and Elite Caravans, with 8% and 7.3% respectively. That these two brands are still sitting right at the top of the list is surprising considering that, unlike Highline, neither are recent closures.
Looking back at Q1, Billabong sat well clear of all other brands with 25.7% search share, a slight increase from the 24.8% share it held in Q3 2023. This boost is most likely due to Billabong’s liquidator, Barry Wight of Cor Cordis, releasing a final dividend announcement in December last year, causing a rise in searches for the brand.
With that said, both Elite Caravans and Opal Caravans grew their search share between Q3 2023 and Q1 2024, indicating that, along with Billabong, consumer interest in their caravans remains high – no doubt a reflection of the reputation each brand built prior to going under.
Outside of the top four though, the remainder of the category displays a predictable trend: declining search share (and by extension, search volume) over the past 12 months. With the exception of Riptide Campers and Vanguard Camper Trailer – who both increased their search share between Q3 2023 and Q1 2024 – all other brands experienced a consistently declining search share over the past year, even when Highline’s recent surge is taken out of the picture.
We shall see next quarter whether interest in Highline persists beyond the news of their downfall. For now though, the ongoing interest in Billabong, Elite Caravans and Opal Caravans represents good value and a safe investment to dealers looking to make the most of their trade-in strategy – something that, sadly, can’t be said for much of the category.
Trust Retain Media for Industry-Leading Insights
As we have seen, the Australian caravan market is in constant flux, with established brands like Jayco maintaining their stronghold, while others like Highline Caravans experience dramatic shifts due to recent events.
The notable declines in search volumes for various RV categories over the past year reflect broader economic pressures, yet the resilience of certain segments, such as small caravans and hybrid campers, underscores the nuanced nature of consumer preferences. The fluctuations in search share among imported and Australian-made brands further illustrate the complexities of consumer behaviour during times of economic uncertainty.
As we continue to monitor these trends, our goal remains to provide you with the most relevant and actionable insights. Understanding these patterns is crucial for stakeholders in the RV market to navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.
For more in-depth analysis of the Australian automotive industry, including our latest Motorcycle Market Brand Consideration Report, be sure to explore our other market reports. Download the full Q2 2024 Caravan Market Brand Consideration Report below to delve deeper into the data and gain a clearer picture of where your brand stands among Australian searches.
