Harley-Davidson Created ‘More Roads,’ More Success in 2018
When it launched ‘More Roads’ last summer, H-D kickstarted a very successful 2018 and now reveals plans through 2022.
“New motorcycles, more international dealers, additional ways for customers to access Harley-Davidson – and we’re just getting started on our More Roads plan,” announced the Harley-Davidson Motor Company while revealing its many successes in 2018 and progressive plans for 2019.
“When we launched the More Roads plan last summer, we established very specific annual milestones that would help all stakeholders measure our success through 2022,” added H-D. Check out the summary of Harley-Davidson’s 2018 success:
New Products
To keep current riders engaged and inspire new riders, six high-impact Harley-Davidson motorcycles launched in 2018: the Iron 1200, Forty-Eight.
H-D also introduced the following new product innovations in 2018: Reflex linked brake system, the Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine, premium touring suspension, Boom! Box GTS infotainment and Apple CarPlay.Special, FXDR 114, CVO Road Glide, CVO Street Glide, and CVO Limited models.
And, the motorcycle company debuted LiveWire, its first production electric vehicle, which will launch this August.
Broader Access
In the U.S., Harley-Davidson expanded its reach in a big way with the launch of a Harley-Davidson branded storefront on Amazon. Sales were strong and initial data indicates that the majority of people purchasing H-D products on Amazon are new to the brand. In 2018 H-D also launched eCommerce in China via TMall, one of the largest eCommerce platforms in the world.
‘It’s clear that for riders today and Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders of tomorrow, the groundwork for an exciting future is being built in real time.’
Harley-Davidson enhanced its eCommerce store on H-D.com and exceeded its milestone for the year with 6 percent of General Merchandise sales coming through H-D.com in 2018. Full year total eCommerce sales were up 32 percent.
And, in line with the company’s plans to reach more urban dwellers, especially in Asia, 23 branded Harley-Davidson apparel stores were opened in 2018. “These stores offer a unique line of branded apparel, which we know is one of the first and easiest ways people ‘try us on’ and begin their journey with Harley-Davidson,” noted the MoCo in a press statement. “In fact, in our sample survey, over 75 percent of shoppers told us it was their first visit to any Harley-Davidson store and over 60 percent were under 34 years old.”
Stronger Dealers
In 2018, Harley-Davidson saw an improvement in its Riding Academy conversion–to-sale rate, which was up 2.2 pts. The company also continued to focus on the customer experience, achieving a net promoter score of 75 (out of 100) for dealer service experience and 85 for dealer purchase experience.
To help bring Harley-Davidson products to more people around the world, 56 international Harley-Davidson dealerships were added and production began at the company’s new facility in Thailand.
“The company is on-track and energized that new and different people, riders and non-riders, are standing up and taking notice of Harley-Davidson,’ said the MoCo. “It’s clear that for riders today and Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders of tomorrow, the groundwork for an exciting future is being built in real time.”