"Harley-Davidson is turning to online retailer Amazon to sell its merchandise as it struggles with its fourth straight year of declining sales.

Baby boomers have scaled back their purchases of new Harleys and the motorcycle company has been looking to entice younger customers with newer bikes and sleek apparel. Earlier this year, the company announced an expanded line of lighter motorcycles and said it would roll out new retail stores in urban areas in an effort to reach millennials. At that time, Harley also said it would have a new digital strategy. The partnership with Amazon is part of that effort.

"We live in an on-demand, anywhere, anytime business environment where success depends on the ability to meet consumers on their turf and on their terms," Heather Malenshek, senior vice president of marketing and brand for Harley-Davidson said, in a press release. "The reach Amazon offers is critical to building stronger customer relationships, inspiring new people and creating an integrated online and in-dealership retail experience — all of which leads to profitable growth and a stronger brand."

Previously, customers could only purchase Harley apparel and riding gear from the company's website or licensed dealerships. The hope is that Amazon will expand the brand's reach to new, younger customers who can grow with the brand in the same way previous generations have.

As U.S. sales have stumbled, Harley-Davidson's stock has slumped. Shares of the motorcycle company are down nearly 11 percent since January."

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/01/harl...on-amazon.html

I am suprised that Harley has held out as long as they have. Get your harley gear in two days with Prime.

 

Probably a good idea. I kind of dislike going to the HD store due to the arrogance I feel from the sales folks when they figure out I am not there to buy a new $35000 bike. Some dealerships are worse than others of course.

 

At least the MOCO is looking at new ways to try to improve their position. With steadily declining sales, they: recently modified their bike line up (whether you liked it or not, it was an attempt to appeal to a broader market), are working on some new additions to their line-up (electric bikes being one example), attempting to expand their foreign markets, and new ways to sell apparel, etc. The purists might not like it, but the MOCO is doing what it can to try and improve its position. If they simply continued to only produce bikes that appeal to baby boomers, they would be DOA soon.

 

This is really nothing new, just Harley cutting out the middleman. Many dealerships have sold on Amazon for a while now.

 

I could careless if they have a T-Shirts online for $45 or in the store for $45, still won't buy them. You can buy their apparel online already anyway... Maybe not Amazon, but you don't have to go to a dealer by buy a shirt.

 

probably not great move for dealers, lots of markup in that stuff, going to take lots of money out of the stand alone stores, think how many people stop just to get a Tshirt and probably buy something else.

 

Yeah, the same old issue with "brick and mortar" shops getting the short end....this time it's your local Harley feeling the squeeze.

 

Didn't I read somewhere that HD corporate forced dealers to inventory that stuff? If so, HD dealers got doubly shafted.

 

True, assuming that Amazon would draw clothing and gear sales away from the dealerships- gotta wonder, though, if these customers would even enter an HD Dealership or merchandise only store in the first place.
Our company is experiencing the same- we're trying to go more online sales, but we compensate the store nearest to the customer for online sales. Maybe not as much as they'd have made had the customer purchased from the store, but then again, and we send information with the item to the customer telling them about the benefits of visiting the store after purchase. Our dealerships so far are fine with the arrangement.

Time will tell for HD.

 

I have a few dozen T shirts that I would like to sell. A number of them have already been used for rags.