The National Motorcycle Dealers Association is the UK trade association for motorcycle dealers. They take a Dealer Attitude Survey every 6 months to get a view on how the industry is developing. Their Spring 2016 report was released at the start of May and though Triumph did well for product image, advertising, and accessories they did poorly for the effectiveness of dealer forums, field service and parts, and sales support. Triumph franchisees continue to do well out of the product however.
The good news is that Triumph's image is doing well with only Harley, Ducati, and BMW leading them here; they also come out very well for the frequency of introduction of new models which should not be too much of a surprise given the slew of models release recently. It's not quite such a great picture when it comes to sales incentives and promotions but still above average and creditable however they are doing something right with the advertising as only Harley are doing better here. The other thing Triumph seem to do well is provision of accessories with dealers suggesting Triumph are in the top three for attracting customers to buy accessories. They are also doing well with regards their clothing which is seen to be appealing to customers. Good news for dealers, but maybe not for consumers, is that Triumph dealers are very satisfied with the profit being returned with only Harley Davidson dealers reporting better profits; though that said there is a slight concern about how that profitability will fare over the next 6 months.
When it comes to the price and value of Triumphs against other brands, they come out about average but that's still better than 6 months ago.
It's not such a great story when it comes to the warranty policy with Triumph poling below average for both the scope and the replacement parts. They also fall short when it comes to providing technical support to their dealers. It's also not looking good for dealers holding stocks as they seem to be scaling back, probably due to the massive range available, but this does mean that you are very unlikely for the bike you want to be in the showroom and so you'll have to wait for it to be manufactured and delivered which could take some time. Triumph dealers also don't seem too happy about Triumph's sales targets and performance bonuses with only Honda dealers being less satisfied, neither are they happy about the way Triumph is getting the bikes to them with only Piaggio and Honda doing worse overall. 6 months ago they were close to the top but evidently the farming out of the supply chain to UPS is taking its toll. This is also highlighted by only Piaggio having worse field and parts staff, with Triumph's parts in the hands of UPS it can be a bit frustrating for dealers trying to order something. It also seems that the Triumph dealers are not getting a lot back from Triumph as they are really not happy with the dealers' forum; and when it comes to supporting dealers in the sales process only Piaggio and Honda score worse.
So what does this tell us consumers? Well with dealers making good profits it should be easier for you to negotiate a better deal on any new machines you buy, especially if you add on some accessories or clothing. However you will have to wait longer than usual for your new machine to be delivered and don't expect the accessories to turn up at the same time.
