When Rental Activity Becomes Strategic Intelligence through Research.

The business of every transaction holds valuable information. When we aggregate tens or even thousands of transactions, the collected information can reveal sweeping market trends.

The research on a sample of Nordic motorhome rentals, from 2017 onwards, being completed as part of Elle Tick's thesis demonstrates how this practice provides key intelligence.

The study examines multiple aspects of consumer, or client, behaviour such as geographic origins, the age of the primary driver and client group as well as trip duration. The findings provide some interesting insights into shifts that have occurred within the Nordic motorhome market.

Prior to the pandemic there was evidence of significant inbound international clients, ranging from approximately 80% of business in 2017 to approximately 84% in 2019. Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and France were key origins for international clients. The client profile was just as telling-the average client-driver’s age was roughly 45 or 46-and families represented the biggest chunk of customers. In 2019 families made up approximately 65% and couples 35% of the studied rentals.

Then there was disruption, as is clear by examining rental numbers in comparison to the pandemic, as measured by the amount of activity. The number of examined rentals fell from nearly 2,300 in 2019 to nearly 1,260 in 2020-a roughly 45% dip. Interestingly, during the same time period the percentage of locally operated vehicles more than doubled, from about 16% in 2019 to approximately 53% in 2020.

Here one can see evidence of the support provided to the industry by the rise of domestic tourism.

In 2021 local operators still make up a significant portion of this business (about 47%), but in 2022 international operators are back up to 86%.

Longer term trends in activity exist beyond the number of international/domestic operators. In terms of rental length there was a slight increase from about 12 days prior to the pandemic to about 12.7 days in 2021, leaping to about 14.3 days in 2022 and remaining above 14 days through 2025. The couples, conversely, make up a growing portion of rentals and had jumped from about 35% in 2019 to nearly 46% by 2025. This evidence illustrates the value that research can have beyond academia.

For businesses within tourism, analysis of transaction data can alert businesses to shifts in customer demand before these manifest at a company or market-wide level, allowing them to make more informed marketing and operational decisions about such areas as customer origin, rental length, and the groups traveling. For researchers these pieces of information provide valuable empirical data on consumer behaviour in the face of global trends.

The linkage between business and academia is made clear in Ell Tick’s research. The business data serves as a source of original research for academics who, by applying rigorous academic methods to these business facts, ultimately benefit business. The motorhome market of the Nordic countries does not serve as just an example of tourism business, but rather as a case study in transforming empirical activity into actionable business insight. In a dynamic travel market, both businesses and researchers should continue to understand traveller behaviour and behaviour trends, both in the short and long-run for ongoing business health and sustainable operations.

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