MINNEAPOLIS, February 22 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) and MRAA Dealer Solutions successfully launched the MRAA Verified Program for dealers looking to drive more revenue in their pre-owned boat business.
The new program, named “MRAA Verified,” expands on the confidence provided by MRAA’s industry-leading Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program (CPO) and will welcome boats that may not meet the requirements to earn the Certified-Pre-Owned designation.
The MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program has established itself as the only universal, turnkey CPO program in the marine industry. Boat dealers and their customers gain confidence in buying and selling pre-owned boats that are less than 10 years old through MRAA’s Certified Pre-Owned process that offers the most thorough evaluation and testing of pre-owned boats in the marine industry.
All pre-owned boats that dealers take in on trade could benefit from the deeper inspection and analysis provided by MRAA Verified but may not meet the age requirements, for example, to be eligible for MRAA’s Certified-Pre-Owned designation. The success of the MRAA CPO program generated dealer requests for a similar product to cover additional boats in their inventory that have a production date that exceeds 10 years.
“In a market where the vast majority of product research is done and decisions are made before the consumer even engages a dealership sales team, the MRAA Verified program can be an instrumental tool to drive customer engagement and differentiate your inventory from the competition,” says Jason Walz, MRAA Director of Programs.
The MRAA Verified program maintains two essential elements from the Certified Pre-Owned program – the Boat History Report® and Titan Certified wear and fluid sample testing. The detailed information obtained through these services provides pre-owned buyers with a historical record of the vessel, as well as the condition of the engine and transmission helping them make a confident, informed choice.
Additionally, MRAA Verified, like the MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program, features customized website widgets to differentiate your dealer’s pre-owned inventory from your competitor’s boats that are not backed by the Titan Certified Limited guarantee. After passing the certification or verification process, a program-specific logo automatically appears with the boat on the dealer’s website, where consumers can access detailed reports, detailing the process the dealer took to certify or verify the vessel helping them to make an informed decision.
“By identifying the pre-owned units that have passed the MRAA Certified Pre-Owned and MRAA Verified process, dealers can set their inventory apart, demonstrate that they exercised all due diligence on the boat inspection, and add another level of trust with their customers,” says Walz.
Titan Certified is a high-technology company providing the electronic communication path between its “DNA Blood Test” wear and fluid analysis and consumer-centric dealers’ websites for the auto, trucking, heavy equipment, RV, powersports and marine industries. In today’s competitive consumer market, full disclosure is paramount. Statistics show a preference among consumers to receive condition reports before purchasing used vehicles and watercraft. A Titan Certification is the missing link, as no technician can see inside an engine or powertrain components during a regular inspection. Titan provides that view electronically and an automated process delivers it to the dealer’s website. The reports display the data in parts per million. Titan Certified specializes in connecting strategic companies for the benefit of consumers and industry-leading dealerships.
Boat History Report, the leading provider of watercraft history reports, helps its customers make better used watercraft purchase decisions by putting all available information at their fingertips. This information helps individual boat buyers and dealers avoid buying a stolen boat or one with costly hidden damage, which could negatively impact safety on the water and severely affect trade-in values. Additionally, Boat History Report offers boat dealers confidence in the condition and price of their inventory as well as a greater level of trust with their customers. Founded in 2005, Boat History Report has amassed the largest boat database with more than 122 million unique records and over 1.5 million significant negative events!
About MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program and MRAA Verified
The MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program and MRAA Verified are owned and operated by MRAA Dealer Solutions, LLC, a subsidiary of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. Through a licensing agreement, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas provides MRAA Dealer Solutions and the MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program and MRAA Verified with marketing and staffing support. Visit https://cpoboats.com/.
About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.
