Unmuted launches COMPASS study on boat buyer decision-making

Unmuted Consumer Insights has launched a syndicated study on how U.S. boat buyers move from interest to purchase, with early findings showing uncertainty and shifting plans are common. The research is aimed at helping manufacturers and dealers identify where buyers stall and how to keep them moving toward a sale.

Why it matters: - Boat manufacturers and dealers often focus on awareness and intent, but COMPASS™ looks at the middle of the buying journey where purchase decisions are won or lost. - The study is designed to show where buyers lose momentum and where sellers can improve comparison, trial and confidence. - Unmuted Consumer Insights is positioning the research as a lower-cost alternative to commissioning a custom study.

What happened: - Unmuted Consumer Insights launched COMPASS™ Boat Buyer Decision Study on August 3, 2026. - The syndicated study examines how consumers make boat purchase decisions after active shopping begins. - The national survey included 2,002 U.S. consumers who bought a qualifying boat within the past five years or are actively shopping to buy within the next two years. - Unmuted Consumer Insights is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. - More information is available at the company’s site.

The details: - COMPASS™ focuses on what triggers buyers to enter the market, how decisions change during shopping, where buyers lose momentum and how they overcome barriers. - The study also looks at which barriers are fixable versus structural. - The research breaks out how decision-making differs by buyer type and boat segment. - The study examines how buyers research, compare and evaluate boats. - Subscribers can buy a full report, a strategic overview or category-specific deep dives. - Bridget Millar, founder of Unmuted Consumer Insights, said buyer interest does not automatically translate into buyer confidence. - Millar said manufacturers and dealers have an opportunity to move more buyers forward by making boats easier to compare, experience and purchase with confidence. - Early findings show 76% of buyers experienced uncertainty after entering the market. - Early findings also show 71% changed a significant aspect of their purchase during the shopping journey. - Buyers said difficulty finding the right boat at the right time creates more hesitation than price alone. - Friends, family, fellow boaters and in-person dealer visits remain the most useful resources, according to the study.

Between the lines: - The findings suggest marine marketing may need to shift from broad demand generation to helping buyers navigate doubt, comparison and timing. - The emphasis on in-person guidance and peer input points to a continued role for dealers and owner networks even as buyers shop across more channels. - The size of the sample gives the study credibility as a benchmarking tool for manufacturers and dealers trying to understand decision friction.

What's next: - Unmuted Consumer Insights plans to sell the study as a syndicated product to manufacturers and dealers. - Buyers can access the complete report, strategic overview or segment-level analysis. - The company says the research is intended to help industry players improve how they influence purchase decisions once shopping starts.

The bottom line: - COMPASS™ argues that boat sales are shaped less by first interest than by how well manufacturers and dealers help buyers move through uncertainty.