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Discover Boating, powered by the NMMA and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), announced today the launch of a new interactive tool to connect boat-buying consumers directly with nearby dealers. The new Dealer Finder on DiscoverBoating.com is a convenient tool to help site visitors search for—and connect with—nearly 3,600 new boat dealers across the country.

Guided by learnings from recent customer experience research conducted by Jerry Mona with Left Brain Marketing on behalf of NMMA, MRAA and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the new tool features easy search and mapping functionality to quickly locate local dealers through zip code or city search, as well as a one-touch option to visit a dealer’s website or call the dealer directly.

Click here to visit the new Dealer Finder tool on DiscoverBoating.com

“Recent research showed first-time boat buyers are experiencing some difficulty and frustration when trying to easily connect with dealers and their inventory, underscoring the importance of providing a convenient and enjoyable consumer experience as we invite people into boating,” said Ellen Bradley, chief brand officer for NMMA. “DiscoverBoating.com and the new Dealer Finder are an entry point for millions of boaters, and the more paths we offer to easily connect consumers with manufacturers, dealers, boat shows and other points of sale, the more they feel welcomed and the more positive experience they’ll have—all of which is part of Discover Boating’s long-term strategic digital transformation.”

“At Discover Boating, our role is to attract consumers to boating and to connect them with boat buying opportunities without hurdles and obstacles, and as seamlessly as possible,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA president. “Years in the making, this new Dealer Finder tool directly connects consumers to dealers. It gives them immediate access to the dealers and their product lines in their local communities, helping to improve the customer experience right from their very first click.”

The Dealer Finder tool is powered by the dealer database at the MRAA, which has been compiled and is refined on a daily basis by the MRAA team. The database includes every dealership brick-and-mortar location throughout the United States that MRAA has been able to verify. Dealers looking to update their listing or be added to the Find a Boat Dealer locator tool, can simply fill out this form and MRAA will reach out to help make changes.

Additionally, Marine Industry Certified Dealership (MICD) locations are highlighted and promoted through the Dealer Finder. Founded as a part of Discover Boating and offering dealerships the industry’s only template for running and improving a world-class dealership, the MICD Program criteria helps to ensure Certified Dealerships are delivering an exceptional customer experience and those businesses are therefore highlighted to call attention to their efforts.

For more information on the Dealer Finder on DiscoverBoating.com, please contact Freya Olsen, NMMA’s director of industry relations, at [email protected] or Liz Keener, MRAA’s certification manager at [email protected].