MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 7, 2025--
Polaris Inc’s Indian Motorcycle dealerships ranked highest in the 2025 Pied Piper PSI ® Internet Lead Effectiveness ® (ILE ® ) Powersports Industry Study, measuring responsiveness to internet sales leads coming through dealership websites. Following Indian were Harley-Davidson, BMW, and BRP’s Can-Am off-road dealers.
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Pied Piper submitted customer inquiries through 2,523 powersports dealership websites representing 27 brands. Each inquiry asked a specific question about a vehicle in inventory and included a new customer name, email address, and local telephone number. Pied Piper then evaluated the speed and quality of dealership responses by email, telephone, text message and chat over the next 24 hours. Each brand’s overall ILE Score is a combined average of their individual dealer ILE performances. ILE evaluations consist of over 20 differently weighted measurements, based upon best practices that are mathematically most likely to generate sales, combining into an overall ILE score ranging from 0 to 100.
Indian Ranked Highest for Third Consecutive Year: What Sets Them Apart?
2025 marks the third year in a row the Indian brand achieved the top score in the annual ILE powersports industry study. The Indian brand improved their average score by one point for 2025, reaching an average ILE score of 56.
“The Indian motorcycle brand has maintained industry leading web-response behaviors during a challenging time in the powersports industry,” said Cameron O’Hagan, Pied Piper’s Vice President of Metrics and Analytics. “Two years ago, when market conditions were more favorable, dealers could easily afford to expand their staff and refine operations. Today, however, tougher conditions have many dealers battling just to keep the lights on.”
How Did the Industry Perform Over the Past Year?
The overall powersports industry average ILE score remained the same over the last year, both with ILE scores of 44. Powersports dealers in 2025 improved phone behaviors and rate of response, but also experienced declines in other important areas, resulting in no overall change in total ILE Score.
Behaviors that Improved:
Powersports dealers in 2025 performed better in phone and text response, and the rate of dealers failing to respond occurred less often:
Behaviors in Decline:
There were two notable declines in behavior that held back overall industry score improvement:
What is the “80/40 Rule” and How Does it Relate to the Powersports Industry?
In the 2025 powersports industry study, 13% of all dealerships measured scored above 80 (providing quick and thorough personal responses), while 42% of dealerships scored below 40 (failing to personally respond to website customers). The “over 80” and “under 40” segments each shrank by 1% since last year, with a larger pool of dealers performing in the space between both categories.
“The effort to improve from the under 40 bucket into the over 80 is worth it,” said O’Hagan. “Historically, we have found that dealers who improve their ILE performance from scoring under 40 to scoring over 80 on average sell 50% more units from the same quantity of website customer leads.”
What is the Powersports Industry’s Greatest Opportunity for Improvement?
There are two different key areas of improvement for powersports dealers, depending on their current performance level. One in four powersports dealerships currently fail to personally respond to website customer inquiries. For this group of dealers, the sole focus should be a commitment to always personally respond to online customers at least once each day.
“Just as you wouldn’t lock up at the end of the day with a physical customer still wandering around the showroom, don’t leave your digital customers hanging overnight in your digital showroom waiting for your reply,” said O’Hagan.
For the rest of the dealers, the step with the greatest opportunity is to embrace a reliable multi-channel communication strategy, rather than responding to customers using only email, only phone, or only text. In this year’s study, powersports dealers failed to use multiple paths 74% of time, leaving many of their responses susceptible to communication breakdowns beyond the dealer’s control.
“Emails can land in spam/junk and be missed, customers often ignore calls from an unknown number and don’t listen to voicemail, and even texts can be lost or ignored among the large volume of messages many people receive per day,” said O’Hagan. “A consistent multi-pronged response to every customer is critical since you never know in advance which communication method will be most effective at reaching a specific customer.Then, once contact is established, adopt the successful method for future interactions with the customer.”
2025 Brand Performance Compared:
Response to customer web inquiries within a 24-hour period in 2025 had large variations by brand, as shown by these examples:
Why Was This Study Conducted?
“Customers today visit dealer websites first, and how dealers respond to those customers drives today’s sales success,” said O’Hagan. “The trouble is that website customers can be invisible in day-to-day operations which makes them too easy to overlook.”
For more than 15 years, Pied Piper has independently published annual industry studies that rank the omnichannel performance of brands and dealer groups. These studies track how industry performance changes over time and let clients understand how their own performance compares.
Pied Piper clients order ongoing Prospect Satisfaction Index ® (PSI ® ) measurement and reporting – internet, telephone or in-person – for their dealerships, as tools to improve and maintain omnichannel sales and service effectiveness. Pied Piper clients have found that the key to driving dealership improvement is showing what sales and service customers are really experiencing – which is often a surprise.
About Pied Piper Management Company, LLC
Monterey, California - based Pied Piper helps brands and national retailer groups improve the omnichannel sales & service performance of their retailers.
Pied Piper’s PSI process applies data science analytics to determine the omnichannel sales and service best practices most likely to drive unit sales and loyalty. PSI then uses a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning and human actors to measure and report how effectively retail locations follow those best practices.
Examples of other recent Pied Piper PSI studies include the 2024 Service Telephone Effectiveness ® (STE ® ) Powersport Industry Study (Triumph brand was ranked first), the 2024 Telephone Lead Effectiveness ™ (TLE ™ ) Pontoon Boat Industry Study (BRP’s Sea-Doo brand ranked first), and the 2025 Internet Lead Effectiveness ® (ILE ® ) Auto Industry Study (Subaru was ranked first).
For more information about Prospect Satisfaction Index ® study results or to apply ongoing PSI measurement and reporting to improve performance, go to www.piedpiperpsi.com.
This press release is provided for editorial use only, and information contained in this release may not be used for advertising or otherwise promoting brands mentioned in this release without specific, written permission from Pied Piper Management Co., LLC.
Source: 2021-2025 Pied Piper Powersports Internet Lead Effectiveness Industry Study (USA)
Source: 2025 Pied Piper Powersports Internet Lead Effectiveness Industry Study (USA)
For a state that’s home to Hollywood, there isn’t much star power in California’s gubernatorial race. It’s a somewhat different story in Los Angeles, where a reality television personality is running for mayor as the city prepares to host the Olympics.
More primaries are being held on Tuesday as well. Democrats are banking on a rare chance to regain ground in Iowa, a rural state that has repeatedly eluded them in recent years. Republicans, meanwhile, are grappling with a New Jersey congressman whose unexplained absence could put their already slim majority at risk.
— California: Voters are weighing in on who should lead the nation’s most populous state, where there is no clear leader among candidates vying to advance in the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Plus, U.S. House races are on the ballot, along with the Los Angeles mayor’s race.
— New Mexico: Contests in the state include primaries for congressional seats, a U.S. Senate seat and a long list of statewide offices, but the governor’s race is the main attraction. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is running for the Democratic nomination, which could put her on a historic path for Native American leaders.
— New Jersey: One of this year’s most closely watched House midterms will take place in the battleground district represented by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who has drawn public scrutiny and concern after missing more than 100 House votes due to an undisclosed medical issue. Voters are deciding which Democrat will run against him in November.
— Read more about races in Iowa, Montana and South Dakota.
Here's the latest:
Republican Spencer Pratt is dismissing Nithya Raman’s campaign as “weak” and effectively over. The only real race, he says, is between him and Democratic incumbent Karen Bass.
Raman, a former Bass ally and progressive city council member, is challenging the mayor from the left.
In a social media video posted Monday, Pratt says Raman hasn’t gotten anything done during her six years in city leadership. He calls a vote for Raman a waste.
“At this point, it’s me and Karen,” Pratt says.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged his followers to vote for Hilton, a former Fox News TV host and British political adviser.
“He will work with me and the Federal Government, the money will flow because I have confidence in him (but not any of the others!), and we will MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance called Hilton a “good guy” and encouraged Californians to vote for him.
“California is such a beautiful state--it just needs better political leadership!” Vance wrote on X.
Nithya Raman was once an ally to Bass, but she filed to challenge her as mayor just hours before the filing deadline. Raman described the city as “at a breaking point.”
She has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve services in a city known for dirty streets and buckled pavement.
Raman hasn’t drawn as much national chatter as Pratt, a former reality television star whose supporters have tried to boost his candidacy with AI-generated videos.
Last week, Raman took a shot at that tactic with her own video showing her flanked by supporters. “No AI was used in the making of this video,” it said.
The nation’s most populous state is dominated by Democrats, but some are unsure of who to vote for.
“I’m kind of pinching my nose and voting this go-around rather than being excited,” said Colin Culver, a 21-year-old San Diego resident who ultimately voted for Tom Steyer.
It’s been a chaotic campaign, particularly when former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race after being accused of sexual assault.
Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist tracking ballot returns, said some voters “are holding onto the ballot because they have seen this kind of topsy-turvy governor’s race,” and “they’re waiting to make sure they’re making the right choice.”
Two Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination to replace Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a term-limited Democrat who will leave office at the end of 2026. Sam Bregman, an Albuquerque-based district attorney, is campaigning on his law enforcement record and promises to stand up to the Trump administration.
Former congresswoman and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has emphasized her ancestral roots in the state and experience working in the nation’s capital.
Haaland leads Bregman in fundraising by a wide margin, but the primary has become increasingly combative. Bregman’s campaign has seized on the fact that Haaland has declined multiple opportunities to debate him. Meanwhile Haaland’s campaign has cast Bregman as out of touch with everyday New Mexicans, highlighting his personal wealth.
By any measure, Bass’ first term has been challenging. The worst wildfire in city history began while she was traveling with a presidential delegation in Ghana. Homelessness continues to be a challenge.
“I haven’ always got it right,” Bass says.
But now she wants a second term, which would allow her to keep leading the city of 4 million people as it hosts the Olympics in 2028.
Bass is facing challenges from the left and the right. Progressive city council member Nithya Raman and Republican reality television personality Spencer Pratt are among the 14 names on the ballot.
With so many candidates, no one is likely to get a majority of the vote on Tuesday, meaning the election would be settled by a November runoff between the top two.
One of the most closely watched House races in this year’s midterms is unfolding in the New Jersey district represented by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who’s been absent from votes for nearly three months.
Kean is running unopposed in the Republican primary, where he’s has Trump’s support. But his absence because of an undisclosed personal medical issue has generated outsized interest in the contest.
Kean is seeking a third term.
Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. is running unopposed in the primary for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district on Tuesday. But he’s facing growing scrutiny for an unexplained medical absence that has stretched for more than three months, causing him to miss more than 100 votes in Congress.
Trump weighed in on social media late Monday, saying Kean was “working tirelessly” to support the MAGA agenda.
Though Kean isn’t facing any GOP competition today, he’s seeking reelection this fall in one of the few genuinely competitive congressional districts left on the map. Several Democrats vying to take him on in the general election have made his absence — and the lack of clarity surrounding it — a central part of their message.
Every two years, the attention of the nation’s political class is riveted on a Democratic-leaning congressional district in California’s Central Valley. Republican Rep. David Valadao has been able to fend off repeated Democratic challengers, except in 2018, when he barely lost. But he ran again two years later and reclaimed the seat.
Democrats redrew the district to make it even tougher for Valadao. They recruited a moderate who represents the area in the state capital, Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, to run against him. But she’s had to battle a more liberal rival, political science professor and school board member Randy Villegas. The primary will determine Valadao’s next opponent.
That means all candidates are on the same ballot, regardless of their party affiliation. California has used that system for more than a decade.
It’s occasionally resulted in two candidates from the same party competing against each other in a general election. That happened most notably in U.S. Senate races in 2016 and 2018, when two Democrats faced off.
In the governor’s race, though, one Republican and one Democrat have always advanced to November. Democrats had feared a lockout this year given their large field of candidates. But those worries have diminished in the race’s closing weeks.
A Democrat has held the governor’s office since 2011, when Jerry Brown took over from Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Democrats have also had a firm grip on the state Legislature.
Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco say that means Democrats are to blame for the state’s expensive gas and housing, its homelessness crisis and a slew of other problems. Both have pledged to reduce regulations and taxes.
Hilton has President Donald Trump’s backing. That could help him in the primary but hurt him in the general election in the heavily Democratic state.
Holding on to Iowa is a big part of the GOP’s plan to keep its U.S. Senate majority.
A super PAC affiliated with Senate Republicans has pledged $29 million to help ensure the seat stays in GOP hands.
That means all candidates are on the same ballot, regardless of their party affiliation. California has used that system for more than a decade.
It has occasionally resulted in two candidates from the same party competing against each other in a general election. That happened most notably in U.S. Senate races in 2016 and 2018, when two Democrats faced off.
In the governor’s race, though, one Republican and one Democrat have always advanced to November. Democrats had feared a lockout this year, given their large field of candidates. But those worries have diminished in the race’s closing weeks.
The candidates are U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, state Rep. Eddie Andrews, businessman and former conservative political director Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former director of the state Department of Administrative Services Adam Steen.
If no candidate earns at least 35% of Republican primary voters, the nominee would be selected at a contested state party convention.
Trump endorsed Feenstra on Friday, saying on social media that “Randy is MAGA all the way!”
The generational fighting that has been ripping through the Democratic Party continues in California’s primaries.
In the Los Angeles-area’s 32nd District, 42-year-old lawyer Jake Levine is challenging Brad Sherman, 71, a 15-term member of the House of Representatives.
And in the 7th District near Sacramento, 40-year-old city councilwoman Mai Vang is challenging Doris Matsui, 81, who has held the seat since her husband, a congressman himself for decades, died in 2005.
Tom Steyer, the former hedge fund manager turned climate activist, spent nearly $200 million of his money on advertising alone.
The billionaire’s ad campaign was the most expensive in the country by far this election cycle. The data comes from advertising tracker AdImpact.
Steyer’s rivals in the governor’s race and his critics have accused him of trying to buy the election.
But he’s defended his spending, saying he is fighting against powerful corporate interests that are driving up the price of living in the state. Pacific Gas & Electric, a major California utility, is among the corporations and business interests funding anti-Steyer ads.
“I’m only working for the people of California,” Steyer said last week.
They are former mayor of fast-growing Rio Rancho Gregg Hull, cannabis business owner Duke Rodriguez and public relations professional Doug Turner.
While Hull and Turner have not aligned their campaigns with the MAGA movement, Rodriguez was recently served a cease-and-desist letter from a law firm representing Trump for “deceptive use” of the president’s image in campaign materials. That contest's winner faces an uphill battle to win in a state where a Republican has not been elected to statewide office in 10 years.
A sign directs voters to a polling place for the New Jersey primary election in Cherry Hill township, N.J., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A person walks from a polling place for the New Jersey primary election in Oaklyn, N.J., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
