In Rural Lifestyle Dealer's 2017 Dealer Business Trends and Outlook Report, dealers reported on the product lines they plan to add in 2017. A good share of rural lifestyle equipment dealers are committing resources to expanding their product offerings. Like last year, utility vehicles top the list for 2017, with more than 36% of dealers expecting to add the product line this year.

In fact, the top 5 for 2017 matched the top 5 for 2016, with a few switching of positions. Tractors under 40 horsepower ranked 2nd again this year with about 33% of dealers adding inventory. Skid steer loaders ranked 3rd with about 31% of dealers saying they will add inventory (ranking number 4 last year). Zero-turn mowers ranked 4th with about 26% of dealers saying they will add inventory (ranking number 3 last year). Tractors 40-100 horsepower ranked 5th this year and last year with 20% of dealers forecasting they will add inventory. For a complete list, see the table below.

It’s interesting to note that dealers forecast rotary cutters and front-end loaders as two strong categories for driving revenue, but neither made the top 5 list for products dealers are adding. Perhaps dealers are mostly satisfied with their current lineups, but see an increasing demand. (See the table "Product Lines Dealers are Likely to Add in 2017".)

ATVs is another category that shows discrepancy between the two measurements. Dealers ranked it low, number 24 out of 26, for products with the potential to increase revenues, yet it ranks seventh in terms of products dealers will add this year. This might be related to dealers rounding out their product offerings to capture every segment of buyer.