Skoda India in association with Autobahn Enterprise opened the first boutique showroom in Bandra, Mumbai (western suburb) yesterday.
A boutique showroom is unlike any other showroom that you will see. It has a contemporary design and lifestyle that will make customers feel closer to the brand.
Explains Thomas Kuehl, board member, Sales and Marketing, Skoda Auto India: “The boutique showroom concept echoes Skoda’s philosophy to provide not just quality cars but also a quality experience to our customers. The concept has been brought in to bring customers closer to the brand by providing them with all key information through multiple channels.â€
By the end of this calendar year, Skoda plans to have at least 15 to 20 of these boutique showrooms to be up and running in the leading tier 1 and 2 cities of India, he further said. Kuehl feels that such showrooms will be the future because these are cost effective as well as they do not take much space and serves the purpose more than a usual showroom with many cars on display. “These days everything is available at doorstep so why not a car,†he added.
Speaking on being the first to have a boutique showroom in Mumbai, Harshil Choksey, director, Autobahn said, “In India, buying a car has a lot of emotional connect. The touch and feel is important more than just knowing the brand. So keeping in mind those factors, we decided to have this concept with luxurious setting which can help customers feel closer to the brand.â€
Elucidating on what differs this one from others, Choksey says that their showroom will not have any sales person but there would only be Guest Relation Executive (GREs) who would handle all customer queries and will pass on the leads to sales personnel who will then approach the interested parties and give them a test drive wherever they wish to take.
“This way, a family doesn’t have walk in to the showroom but we go up to them from test drive to the last paperwork,†he informed.
The showroom will also act as a platform to give customers a sneak preview to the upcoming Skoda models. There is also an automobile education centre for anyone who wants to know about automobiles and Skoda. “A lot of people do not know the difference between say a Skoda Laura is and Superb, so we intend to educate them about the different variants and its exclusivity and if anyone wants to get any general information as well, we are open to educate them on that,†informs Skoda officials.
Also on offer would be Skoda merchandise, scale models of all Skoda models, and Skoda branded products.
