At a time when OEMs and traditional automobile manufacturers opt for newer methods of selling vehicles by leveraging technology and small format dealerships, the Bengaluru-headquartered, Ather Energy is taking an unconventional approach to selling its electric scooters - Ather 450 and 450X via experience centres called Ather Space.
The electric vehicle (EV) start-up takes orders online but at the same time is opening ‘Experience Centres’ for the EV enthusiasts to learn, experience and feel what the company is all about, not just the display of products like a traditional dealership.
It is not for the first time that an automobile manufacturer is taking this route of experience to sell its vehicles. Earlier, Fiat India introduced ‘Retail Cafe’ to tell India about the Fiat brand and its legacy. Similarly, Citroen has also come with La Masion store formats to give an essence of the European brand with large screens, books and a sitting area to enjoy some coffee.
What is interesting to note about Ather Energy Experience Centre is that it is not built from an approach to reduce the dealership size to cut down on rentals and costs, but the size of Ather Centre will be equal to or even bigger than the traditional two-wheeler dealerships available now.
In fact, the first experience centre opened in Bengaluru, which is spread across 2,000 sq ft, and the 4,000 sq ft “Ather Space” in Chennai covers the major milestones achieved by the brand.
So far, the start-up has opened 10 such experience centres across 13 cities. It plans to expand its operations to 50 cities in FY22 and 100 cities by the end of FY23; all supported by fast-charging stations “Ather Grid” across cities.
Retail experts spell out that it is a great strategy for a new company that is coming up with latest technology. It becomes essential to educate and instil trust in customers and create an immersive brand experience. Many EV payers in India, who are importing products have nothing to display, so they take to the traditional form of selling. However, this concept isn’t new; EV pioneer Tesla took this route first to sell electric cars.
How does the Ather Energy Experience Centre feel like?
To find out what is so unique about the Ather Energy Experience Centre, this correspondent visited the recently opened experience centre at Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi.
Designed by a Delhi-based company Studio Lotus, the experience centres are built to provide an immersive experience of EV technology, products and services. With these experience centres, the company aims to educate the customers about EV technology.
Upon entering, the experience centre is an open, well laid out expansive floor plate divided into different zones, where customers can experience, learn about the various elements of EVs such as the battery, charging docks to prioritise awareness and engagement of customers over hardcore selling.
The floor is broadly divided into gallery spaces for the technology behind the product, discussion zones for customers, or initiation areas for first-time users.
While the Ather 450 and Ather 450X find their space in the experience centre, the company is also showcasing aluminium built chassis and battery to showcase the real engineering that has gone into the development of the scooters. This reflects Ather’s design-intensive approach to electric two-wheelers. The experience centre also boasts of workshop-style tables and monolithic podiums.
Once the customers take the brand experience and learn about the brand and EV technology, they can move to a dedicated discussion area that has a studio-like feel with timber furniture and plush seating along with shelves for books, framed photographs, and riding gears.
How Ather Energy services its electric scooters?
While the experience centre is all about immersive and learning experience about the brand, for service of the electric scooter, the company is aiming to simplify its subscription model. Customers can pay a fee for the maintenance of its vehicle, which covers accidents, regular service, road-side assistance and even a tyre puncture.
This is to establish that even though it is a new technology and brand, customers can rely on hassle-free service and have peace of mind with its subscription plans. The company has two quarterly subscription plans - INR 2,400 and INR 3,400 for the service of the electric scooters.