Relio Quick Auto Mall - India’s 1st Largest Multi City Auto Show Reveals Activation Strategy

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Marketing | September 12, 2018 | Interview

In order to keep in tune with the trends and needs of the Automobile market, Relio Quick India has consistently introduced various formats for bringing Buyers and Sellers together. To extend greater reach and value to Automobile Companies, they introduced a new IP 'Relio Quick Auto Mall' managed by Stratagem Business Consulting LLP. In an exclusive conversation with Sandeep Kapoor, Founder of Relio Quick Auto Mall, we dig deep into the branding strategy behind this IP and insights about the Automobile Market.

Explain the brand activation strategy behind Relio Quick Auto Mall.

Auto Mall was launched by us in 2002, as a new and innovative concept of showcasing multiple car and bike brands under one roof, with test drives, special offers, spot bookings, entertainment and more. In 2008-2012, we organised various large format auto shows at Expo Centers like Pragati Maidan Delhi, Palace Grounds Bangalore, MMRDA Ground Mumbai etc. in partnership with The Times of India. In 2014, we pivoted the model to organise these shows in top shopping malls. Shopping malls provide natural footfall of thousands of visitors on any weekend. Auto Brands are getting an excellent response since at least 15-20% of the visitors at these malls would be planning to buy a car/bike in the next 1 year. Also, we’re able to strategically plan the layout in terms of relevant footfall – for example, Maruti Suzuki would be better placed near an Anchor Store like Big Bazaar, whereas we would have BMW near a luxury watch store. As we have annual bulk deals and sign-ups with the malls, we’re able to offer the locations at very reasonable rates to car and bike brands. For malls, they’re able to generate additional revenue out of non-atrium display locations which were earlier unused.

We have already executed a total of 150+ shows under the Auto Mall brand across 35+ venues in 20+ cities. Currently, we do 5-8 shows every month with 6-10 participating brands in each show. The model has been replicated by numerous other players now which is a testimony to its success.

 
Tell us about the sales conversion of this IP?

The purpose of the shows is a mix of branding and lead generation for automobile companies/dealers. Leads generated at the shows usually take time of about 1-3 months to close in case of cars and bikes. Recently, to measure the quality of leads and footfall, we introduced special offers on spot bookings for visitors across all our shows in June. We got 20+ spot bookings in our shows Pan India with vehicles ranging from Maruti Suzuki Swift to a Harley Davidson! 

How does a brand activation like this benefit the Auto Mobile Market?

Overall, Auto Mall as a property has helped automobile companies reach and engage 1.5 Million+ visitors, generating 1.75 lakh+ inquiries across 20+ cities. Even if we take 8-10% conversion rate, 15000+ cars/bikes have been sold through Auto Mall. Due to the huge success and growth of Auto Mall, Multi-Brand Auto Shows have become a part of the sales/marketing budgets of most automobile companies in India now. The shows provide a platform with a high natural footfall at a reasonable cost to the participants. Also, since we have been into events since 20 years, we take care of the end-to-end management of the event including layouts, stall design, setup, creatives, digital marketing, and real-time reporting, which makes for a great comprehensive offering.  

Could you explain to us how this shift in the new format has affected the profit margins of the company? Is it profitable in the first place?

Unlike many other Event IPs which take years to get profitable, almost all shows under Auto Mall have been profitable with a decent margin. The increase in the number of shows has decreased the profit margin a bit but that’s natural while scaling up any business. Till 2014-15, around 25-30 multi-brand auto shows in malls per year were happening across India and Auto Mall was the sole player. Now, the number would be 200+ per year out of which we project Auto Mall having a 50% share. 

How do you manage to take this ahead, any new plans for the coming years?

We plan to enter Tier 2-3 markets to provide deeper penetration to the automobile companies. We have already started doing shows at cities like Vizag, Vijaywada, Nellore, Dehradun etc. We will also introduce Auto Mall – Upcountry format to cover the Top 10 towns in each state. Through Auto Mall, we’ve developed excellent relations and database of 80+ Top Shopping Malls across India. In addition to the Auto Mall shows, we’re launching Comprehensive Mall Solutions which would include Solo Brand Activations, Specialty Leasing / Long-Term Displays, Mall Branding Media and Weekend Shows. We aim to be the go-to agency for any marketing solution at malls across India.