Rolls-Royce Boutique in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Britain’s Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has selected Dubai, United Arab Emirates as the testing ground for a progressive showroom concept that leverages experiential touchpoints to connect with potential consumers.
The automaker selected Dubai’s City Walk, a luxury and hospitality center, for the location of its inaugural Rolls-Royce Boutique showroom. Through its authorized representative in the UAE, AGMC, Rolls-Royce also operates a traditional showroom and after sale center on Sheikh Zayed Road, which demonstrates the importance the Dubai market has for the luxury automaker.
“The above average income clients are seeking personalized service when purchasing a high-end vehicle,” said Lauren Fix, automotive expert, Lancaster, NY. “Rolls-Royce offers high-line cars with handmade craftsmanship that is a sign of success. What better way than personalized service.”
Ms. Fix is not affiliated with Rolls-Royce, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Rolls-Royce was reached for comment.
Showrooms of the future
Rolls-Royce Boutique, a permanent outpost for the automaker, will complement the brand’s existing showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road. For its showroom concept, Rolls-Royce drew inspiration from its temporary Summer Studio pop-up held in Porto Cervo, Sardinia (see story).
Similar to the Summer Studio, Rolls-Royce Boutique aims to celebrate “true luxury” and bring the ethos of the brand to life in an exclusive market such as Dubai.
To do so, the Rolls-Royce Boutique houses a curated series of experiential areas to cull interest and excitement from potential and current drivers of the brand’s vehicles.
The space itself, the product of a multi-million dollar investment from AGMC, spans 7,300 square feet and features floor-to-ceiling vectorized pixel-animation screens of the showroom’s external windows. The exterior placement of these screens will be visible to passersby, likely attracting their attention as the pass.
Rolls-Royce Boutique on Dubai’s City Walk
Rolls-Royce Boutique includes four distinct areas for consumers to explore.
At The Inspiration Studio, the automaker will stage one-of-a-kind examples of its bespoke vehicles. By showing off its one-off bespoke models, Rolls-Royce can demonstrate, in person, its customization capabilities.
The Inspiration Studio also includes an interactive Spirit of Ecstasy Wall where motion-capture technology transforms visitors into the Rolls-Royce hood statuette. An interactive, virtual reality configurator is also present to help potential buyers envision their bespoke Rolls-Royce.
Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke Atelier builds off the Inspiration Studio’s features by exhibiting fine art, design and high-fashion cues to further consumer’s creative process when designing a bespoke vehicle.
In this area, Rolls-Royce displays paints, marquetry, exotic woods, leathers, piping, treat plates and accessories, such as its picnic hampers, to help consumers with the commissioning process.
Interactive area at Rolls-Royce Boutique in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
To spur creativity a step further, Rolls-Royce has made an original piece of art the centerpiece of the area, showcasing Syrian artist Khaled Al Saaei’s Spirit of Ecstasy in Arabic calligraphy.
Rolls-Royce Boutique also offers its affluent consumers a place to relax and meet in the form of an intimate eatery. The Pinnacle Cafe can also be booked for business meetings.
At the Affinity Area, Rolls-Royce will work with other luxury brands, inviting them to choose the Rolls-Royce Boutique to display their rarest and most unique goods. With displays changing over regularly, this element gives Rolls-Royce Boutique a lifestyle draw beyond its automotive offerings.
During the opening ceremony of Rolls-Royce Boutique, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, the automaker’s CEO, was quoted saying, “Dubai is an important part of our brand’s success tory, and it has been among the top five markets in the world for Rolls-Royce for three consecutive years, placing it alongside or above other markets with much bigger populations.
“Our success in Dubai and the rest of the world is borne of an intimate understanding of lifestyle requirements of the world’s most discerning patrons of luxury,” he said. “True luxury houses like Rolls-Royce must therefore constantly strive to innovate and inspire.
“This extraordinary space will become a social hot-spot that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Rolls-Royce’s Center of Excellence in Goodwood, England.”
Middle East approach
Prior to the opening of Rolls-Royce Boutique in Dubai, the automaker sought to educate the consumer base in the market about its heritage through mobile activations.
For example, in March 2015, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars took its Inside Rolls-Royce exhibition to the Middle East for the first time.
After successful integrations in the United Kingdom and Germany, the mobile-optimized look into the automaker’s history was spread across eight rooms in the United Arab Emirates. With auto enthusiasts’ eyes upon Dubai after the city’s motor show just wrapped, the announcement for the opening likely spurred some attention (see story).
British automakers Rolls-Royce Motor Cars had its second-best sales year in its 112-year history in 2015, owing to strong performance in the United States and Middle East.
North America and the U.S. were the largest region and market for Rolls-Royce, beating out the Middle East and United Arab Emirates, but the Middle East just edged out North America in bespoke models. Rolls-Royce’s bespoke deliveries have helped it carve out a large chunk of the market in the region (see story).
Demonstrating cutting-edge technologies side-by-side superior craftsmanship is one way to attract attention from ultra-high-net-worth consumers.
“Technology allows dealers to personalize a customers car and show it to them as it will look,” Ms. Fix said. “In addition, you can follow the procedure as your car is being built.
“I truly believe that fully integrating high-end clients with the brand will lead to success for Rolls-Royce,” she said.