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By Seb Joseph, News editor

May 5, 2015 | 3 min read

Audi is exploring the possibility of adding pop-up stores to its retail efforts that would use augmented reality (AR) to offset the conventional showroom experience.

The decision stems from strong visitor numbers to the pop-up it erected at Westfield shopping centre in Stratford for the A3 Sportback e-tron's launch in February. Billed as an “exciting interactive experience”, Audi kitted out a shopfront with mobile technology and augmented kit, spanning the Oculus Rift to mobile apps that connect with the car.

It proved a potent mix with more than 7,500 visitors coming through the doors over its four week opening and over 10 per cent of those booked a test drive. Audi used the stunt, developed in partnership with Somo, as a way to trumpet the arrival of its first mainstream plug-in petrol electric hybrid though was always mindful of how it could inform ongoing efforts to move where showrooms sit in its customer journey.

A few years ago, visits to multiple showrooms would have been a core part of the car buying experience. However, the breadth of automotive content online has meant visits are far less likely and consequently car brands are trying to offer something different.

Sarah Cox, national communications manager at Audi UK, said: "The pop-up store has been a great success and has really helped us explain a new technology in an engaging way to potential e-tron owners. We will definitely evaluate further pop-up stores for the future."

To give future pop-up store endeavours the edge, Audi is banking on its expertise on AR technology. The car maker has given AR a more prominent role in its marketing with products created with Somo like Audi Vision and its plan to turn all Audi logos into AR triggers.

The importance of AR is to offer “additional value to our customers, for the e-tron that highlights what makes the model unique, the charging point and the engine, elements that aren’t immediately visible,” said Cox.

“With Audi Vision, AR allows us to bring static pages of a brochure to life and offer additional information and content. We will continue to invest in AR or VR if the technology can enhance the consumers experience and add further layers of information to the purchase process.”

The plan will also see Audi bring AR closer to its virtual reality efforts, while always mindful of the fact the two have subtle differences, with the latter closing people off to their surroundings rather than enhancing it like AR does.

Separately, the automotive player will look to carve a stronger service imprint around its mobile offering. For instance, the Audi Mileage Tracker which allows its fleet audience to track and expense their business miles, and the Audi Companion app for Audi owners.

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