“We’ve recently studied Apple retail and believe it is an underappreciated competitive advantage,” Gene Munster writes for Loup Ventures. “No other tech company has Apple’s base of 65,000 retail employees delivering face to face advice, support, and experiences.”
“Apple stores are a channel through which Apple expresses its values of quality, design, experience, inspiration, ease of use, and privacy,” Munster writes. “These values are delivered through the Genius Bar, Today at Apple, employee checkout, in-store pickup, curated third-party products, and a consistent online and in-store experience.”
“n 2014, Angela Ahrendts left Burberry to lead Apple retail. We attribute two contributions to Ahrendts. First, while Apple stores offered in-store classes, elementary school field trips, and music events to build community, Ahrendts expanded the classes and community theme with Today at Apple,” Munster writes. “Separately, Ahrendts made the online and offline experiences (including recommendations) consistent and launched an Apple Store app. The formula seems to be working…”
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MacDailyNews Take: Two things additional things about Apple Retail Stores: One, a constant since inception, is that the stores are overly acoustically “bright” making them extremely loud. Hard floors, glass, hard ceilings; it can get deafening. In smaller stores, this makes hearing instructors’ classes, or even staff members more difficult than it should be. Some acoustical design (sound deadening) would go a long, long way to making the stores more comfortable overall. Secondly, the stores are increasingly more crowded – a nice problem to have – which is obviously recognized as an issue as we see Apple expanding stores pretty much wherever they can. (Just don’t forget the acoustics! Quieter stores will seem less crowded, even if they actually aren’t.)
100% agreement with the MDN Take.
Positive side of noisy is the feeling of liveliness and energy shared..
Hopefull the new design with trees will lessen the ecoh but too scilent will not be as fun and engaging.
Agree with MDN take. It can be a bit unpleasant at times.
Not sure which stores you go into but the stores I frequent are not as MDN describes. Not saying I can’t see that in many of the picture I see of other stores but how do you take a train station and keep it historic and make it sound proof? My mall stores are not necessarily all that bright. Definitely loud because there is a crap load of people in them and everyone is talking at the same time.
I don’t have “free speech” UNLESS I have a “security clearance”!!! I have no free speech rights unless I have a security clearance. Dam that President Trump!!!
Wanna go deaf? Spend 1 hour in an Apple store and that will do the trick. I shudder every time I pass one.
Here’s the thing about brick & mortar retail stores…
They serve one function: To move product that people want.
They also serve as a gallery for people to touch, fondle, ‘ooh & aah’ said product; to see how wonderful a product can be.
To thrill and delight customers… with ‘products’ people want.
The retail experience is not ‘the product’; it’s a showcase for ‘the product’. Yes, the can be nice, inviting, comfortable… but the stores only exist to showcase the benefits of ‘the product’.
Apple needs ‘products’ that thrill and delight customers, or there is no reason for stores to be open. Honestly, if Apple only sold their products out of the trunk of a car, I’d still buy it if it were well made.
Angela can sing & dance all day about how wonderful the stores are, but without compelling Apple product on the tables, she’s no better than Monkey Boy Ballmer. In fact, Microsoft has some decently designed stores (modeled after Apple), but no customers… why is that?
Apple has done a piss-poor job the past few years keeping the Mac product line updated. Let’s hope the product people start to be listened to again.
Agree totally with acoustic issues – I recently went to the Manchester UK store and had ask to move to a quieter area so I could properly hear what the Apple person was telling me.
Wholeheartedly agree with MDN. I used to go to the Apple Store all the time almost 15 years ago. The courses on varied topics was great, and I actually had a chance to walk around the store and try out some new stuff. It really helped me explore and eventually move over to Apple products. However, I haven’t stopped by an Apple Store for almost a decade except for warranty repairs. It’s just been too crazy and loud for me. I would have to wait in line to check out most products. I just buy online now.
Though…. it is funny to see a hustling & bustling Apple Store and then walk by the Microsoft Store and see 3 people inside.
I am hard of hearing and wear hearing aids. Unless I absolutely have to go to an Apple Store, I stay away because of the acoustics. When I have to go, I try to find what I hope will be the quietest time to go.