“The average Apple retail store sells as many iPhones in a single day as most AT&T retail stores sell in an entire week, say a team of analysts for investment research firm Piper Jaffray,” Prince McLean reports for AppleInsider.
McLean reports, “In their latest round of channel checks, Sr. Analyst Gene Munster and fellow Wireless Analyst Mike Walkley spent a considerable amount of time counting the number of iPhones leaving Apple and AT&T retail stores across the country.”
“Munster, who in a research note Tuesday said he spent 50 total hours at various Apple retail stores counting sales of the iPhone in two-hour intervals, reported that each Apple retail store sells an average of 21 iPhones per day. Paling in comparison were AT&T’s stores which, according to Walkley’s checks, sold just 21 iPhones per week,” McLean reports.
McLean reports, “Based on the pair’s findings, Munster said Apple will likely hit its stated sales goal of 730,000 iPhones during the current September quarter ending the 29th, and may even sell as many as 804,000 units.”
More in AppleInsider’s full article here.
Well, OK, but the average AT&T;store is a tiny storefront thing and there are _tons_ of them around, all over the place, as opposed to the relative dearth of Apple Stores (nearest to me is nearly 2 hours in good traffic). Munster needs to be making allowances for 1800 stores vs. 150. Then suddenly the 7 to 1 ratio doesn’t sound so bad anymore!
I’ve been seeing ALOT of AT&T;commercials lately. I was already sick of Oasis. Not one of them shows an iPhone or any type in particular.
Of the few that do show a phone, it’s usually some generic flip model available on special.
If I ran AT&T;Advertising, I’d show nothing but iPhones and scream that we’re the only (other) one that has ’em!
But they didn’t call me so… F ’em
Going to an Apple Store is an event. To AT&T;? A chore.
I calculate 1.5M iPhones yearly at Apple stores (given 200 stores)
vs.
2.2M yearly at ATT stores (given 2000 stores).
The total number of stores may be off but you get the drift.
If Apple sell 4 M in a year that would be cool.
Did I miss something. I thought Apple Inc stated 1Million iPhone sales by the end of September…and 1% market share end of 2008…???
The iPeople are responsible for the success of the iPhone in the Apple Store.
Duh.
1800 ATT Stores x 21 iPhones a week = 37,800 per week
170 Apple Stores x 147 iPhone a week = 24,990 per week
AT&T;is outselling Apple stores, simply based on sheet numbers of their small outlets across the country.
However, consider the idea that when one walks into an AT&T;store, the odds are extrememly high they are going there to buy a phone or upgrade their phone/plan. Contrast this to a person walking into an Apple Store – a store with much greater diversity than an AT&T;cellular store, who have customers going into those store for any reason among dozens… It is a testiment to how successful Apple is in drawing people into their stores and converting those visits to sales.
As Apple delivers more iPhone models, and price points drop, the Apple Store will only increase this trend, as more and more people equate the Apple Store as a Cellular provider.
“….I’ve been seeing ALOT of AT&T;commercials lately. I was already sick of Oasis. Not one of them shows an iPhone or any type in particular.”
I believe that Apple specified in their agreement with AT&T;that Apple would handle all iPhone advertising.
What would be interesting to see is the traffic in an AT&T;Store close to an Apple Store as apposed to an AT&T;store where there is no Apple store close by.
Oh ya and when is Rogers going to bring the iPhone to Canada?
Never mind I will have to settle for the new touch POD that will be announced Wednesday;-)
“he spent 50 total hours at various Apple retail stores counting sales of the iPhone in two-hour intervals”
Unless he had permission, that had to look suspicious.
We’ve seen Jobs with an iPhone. Has anyone asked if Randall Stephenson uses one?
AT&T;is horrible.
I was going to buy an iPhone this weekend until I walked into the AT&T;store. I then walked over to the Apple store, whoa, what a difference. Damn, that iPhone is absolutely gorgeous. But until the carrier, or their service plan, changes I’m going to slog along with a crappy Motorola.
this is hardly surprising, given the numerous reports of terrible iPhone sale experiences in AT&T;stores. customer service? whazzat???
Why Apple sells more iPhones than AT&T;.
AT&T;Customer Service Rep:
“Sorry ’bout the long wait” “Wat kind of phone do ya want” “Yea we got those, somewhere.” “Demo models? Heck no” “Here ya go, a nice free Samsung with 8 year contact”
Apple Customer Service Rep:
“We got a great phone here!” “Just look at all things you can do with it” “Wow you say?, you’ll take it” “Hey that’s great!” “You got any trouble, drop me a line and we will take care of it for you.”
Apple sold (supposedly) 270,000 iPhones its first weekend alone. That leaves the 730,000 remaining copies for the rest of the quarter. Get it?
I got an iPhone two weeks ago at the Apple store. A wonderful experience with well informed people.
I went into an AT&T;store last week to port my number from Sprint to AT&T;. A trying experience with uninformed people.
What is the dis-connect here people?
MW : “stock” as in ( ( ( surging ) ) )
There is no incentive for ATT retail people to sell an Iphone. I spoke to a manager and point blank he was frank. Iphones for the store to sell was crummy since they did not get the activation commissions.
I aksed him if he was concerned of the new way to sell an cell phone and he said he had not considered it until just then and then he got concerned. He was now completely obsolete. There was no reason for someone to have a store and sit around for 30 minutes.
I just read that Palm has scraped the Folio… blood on iPhone’s glass anyone?
@Steven – How To Slice it
“AT&T;is outselling Apple stores, simply based on sheet numbers of their small outlets across the country.”
Holy sheet!
@John
Man, I agree with you… think u got it right.
—-
ALL in ALL
Online sales are also to be accounted for.
I hope Apple is achieving there projected goals.
Call me a FAN or NOT…
APPLE and all it’s products are GREAT.
Time for MS to learn something new.
AND that is BUILD what customers want.
AND feed us along the way to grow better and happier.
hahahaha whatever… it’s all good.
j
why is there a ; every time someone types AT&T;? is that a match for the html code for inserting a ; ?
ie on a win2k
🙁
AT&T;sucks ballz.
What a stupid study to have performed, not only do its methods completely ignore the customer demographic, but the results mean nothing.
Firstly, to the best of my knowledge, Apple sells only one phone model – the iPhone. Therefore, by default, any person who enters the Apple store with the intent of subscribing to a cellular service will walk out with an iPhone, provided they decide to purchase this subscription.
Secondly, those people entering an Apple store know EXACTLY which phone they are going to buy. That’s the reason they go to the Apple store. They ALREADY KNOW that they are going to buy an iPhone, and travel to the Apple Store to purchase it.
Now consider that a large amount of traffic in and out of ATT store fronts include those people who either (a) looking for the cheapest deal, (b) looking at possibly upgrading or moving to a new type of phone, and (c) are presented with a myriad of phones which all basically do the same thing, with different bells and whistles on them.
In the end:
The apple store is dealing with customers who are willing to shell out MORE money, know EXACTLY what they want, and go to the Apple store to do so. Furthermore, I’m willing to bet that those people who know what they want are going to head to the Apple store INSTEAD of the ATT store because they know where to go.
The ATT store is dealing with customers who are unsure which phone they want to purchase, want to save money, and have to take into consideration many factors regarding their plans. They go to the store to browse the selection. I know that’s what I’ve done when I go to the Verizon store.
Believe it or not, but it’s NOT normal for people to sign up for completely new, expensive cell plans, drop 400-600 dollars on a phone, and pay for cancellation fees on their old plans. That’s not the way the majority of people operate. I think the most of us operate with budgets and wives and children in mind, and those things tend to come in front of gadgets and gizmos.
Furthermore, the Apple reps at the Apple store don’t have to “sell” the iPhone to their customers. You already know what you want when you get there. At an ATT store, a representative has to convince customers to spend hundreds more to get a phone that may/may not actually present any benefit to them. I have never been impressed with any cell phone company, and furthermore am not impressed with Apple sales reps on the whole. Perhaps I’m a bit jaded, but I feel that this study deals more with individual consumer, not the ‘superior sales techniques’ of any one specific company.
I don’t have an iPhone or even use ATT, but I do use and enjoy Macs…I just think this whole ‘study” is a stupid waste of time. It’s sort of like the CNN article recently that proclaimed that “Men like Hot Women.”
…Duh.