When we think of Apple’s physical stores, the common thing is to associate them with a place to sell products, right? Until a while ago, yes. Currently, not only consumers but Apple employees have highlighted some frustrations with the state of Apple’s retail business in a new report from Bloomberg.
Both former Apple employees and current employees said the Cupertino giant’s physical stores have become more focused on branding than satisfying consumers, leading to more complaints against some facilities.
Of course, brand management is extremely important, but when it gets in the way of some pillars of retail, there are complaints. According to the sources of Bloomberg, the former head of retail at Apple, Angela Ahrendts, built stores with less defined locations so that users could, in fact, buy – in an effort to reduce store queues.
In this sense, the boxes of the renovated Apple Stores were replaced by sellers who walk around the store with iPhones and iPads to place orders. According to one of the interviewees, this made Apple’s selling points more like “showrooms luxury and pushed the inconvenient business of Check-out off the stage ”.
Meanwhile, Ahrendts began to transfer sales and services to the web – encouraging the team to tell customers to “get in line, online”. Customers should make an appointment on the Apple website and then pick up the product from a store. Apple was “trying to simplify things,” says one employee, “but in the process it made things more difficult for some customers.”
In addition to sales, another pillar of Apple Stores was, according to the report, hampered by recent changes in Apple retail. According to the interviewees, the Genius Bar (technical support point of the Apple stores) was, in part, replaced by employees who visit the stores and, therefore, are more difficult to track.
Now, it’s up to Deirdre O’Brien, new head of people + retail, the task of revitalizing the company’s retail methods, even if it means taking them away from the idea perpetuated by Ahrendts of seeing Apple Stores as “squares” and social meeting points – a former manager of an Apple Store vented the same concerns about Apple’s retail business last March.
The fact is that Apple’s sales have been dropping and, if the stores themselves don’t encourage purchases, the company’s situation is unlikely to take off anytime soon – so something must be done.
Angela Ahrendts tells what she learned at Apple
Regardless of ups and downs, the former head of retail at Apple has brought numerous innovations to the company’s stores. Ahrendts left Cupertino last April after a very smooth transition to the new management (although, say, doubts remain about his departure).
Recently, the former executive participated in an episode of the podcast “Hello Monday”, from LinkedIn, sharing a little of his experiences (and thoughts) about his time in the company.
Ahrendts said that the moment of transition from the fashion market (as CEO of Burberry) to that of technology made her “incredibly insecure” and that, during the first semester at Apple, she remained “reasonably silent” because she wanted to orient herself and win confidence in your role.
She also said that during her time at Apple she learned three things: “never forget where you came from”, referencing her own story before joining Apple; “You have a greater responsibility than selling products”, in relation to the treatment people receive at Apple Stores; finally, she said “you should be moving faster than you ever imagined”, referring to the fact that customers expect Apple’s leadership to adapt to current times and technology quickly.
As we said, Ahrendts has had a major impact on the way Apple Stores operate, which will certainly echo in the years to come, even under O’Brien’s management.
The full interview with Ahrendts, which includes details about his early life and time at Burberry, can be heard on the Podcasts app or on iTunes.
via MacRumors: 1, 2
