Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple VP of Online Retail Bob Kupbens Resigns From Company

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,419
37,604


bobkupbens-250x250.jpeg
Bob Kupbens, Apple's Vice President of Online Retail, has resigned from the company, reports 9to5Mac.

The former Delta Airlines VP was hired by Apple in March 2014 shortly after Angela Ahrendts was confirmed the company's next senior VP. The hires came as Apple sought to beef up its retail division following two years without a retail leader since John Browett's dismissal in 2012.

Kupbens took over from Apple VP Jennifer Bailey – now in charge of Apple Pay – and was directly responsible for all online retail initiatives, such as Apple's recently redesigned online store and its online iPhone upgrade program.

Apple's retail leadership has had a relatively high staff turnover in recent years compared to other divisions in the company. In January 2013, VP Jerry McDougal left Cupertino after playing a key role in the company's retail development for 12 years. Ahrendts' division shake-up later made way for the 2015 retirement of Bob Bridger, the last Apple retail executive of the Steve Jobs and Ron Johnson era.

A former CEO of Burberry, Ahrendts famously revamped the fashion company's entire shopping experience. Apple has aggressively expanded in China under Ahrendts' retail leadership, with stores opening last year in Chongqing, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanjing and Tianjin, and several more on the way throughout 2016.

Article Link: Apple VP of Online Retail Bob Kupbens Resigns From Company
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/05/06/apple-vp-of-online-retail-resigns-from-company/
Last edited:
If you are a VP, you are responsible for the numbers, even if you cannot influence them so much.
This is why you get paid a lot of money.
... and this is why people kindly ask you to leave if you disagree with the vision of the company.
 
A lot of resignations documented in the last 12 months from Apple. I'm sure the work environment is stressful, but clearly the payoff is not enough to subdue these upper level executives.

Maybe Angela Arhendts should join him. Maybe Burberry was her 'True Calling'.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DoctorKrabs and Huck
Dr.Chroma said:
Maybe Angela Arhendts should join him. Maybe Burberry was her 'True Calling'.
Click to expand...

This.

And btw - this here is a freaking joke: "A former CEO of Burberry, Ahrendts famously revamped the company's entire shopping experience."

Nothing has been "revamped". I've recently seen Apple stores on three continents and the shopping experience is still as awful as ever. I would only go to an Apple Store to spend my money there if I absolutely have to (or for a Genius Bar appointment).
 
Eimantas said:
And Apple didn't like it or didn't think it was enough .(
Click to expand...
Or he just realized he wants to pursue other things.
[doublepost=1462529020][/doublepost]
paysdoufs said:
This.

And btw - this here is a freaking joke: "A former CEO of Burberry, Ahrendts famously revamped the company's entire shopping experience."

Nothing has been "revamped". I've recently seen Apple stores on three continents and the shopping experience is still as awful as ever. I would only go to an Apple Store to spend my money there if I absolutely have to (or for a Genius Bar appointment).
Click to expand...
Awful? Dial down your colour saturation settings.
 
I think this post is giving Angela a little too much credit.
[doublepost=1462529309][/doublepost]
paysdoufs said:
This.

And btw - this here is a freaking joke: "A former CEO of Burberry, Ahrendts famously revamped the company's entire shopping experience."

Nothing has been "revamped". I've recently seen Apple stores on three continents and the shopping experience is still as awful as ever. I would only go to an Apple Store to spend my money there if I absolutely have to (or for a Genius Bar appointment).
Click to expand...

Under her leadership Apple staff tell customers to buy online as stock is not available instore. If not being able to buy new products instore at launch is revamping, it's a big Step backwards
 
Not sure that getting rid of the product/display specific iPads was a good thing in the retail stores - used to be able to 'summon' someone from the iPads, now you have to try and catch someone's attention. Fine if you can do it (bought a new watch strap in-store last weekend and the try on service etc was exceptional), but I'd seen plenty of people waiting by the watch table give up and leave on account of not being attended to and having no way of 'summoning' anyone on staff.
 
There should be turnover in retail. Buying anything at an Apple Store is an awful experience and the online store has been changed for the worse. I actually left an Apple Store without buying because I had to put my name on a list for a "sales specialist" and could not just pay for an item and go.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NikeSG, macaximx and wlossw
Sounds like there is a lot of variation in how stores are operated. To do simple things, like a quick buy of a charger or cable, I was in and out in a few minutes. A few days ago it was in and out with a simple question of whether Time Machine could use Ethernet-connected hard drives attached to Time Capsule (the answer is NO!).

It's not in and out when the customers far exceed staff, of course.

In any case, it's the store manager or managers that make or break the store experience. If there is a general problem with a given store, contact Apple and report it.
 
paysdoufs said:
This.

And btw - this here is a freaking joke: "A former CEO of Burberry, Ahrendts famously revamped the company's entire shopping experience."

Nothing has been "revamped". I've recently seen Apple stores on three continents and the shopping experience is still as awful as ever. I would only go to an Apple Store to spend my money there if I absolutely have to (or for a Genius Bar appointment).
Click to expand...

I think the quote means she revamped "Burberry's" shopping experience - not Apple's
 
What gets me, as I've lived through change-over similar to Ahrendt's installation, is that she (and others like her) think and are treated as if they are doing something truly significant. When in fact, it was the actual hard work of creating Apple Stores in the first place, by people like Ron Johnson, that made it possible for her to have a job. Apple already had changed the computer and device shopping experience with their stores, so now it's just tweaking work required and in that regard, I certainly don't think she's contributed anything positive to either the brick and mortar or online shopping experience.

The only positive thing I can say about the stores is that the Apple Store app allows me to not have to wait for sales help, at least on non-device purchases, so I can go in, pay for the product on my iPhone and walk out. Otherwise, the employees don't, in my experience, even know as much about products or Apple in general, as I do (given I've got a good 30 years on most of them), and fighting through the crowds just isn't worth it to me. Even my youngest son sees and feels the negative change, as he used to ask to go to the Apple Store just to look at things, but no longer does. In part it's because we own so much Apple product already, but it used to be exciting to see the new iteration of different product and that excitement just isn't there any longer.

My wife has said this many times, and I agree, that Apple used to be special because it effectively appealed to a certain group of creative people and now that they're a mass market brand, that specialness is gone. It's a positive for Apple because they've moved beyond being a niche player (to the biggest and most successful company in their space), but for those who had the vision back in the day, it's more difficult to get excited about a brand that has effectively become what they competed against 20+ years ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jhudgins, notrack, FormerNavalPers and 1 other person
This is good news. The layouts of the online store make it seem like Apple actually does not want anyone to buy anything. It is extremely awkward and irritating trying to find accessories for sale, the product pages have gotten less informative, and having a single button - "Buy" for each flagship product on a very long page is supremely ignorant.

I'm glad Apple is getting the tar beaten out of its earnings and its stock price - all very warranted. Hopefully one of the execs is smart enough to realize that everything about the online store was close to perfect, and didn't need sweeping changes. It was not broken, but now it is. There have been an awful lot of retail and marketing goons brought on post-SJ that have very few positive enhancements to contribute to a company that already had its own highly unique and successful DNA. There has been no respect paid to the unique circumstances and models that Apple had built out. New marketing and retail blood comes on board, takes no time in learning what was working well and why it was working so well, feels the need to prove themselves, and then takes one theory they implemented from another company and forces it down upon Apple. Real executive talent recognizes real success. This new blood hadn't taken the time to shut up and learn about Apple's DNA before making what they thought to be their powerful contributions. I'd be stepping down too, they can smell the stink of their contributions at this point. When are performance reviews for upper level execs?

Revert the shopping experience and figure out why the heck it has taken years longer to update your macs than it should. That's a valuable use of time. You'd think that line of advice has been cast off as heresy - Why would Apple ever want to retain their longtime customers?

I think the frustration in my blood has reached a concerning level.

As said, the rats are scurrying from the mess they've made. It was a healthy Apple before they arrived, now it's dead and on the verge of rotting. Don't even try to argue by citing - "I wouldn't call a company that makes millions and millions of dollars a rotting company!!" You have to understand it's all about financial roadmap. Significant amounts of leverage, trust, and momentum have been torched in the last 3-4 years. It's a slow process that has been accellerating, and is now gaining some additional traction.
 
Last edited:
Change is not always good and the changes they've made in retail since Ron Johnson left have been horrific. The changes have been forced and haven't worked. Bring back Ron Johnson!
 
paysdoufs said:
This.

And btw - this here is a freaking joke: "A former CEO of Burberry, Ahrendts famously revamped the company's entire shopping experience."

Nothing has been "revamped". I've recently seen Apple stores on three continents and the shopping experience is still as awful as ever. I would only go to an Apple Store to spend my money there if I absolutely have to (or for a Genius Bar appointment).
Click to expand...
.....That quote was in reference to her revamp of Burberry.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KoolAid-Drink
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back