How Angela Ahrendts' Burberry Experience Could Drive the Future of Apple Retail

[amusedchimp]

order what you want online for pickup if you "know" what you "want"

it's stupid easy, otherwise you look like a tire kicker, just like every other punter in the store

really?
i recently ordered a cto imac for store pickup.
when i got the email telling me it was ready for pick up i went on down to my local apple store where i went thru the ritual of trying to get someone's attention.
i was then passed around through a chain of 3 different people before i finally got my machine, well over a half hour later.

 

[Sy7ygy]

She cares what consumers want and listens to what they have to say? That actually sounds like the exact opposite of how Steve Jobs was.

Jobs was a visionary; he didn't give the people what they wanted, he gave them what they needed.

I'm not into MacRumors mumbo-jumbo bullcrap; she's being payed enough.. let's see her actions since they speak louder than words - and believe me I think she will do great.

 

[vomhorizon]

Its high time apple refresh the entire STORE/RETAIL expereince from what has been going on for some years now..A fresh face with new concepts never hurts..especially when it comes with a proven track record..

I do agree with over-crowding @ apple stores..Its really a pain to get help at many apple stores these days..Buying an apple device at wallmart is far quicker in my opinon then a lot of the apple stores (if you walk in)..

 

[Ronlap]

I really hope that Ahrendts is to Apple what Ron Johnson was not to JCP or John Sculley was to Apple. Execs are not always successful when crossing into a different industry. Burberry sells overpriced clothes that aren't different from any of the other crap coming out of China, while Apple sells technology lifestyle products.

I was going to say, "overpriced clothes that aren't different from any of the other crap coming out of China (except for their signature plaid)" but then I realized that their signature plaid IS on other crap coming out of China.

 

[nick42983]

What propaganda. Selling grossly overpriced handbags is not a qualification to head the retail division of the most successful company of all time.

Controversial, but worth a read if you have an open mind:

http://www.returnofkings.com/19763/apple-should-have-never-hired-a-female-handbag-executive

Gender isn't a social construct, it represents real differences that affect how men and women think and act. Censoring any mention of it is ridiculous.

 

[Technarchy]

Improvement over this for sure, which everyone and their mother said was a mistake from day one.

 

[crenz]

Controversial, but worth a read if you have an open mind

The article you linked to (you wrote it yourself?) is a terrible waste of time, ill-informed, terribly written, full of stereotypes, with no business understanding at all.

Gender isn't a social construct, it represents real differences that affect how men and women think and act. Censoring any mention of it is ridiculous.

The problem is, gender is a terrible predictor of individual person's behaviour. Speculating about Ahrendts' performance purely based on the fact that she is a woman is about as helpful as speculating about a potential male SVP's performance based on the fact he shares the same gender as John Scully or John Browett.

Coming back to the topic, the FastCompany article is a very interesting read. It looks to me that Ahrendts has the potential to bring some really interesting cultural elements into Apple, and I rather like the speculation about possible cooperation with Ive.

Some of the comparisons with Jobs I saw are not totally spot on IMHO - it seems in designing products, Jobs had a very different way of taking into account customer needs (he seemed to be totally against "polling" customers) than in designing the retail stores, where he seemed much more customer-focused. Perhaps this is the way it should be. Let's not forget Ahrendts will not be in charge of designing products... Someone in charge of retail at Apple that tries to find out about what customers want can only be a good thing.

 

[imageWIS]

Burberry couldn't be more *blah* worthy if they tried. It's the brand people buy when they can't afford Ralph Lauren.

 

[mr.steevo]

she tries always to be home by Friday night to be with her husband and her kids

What a corporate hero.

 

[charlituna]

Its nice to know that Apple may finally add some kind of profile of the customer to their retail employees. Because it would be nice for them to know which Apple products I own, so I don't get treated like a leper in the stores.

Or they won't because this article is total speculation. Just like it is total rumor that they will give employees any advance info about what is going on with products etc.

Apples current attitude is that everyone is treated equally and fairly and how much money someone has spent before doesn't make them a special snowflake. Angela isn't likely to change that attitude just like John didn't change attitudes.

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I always feel like an idiot walking around apple store looking for help and when I find someone lots of the time they ask me to wait for another person or send me across the store "see that guy with blond short hair? Ask him he will help you with your purchase." ......But last time I went they had small corner that was fenced off with one guy responsible for popular product purchases where you tell him what you want he hands it to you takes your money and you can leave without having to chase anyone down so they are doing some changes

That was a holiday thing. They do it every year. There is supposed to be some one at or near the door to greet and direct folks. Some stores have better luck with that person not getting caught up by a 'quick' question

My SO dreams of the day they might go back to at least two colored shirts. Even if it's just royal blue and dark blue.to help train customers that there are two groups of staff. Too often he gets interrupted by someone that wants to buy something while he's trying to fix a computer. Then they get mad at him.

 

[reguy3]

It seems like most of her success at Burberry was really just thinking outside the box. As much as we can discuss what works/doesn't work at an Apple store, the whole experience hasn't been changed much (with some minor exceptions) in a long time, and now feels stale. Hopefully Ahrendts can really think differently and fix that.

 

[charlituna]

Gender isn't a social construct, it represents real differences that affect how men and women think and act. Censoring any mention of it is ridiculous.

This might be true. But who is to say that a little 'woman' in the male dominated Apple is a bad thing. It might be just what the company needs

 

[inkswamp]

srsly though if Apple made their computers any more "dumbed" down for grandma, we'd have some real problems, they need to stop catering to the bottom of the barrel tech morons, go shop at Walmart…

What kind of world do we live in when a bona-fide, full-fledged Unix operating system like OS X is deemed to be "dumbed down for grandma" and intended for "tech morons."

I think some of you need to get your head out of the 90s. The Classic Mac OS died a looooong time ago. You might have gotten away with that argument in the OS 9 era, but there's nothing dumbed down about OS X. In fact, it's mind-bogglingly powerful, but you have to know where to look to harness it.

 

[iLoveLetteri]

"Apple is doomed."

This is what will eventually prove the above statement wrong. The great team.

 

[chrimux]

I think she will fit in great excellent addition to apple

Collect detailed customer data and make it accessible to all employees?
I do not like that. She surely has no problem in giving away sensitive information, even more so because she has no technical background. So is that the future of Apple?

I think managers should have some basic knowledge about the products their company makes and sells.

 

[alexgowers]

I think the apple store experience is a weird one that is unintuitive unlike the products.

Case in point is the fact you can walk into an apple store pick something up scan it with your iPhone and pay for it in the apple store app. Then without even speaking to anyone you can leave with it! Now that is weird and unintuitive but true!

Apple stores are great for browser but terrible for people purchasing who know what they want or need to pick up an accessory they just decided on.

I think apple should address these issues.

They should have a sign for help, it's not always clear to arrange a consultation with the dude with the clipboard at the front but i do love that they take your description and tell you to wait and someone is usually along very quick that is slick but requires you to go out and make that happen.

A pay here station, it's all well and good being able to pay by app or server but they need some form of pay here or a little how to pay, maybe that's an beacon thing i dunno.

It has it's issues but this woman is in charge of a company that has very uncomfortable shop experiences driven by sales. I wonder if she gets that the stores success is not driving forward sales and figures but instead appearing not to care about selling to you at all, reinforcing the company image that sales are up to the customer and are never forced on you.

 

[Rogifan]

Burberry couldn't be more *blah* worthy if they tried. It's the brand people buy when they can't afford Ralph Lauren.

People still buy Ralph Lauren?

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Jobs was a visionary; he didn't give the people what they wanted, he gave them what they needed.

That sounds like a dictator more than a visionary.

 

[gnasher729]

She cares what consumers want and listens to what they have to say? That actually sounds like the exact opposite of how Steve Jobs was.

Milo, your comment is daft. Ahrendts and Jobs are doing different things. Jobs decided what products Apple is creating and selling, Ahrendts doesn't. She doesn't make decisions about products.

What she does is to take the products that Apple creates, and put them into stores and sell them. And yes, at that point it is right to listen to consumers who enter the store and see how it works and have opinions about that. Jobs didn't do that. He couldn't possibly have asked customers what they liked or disliked about the iPhone before it was released, because there were no customers that had ever seen one.

That sounds like a dictator more than a visionary.

Since one does a dictator give people what they need? And what's wrong with giving people what they need?

 

[gnasher729]

Collect detailed customer data and make it accessible to all employees?
I do not like that. She surely has no problem in giving away sensitive information, even more so because she has no technical background. So is that the future of Apple?

I think managers should have some basic knowledge about the products their company makes and sells.

Grave misrepresentation here. She's not "giving away sensitive information" to store employees. She's giving them information about what people like and dislike, what they buy and don't buy. All things that they would need to provide good service.

Another misrepresentation: Who says she doesn't have basic knowledge about the products that Apple sells? She basically said that she is not a software developer or hardware designer. That's absolutely fine. Do you think she doesn't know how to use an iPhone? She does. Do you think she doesn't know the technical details of the fingerprint sensor on the 5s? She doesn't, but then there is no reason for her to know that. All she needs to know is that you can unlock a phone safely and quickly by putting your finger on the sensor.

And of course she doesn't need to _know_ anything. All she needs is to call someone in the company and tell them to explain it to her. She isn't going to be in the store and answer your technical questions about a Mac Mini; what she does is making sure that the Genius in the Apple Store has enough training to answer these questions.

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Does apple really worry about retail?

It would be utter madness not to.

 

[sartis]

Look out Tim, She could be eyeing your job.

 

[EvilEvil]

She should be a tech savy geek. It's like hiring a project manager for a web company who knows nothing about web.

 

[maflynn]

She should be a tech savy geek. It's like hiring a project manager for a web company who knows nothing about web.

As long as she understand how to manage the stores, I see no reason why you would need a tech savy geek. I'd rather have someone who's a wiz in the retail sector then someone who can build servers and understand the intricacies of RAID systems

 

[johngordon]

I don't know how she'll do, but this is a pretty great little promo that I think gets "it" whatever "it" is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzBIYwZsut0

 

[thejadedmonkey]

really?
i recently ordered a cto imac for store pickup.
when i got the email telling me it was ready for pick up i went on down to my local apple store where i went thru the ritual of trying to get someone's attention.
i was then passed around through a chain of 3 different people before i finally got my machine, well over a half hour later.

Consider yourself lucky. Last time I tried to order a CTO mac, the store didn't get it in after a week. I had to go on a trip, so I picked up a mac at a local apple store and canceled my CTO order, only to be told I couldn't cancel it because it had been waiting at the apple store for days for me to pick it up.

 

[Dave00]

Back to the store topic:

Hopefully someone, somewhere will fix the store experience when you know what you want, and you want to buy it right then and there.

Amen. I noticed the same thing and sent the store a note about it. Somewhat bizarrely, if you walk in and look directionless, you get plenty of attention. But walk in ready to buy, and you have to jockey for attention. I've even been told to wait by someone who was trying to demonstrate/sell to another customer, even after I made it clear I knew what I wanted and would he just take my money and grab one from the stock. Maybe that's why they're trying to develop the buy-without-a-person checkout.

Dave