There are no cashiers at the Apple Store. There are specialists, creatives—even geniuses—but no cashiers. There are no sales people at the Apple Store, either. There are consultants, concierges, experts, and personal shoppers—but no sales people. Interestingly, although Apple’s retail stores have no commissioned sales staff, they generate more revenue per square foot than most other widely recognized brands. It was ten years ago that Apple reinvented the world of retailing. Despite a challenging economy, the Apple Store continues to draw in customers in droves—sales skyrocketed 90% to $3.2 billion in Apple’s fiscal second quarter compared to a year ago.  A decade ago, many observers were skeptical that Apple could make it in the world of retailing. Some “retail experts” forecast that the Apple Store would be out of business within two years. They were wrong because Apple was never in the business of making and shipping computer boxes. Apple succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest imagination because Steve Jobs never saw Apple as a computer maker. Instead Jobs and Ron Johnson— a former Target executive tasked with building out Apple’s retail strategy—saw Apple as a company that “enriches lives.”  When Johnson and Jobs decided that the vision for the Apple Store would be to “enrich lives” instead of “moving metal” as others had done, it allowed them to throw out the conventional retail playbook that dictated store design, location and staffing. Johnson asked his team, “What would a store that enriches lives look like?” Here’s a hint—unlike anything else. After studying customer service champs outside of computer retail—like The Four Seasons—Johnson and Jobs arrived at several criteria that would help the Apple stores stand apart.  Design uncluttered stores. The stores would be open, light, airy, and display only a handful of products. Johnson did not have much of a choice. When Johnson first met with Jobs, the iPod had not been created yet so Apple had four products to fill 6,000 square feet (two portables, two desktops). Instead of panicking, Johnson saw it as the ultimate opportunity. He would fill the store not with products, but with the ownership experience. It gave Apple the space to innovate.  Locate the stores where people live their lives. Most Apple stores are located in malls or shopping districts, and not in the middle of giant parking lots or remote locations. “The real estate was a lot more expensive,” said Jobs, “but it was worth it because people didn’t have to gamble with 20 minutes of their time. They only had to gamble with 20 footsteps of time.”  Allow customers to test drive products. No computer retailer at the time would let you connect to the Internet and try out merchandise. Walk into an Apple Store today and you will find that all of the products are connected to the Internet. Customers are welcome to browse as long as they would like. They can read books on the iPad, play games on an iPod Touch or listen to music on an iPod Nano.  Offer a concierge experience. Johnson asked his team to tell him about the best customer service experience they had ever had. Most of them talked about hotels like The Four Seasons. That gave Johnson the idea of building a “bar” in the store where customers could walk up and ask for help. Instead of dispensing alcohol, Apple would dispense advice. When Steve Jobs gave a tour of the first Apple store, he said every product would be displayed in the first 25 percent of the store and the rest would be devoted to solutions. Explaining the Genius Bar, Jobs said, “Wouldn’t it be great if when you went to buy a computer or after you bought a computer, if you had any questions, you could ask a genius? This is our genius bar.”  Make it easy to buy. There’s no standing in long lines at an Apple store to buy your merchandise because, well, there are no cash registers. Every specialist wanders the floor with a special EasyPay, wireless credit-card reader that will get you on your way in no time. A receipt is sent to the customer via email.  Offer one-to-one training. Customers who buy a Mac online or in an Apple store can sign up for one-to-one training with a “creative,” someone who can teach you about any program you would like to learn about. The more you enjoy the tools, programs and applications Apple has to offer, the more likely you will return.  Apple has innovated around the retail experience by changing your expectations of what a retail experience should be like. If you provide a service or sell a product—whether or not you run a physical store—it pays to learn from the Apple experience. Enrich lives and watch your sales soar.  Carmine Gallo is a media training and communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. He is a popular keynote speaker and author of several books including the bestsellers, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs, and Fire Them Up! 7 Simple Secrets of Inspiring Leaders. Follow him on Twitter: carminegallo
Learn from The Four Seasons and the Apple stores and offer an experience for your customers.  They will come back!