No decision is too small to sweat for Apple. We see that in the design of their products and in the design of their retail stores. From this Wall Street Journal article, we learn how deliberate Apple is in making decisions that impact their retail stores. (The WSJ article is behind a pay wall, but this one isn’t.)
Apple’s attention to the smallest of details is similar to Disney’s attention to small details in all its theme parks. Which is interesting because in this article we learn, “… more people now visit Apple’s 326 stores in a single quarter than the 60 million who visited Walt Disney Co.’s four biggest theme parks last year”
Some might even say Apple is too maniacal and far too controlling when it comes to the operational details of their retail stores.
For example, Apple instructs its store employees exactly what to say to customers with product issues. They are told to limit their responses and respond with reassuring phrases like, “I understand.” They are also told to be positive in tone and never utter the negative sounding word, “unfortunately.”
Employees can be fired if they arrive minutes late to their shift more than three times in a six-month period. Employees are also STRICTLY forbidden from discussing new product rumors and from prematurely mentioning when widespread issues are happening with products.
When shipments of new products arrive in boxes, they are stored in the back-of-house area in clear view of security cameras so as to prevent employees from knowing too much too soon.
Apple also makes deliberate decisions in the layout of their retail stores. They create special places for children to play while their parents play with iPads and such.
Apple deliberately chooses which photos and music are preloaded onto demo computers, iPods, iPhones, and iPads. New products are positioned front and center upon entering. The Genius Bar is located in the back of stores to encourage more browsing from customers.
All this attention to detail benefits Apple from a sales perspective. According to the article, Apple’s generates $4,406 per square foot. That’s more than Tiffany’s ($3,070), Coach ($1,776), and Best Buy ($880.)
Apple also benefits from its attention to detail by being so talkable. Keller Fay’s Talk Track® study reveals Apple is the most talked about technology brand in America and is the seventh most talked about brand in America regardless of category.
As I’ve recently ranted… The best word of mouth isn’t a marketing tactic. It isn’t a tweet, a status update, a viral video, or anything else you can find or do on a social media website. The best word of mouth isn’t a publicity stunt or anything done to get some buzz for a day. The best word of mouth is how a business does business not just one day, but every day it is in business.
Clearly, Apple’s maniacal focus on the smallest of every day details is benefiting them as a bankable and talkable brand. Perhaps you and your business should also sweat the small stuff to become more bankable and talkable. via brandautopsy.com
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