It is a fair claim to say that Apple revolutionised retail just as it had with entertainment, work and communications channels before. This visionary business realised that the value of theatre and physical interaction was at the core of the retail experience; and that immediate sales were only a secondary objective for directly owned stores in the reassurance that an Apple sale would still be the likely outcome enacted efficiently across a myriad of sales outlets across a variety of channels.
Apple stores developed as temples to technology and now the process of preaching to the masses has evolved into the creation of cathedrals to the customer. Far away from the philosophy of stores full of products, these new incarnations are pulsating with people, deafening with dialogue, a humble homage to the boundless curiosity and endless enthusiasm for innovation of the species Homo sapiens.
In an ironic twist the new Apple store resembles an orchard, a digital garden, with the store area defined by rows of orderly trees under which sit the contently converted in conversation with the many Apple evangelists. On a retail perspective this is the reinvention of the bustling marketplace, a buzzing space for interaction and argument, except in this modern malaise it is the secrets of cyber success, the application of applications, and the functionality of functions that are the precious gifts on offer.
Focal points for the familiar Apple fayre are of course in place with wall graphics and the familiar table displays in high visibility, as well as the formal areas for formal explanations and the communal theatres for demonstrations and exhibitions to satisfy the appetite of the opportunistic visitor.
However the star of this store is space. Physical space provided by Apple for the convenience of its loyal customers, and intellectual space provided by the people for the continued development and education of Apple
The retail experience is evolving from a selling space into an intellectual space, where physical square metres are optimised by building a close and lasting relationship between brand and customer to generate sales across coordinated channels.
Should your brand transform its selling spaces into something more extraordinary?
What elements of your brand have the potential to create an emotional link with the customer?
Let VM-unleashed help you realise your new horizons…we have experience in helping you define your commercial strategies as well as delivering physical brand experiences.