Fort Green, Brooklyn location of Apple store -
In event planning, too much of a good thing can spoil the party. Apple stores are running into a similar problem as customers flock to the retailer’s tech classes, overcrowding many of their mostly mall-based locations.
Increased customer awareness and more in-depth class content since the rollout of the “Today at Apple” learning sessions has led to bottlenecks, as described by 9 to 5 Mac columnist Michael Steeber. Customers visiting the stores in search of support end up competing for elbow room with people taking classes, and the chatter generated by customer problem solving works at cross purposes to the learning environment. The article points to Apple’s more spacious standalone stores as being better able to accommodate both sides of the business (though the Apple store is still largely reliant on mall locations). It also points out a potential path forward in some of the successful learning experiences Apple has held outside of its stores, such as off-site Apple-led training at a museum in Barcelona.
“This is an issue,” wrote Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData in a RetailWire online discussion last week. “Some of the traditional mall-based stores are relatively small boxes which do not have the capacity to host a lot of classes or big sessions. … Another issue that arises from crowded stores is the difficulty in finding Apple associates.”
“This is a challenge that will be leap-frogged with technology.”
Others industry insiders on RetailWire's BrainTrust panel offered creative suggestions for mitigating the problem.
“There’s no shortage of increasing space in the majority of Apple’s mall locations, and Apple could look to leverage adjacent available space when their leases come up for renewal,” wrote Ray Riley, CEO of Progress Retail.
“This is a challenge that will be leap-frogged with technology,” wrote Ron Margulis, managing director at RAM Communications. “A lot of these classes are already going online as videocasts, live or taped. In the meantime, to satisfy those shoppers with the desire for community that’s offered by the Apple store classes, malls have plenty of space available.”
Even some who believed Apple’s class attendance numbers were a positive, like Seeonic CEO Harley Feldman, saw holding “Today at Apple” events at off-site locations, as in Barcelona, as problematic.
“Separate facilities could be used, but they may be confusing to the attendee to find, and the sales effects of the attendees attending classes in the stores will be lost,” Mr. Feldman.
The “Today at Apple” initiative was launched under the guidance of then-senior vice president of retail Angela Ahrendts as part of a broader initiative to turn Apple’s stores into “town square” environments.
Since then, in-store experiences have varied, according to the BrainTrust experts.
“The hubris of ‘we can do what we want and customers will wait’ leads me as a longtime Apple user to avoid the stores whenever I can,” wrote Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor. “Be brilliant on the basics.”
“Every time I expect the visit to be a long one, I am pleasantly surprised how quickly I get what I need,” countered Ricardo Belmar, senior director of global enterprise marketing at Infovista. “Apple seems to have this managed, however, perceptions are important so perhaps this is an opportunity for store remodels and growth to create larger spaces.”
But as far as BrainTrust panelist Art Suriano, CEO of The TSi Company, is concerned, Apple could have it worse.
“When one looks at the many retailers struggling to try to find ways of generating store traffic, one has to agree that Apple’s problem is a nice one to have,” wrote Mr. Suriano.
