The Consumer Experience

It seems like everywhere I go I am bombarded with ideas on how to
help grow our business. The notions come from unlikely people and unlikely places.

Take for instances a recent trip to Orange County. In between meetings, I had a chance to browse the Apple store at Fashion Island Shopping Mall. If you have never been to Fashion Island than you are seriously missing a parade of what I call “$30,000 Millionaires.” There is a display of money, cars, plastic surgery, and brand overload that I don’t see often.

I am a huge Mac fan. I have two Apple computers, use iMovie constantly, and even use my mac for spreadsheets. Whenever I am in a new town I like to check out the Apple store and see how each store differs. Apple retail stores are simply brilliant. Steve Jobs and his international branding team have developed the ultimate consumer experience. The Apple lesson can be summed up briefly: I decided I wanted to purchase an item from the store. There was a long line (Holiday Shoppers!) and an Apple associate saw that I was looking for a quick purchase. With a hand-held register, the associate took my credit card, swiped it, emailed me a receipt and gave me a bag to boot. The process took maybe 45 seconds. Apple made a sale because they were flexible and recognized the need of the consumer. Not only did they make a sale, but they landed a client for life; and in addition, they furthered emboldened their brand image as being on the cutting edge of technology and innovation.