'Premium feel' will be focus of Apple's retail revamp beginning in July
With Apple design chief Jony Ive and retail leader Angela Ahrendts apparently collaborating on a new direction for the company's retail stores, a new report claims that a focus on a "premium feel" to the stores and product packaging will begin next month.
Apple will apparently be working to create more uniformity among accessory displays in its stores, according to Macotakara. It was also said that Apple's own packaging for accessories will be largely in white.
Apple will also reduce the variety of products it offers in stores, the report said. Again focusing on a "premium" feel, Apple is said to be only interested in spotlighting high quality accessories.
The report also noted that Apple's new Upper East Side store in Manhattan displays accessories, such as iPhone cases, using a new fixture. With the new displays, unboxed cases are mounted to the wall, and pulling on the handle behind the case reveals a drawer that includes units of that item available for purchase.
The cabinets on the walls at the Upper East Side store in New York City are made of wood. Wednesday's report did not indicate whether this new presentation of accessories would be coming to other Apple stores, or if it was a unique feature of that location.
Back in February, it was revealed that Ive and Ahrendts are working together on a complete overhaul of Apple's retail stores. The two apparently hope to utilize a different approach than the past, making the stores better suited for selling the fashionable Apple Watch.
The fruits of their efforts could begin rolling out as soon as July, according to Macotakara. Some smaller changes pushed by Ahrendts, such as new seating areas, began appearing at some locations in April.
Ive was recently named Apple's Chief Design Officer, a role which will see him relinquish day-to-day oversight of industrial design, allowing him to take on a wider array of projects. Among the tasks in which Ive will take on a greater role is the redesign of Apple's retail stores.
Apple will apparently be working to create more uniformity among accessory displays in its stores, according to Macotakara. It was also said that Apple's own packaging for accessories will be largely in white.
Apple will also reduce the variety of products it offers in stores, the report said. Again focusing on a "premium" feel, Apple is said to be only interested in spotlighting high quality accessories.
The report also noted that Apple's new Upper East Side store in Manhattan displays accessories, such as iPhone cases, using a new fixture. With the new displays, unboxed cases are mounted to the wall, and pulling on the handle behind the case reveals a drawer that includes units of that item available for purchase.
The cabinets on the walls at the Upper East Side store in New York City are made of wood. Wednesday's report did not indicate whether this new presentation of accessories would be coming to other Apple stores, or if it was a unique feature of that location.
Back in February, it was revealed that Ive and Ahrendts are working together on a complete overhaul of Apple's retail stores. The two apparently hope to utilize a different approach than the past, making the stores better suited for selling the fashionable Apple Watch.
The fruits of their efforts could begin rolling out as soon as July, according to Macotakara. Some smaller changes pushed by Ahrendts, such as new seating areas, began appearing at some locations in April.
Ive was recently named Apple's Chief Design Officer, a role which will see him relinquish day-to-day oversight of industrial design, allowing him to take on a wider array of projects. Among the tasks in which Ive will take on a greater role is the redesign of Apple's retail stores.
Comments
Recovering from having a discount guy run the place, I guess.
That new store in NYC looks really nice. I especially like the artwork on the wall in the VIP room.
I think Sir Jony and Ms. Ahrendts should be able to work smoothly together and come up with some great designs for stores.
Apple's huge investment in brick and mortar stores will now stand to pay off even better when they become even better draws for customers—especially new customers drawn in for the first time by stores' aesthetics.
I can't think of any other company with the resources and talent to both create such great products and to be able to present and sell them so effectively all over the world.
These are really good times for Apple, and for us its customers.
I've only been in the Burberry store on Michigan Ave once, but it is absolutely stunning inside and out. They finished a big remodel not long before Ahrendts left for Apple. In pictures it looks like the outside is clad in metal like an Apple Store, but the Burberry pattern is actually a reflective glass. It reflects light differently from different angles and at different times of day. It's really beautiful, a standout on the block even compared to the Apple Store down the street.
I'm excited to see what she and Jony have cooked up for Apple. Those headphone displays and hidden drawers for iPhone cases in the new UES store are clever and sleek. If they brought that aesthetic to other Apple Stores they would certainly lend them a more premium feel. Apple Stores have never felt downmarket or shabby, but it's in Apple's DNA to take it to the next level anyway.
I so hope that they stock from inside the wall.
The finely crafted wood drawers looks nice but I don't see any tags on the front noting the price, brand or which device it is for. Doesn't it seem a little awkward if you have to pull out the drawer and remove one of the packaged items to discover the basic information? Perhaps that is all for the premium feel.
I haven't been to an Apple store recently. Do the stores normally have price tags on the shelves? Or is the price located on the item itself?
Those Beats headphone cables better get a tougher design otherwise we will hear tons of audio shorting out.
I haven't been to an Apple store recently. Do the stores normally have price tags on the shelves? Or is the price located on the item itself?
Item itself, generally. Generally a small sticker on the back, at least with cases.
I haven't been to an Apple store recently. Do the stores normally have price tags on the shelves? Or is the price located on the item itself?
I think lower-brow stores have them on the shelves like Wal Mart and Target, but nicer stores tend not to display it because its ugly. Also when you get to really nice stores/restaurants sometimes they don't even have prices listed at all!
That's what I thought.
The finely crafted wood drawers looks nice but I don't see any tags on the front noting the price, brand or which device it is for. Doesn't it seem a little awkward if you have to pull out the drawer and remove one of the packaged items to discover the basic information? Perhaps that is all for the premium feel.
It strikes me as the way shoes are displayed at high end stores, and folded shirts are often presented just this way. And yes, the prices are hard to find. But you know the old saying -- "if you have to ask..."
I wonder if this explains why the ?Watch didn't appear in stores until now ... they were waiting to make the stores more presentable for the watch!
It strikes me as the way shoes are displayed at high end stores, and folded shirts are often presented just this way. And yes, the prices are hard to find. But you know the old saying -- "if you have to ask..."
It is not just the price but also the brand name. No big deal but I'm not sure how the third party manufacturers like Otterbox, Belkin, Incase, are going to feel about their brand being less than prominently displayed like it is now.
My take is that premium = wood = warmth.
Wood also conveys craftsmanship/artisans at work. Of course, done in a clean and minimalist manner.
I'm not sure I completely agree with Apple going even more upscale. It seems they want to be with the big players in the fashion industry. They may lose the masses if they appear too exclusive.
Apple is such a popular brand it's no surprise every outlet is offering something to ride on its coat tails... and "no", it's not like Apple doesn't need that segment; that segment is created on its own by Apple's market presence.
The "masses" want to be seen as fashionable, especially the teens, 20s and 30s. There is a segment of "Walmart Shoppers" that is hopelessly lost to fashion but may even buy Apple products.
Puleeze... how gauche. Next you will want Apple to install cash registers with the latest issue of the National Enquirer on a rack nearby...
So what constitutes being too exclusive?
Are these things really prominently displayed at Apple stores right now? They're all hanging on the wall along with Apple cases.