Apple retail chief: No more long lines
Apple is apparently trying to turn over a new leaf in its product launches, according to a recent memo from retail chief Angela Ahrendts that was leaked to Business Insider. In the memo, Ahrendts encourages Apple employees to direct customers to the online Apple Store instead of the brick and mortar locations.
“This is a significant change in mindset, and we need your help to make it happen,” Ahrendts writes. Luring customers away from the long lines is certainly a shift in Apple’s mindset, since the company’s stores have benefited from quite a bit of publicity related to their huge crowds waiting for product launches.
The text of Ahrendt’s memo clarifies that Apple wants to see a change in how customers experience new product launches:
The days of waiting in line and crossing fingers for a product are over for our customers. The Apple Store app and our online store make it much easier to purchase Apple Watch and the new MacBook. Customers will know exactly when and where their product arrives.
This is a significant change in mindset, and we need your help to make it happen. Tell your customers we have more availability online, and show them how easy it is to order. You’ll make their day.
The Ahrendts memo is a strong indicator that Apple no longer wants the publicity of short supply and frustrated customers. While customers will still have to wait if there isn’t enough product available, they will at least know their Watch or MacBook is ordered and on its way. They won’t have to waste their time showing up at Apple’s stores, just to be disappointed.