One of the biggest reasons for Apple’s success is its retail experience. I mean, have you seen the Apple stores? They are designed to drive a passerby inside the store even when they are not planning to buy something. Well, the designer of the Apple stores recently shared what he learnt from the former CEO and the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs.
Okay, first of all, let me tell you about the company that has been designing and building Apple stores since 2001. The design firm named Eight Inc. led by designer Tim Kobe is the company that made the first Apple store back in 2001 in Virginia.
In a recent interview, Kobe shared one of the most important lessons that he learned from the marketing genius, Steve Jobs. When speaking about the former CEO of Apple, Kobe said that the biggest lesson that he learnt from Jobs was – how to create value for customers that goes beyond selling products. This was the idea that drove the design language of the first-ever Apple Store.
Steve Jobs knew the perfect retail strategy that was able to drive the customers into the company’s ecosystem. And it all started with the retail stores. If you take a look at the unveiling of Apple’s first retail store, you will notice Jobs explaining how the store is divided into sections for different purposes. There was a section for using the company’s products and experience them without any interruptions, there was a section called the “Genius Bar” where Apple authorised experts sat and customers can ask any query about the products and the whole store was designed to lure-in people even when they are just passing by the store.
This retail strategy proved to be the reason behind the success of the company and Apple still follow this strategy. However, over the years, the stores have evolved and became much more modern. The company also introduced many interactive programs like “Today at Apple” sessions that educate customers about the usage of Apple products in Photography and art creations and there is an “Hour of Code” session that teaches kids how to code.
Well, according to Kobe, these design changes in the latest Apple stores are not changes but evolutions. The lesson he learnt from Jobs has led him to take some important decisions and today’s Apple stores are just the continuation of the original goal that Steve Jobs had.
