Sharing brand values with store design

It was expected to fail miserably but Apple Stores have grown to become one of the world’s most successful retail concepts, making more money in sales per square foot – US$4,551 according to eMarketer – than any other US-based retailer.

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs opened the first Apple Store in 2001, Businessweek ran an article in which it quoted former Apple chief financial officer Joseph Goldstein saying: “I give them two years before they’re turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake.”

It was no mistake. As of March 2014, Apple has 423 stores worldwide. The stores’ success has very much to do with design and Apple has begun to patent aspects of it.

Tim Kobe of Eight Inc, an international design and branding firm, had worked with Steve Jobs to create the original Apple Store design and he continues to be on retainer with Apple. Now based in Singapore, Kobe shares his experience of the Apple Store design with RETAIL ASIA.

Please summarise your work in the field of store design.

Our work in retail began with The North Face and Nike, but our focus is on experience design. We distinguished our practice by applying the principles we use to connect people with brands or places. Our focus on the user experience is key to the success of the Apple retail programme.

How have Apple stores evolved over the years?

The Apple Store programme is now 13 years old and has been through four primary versions. The product is not the most important thing. When Apple opened its first store, it had thousands of square feet to fill with only four product lines. Computers occupied the front quarter of the showroom. The rest of the space was devoted to software, accessories and services that included a kids’ area, a theatre for educational programmes and the Genius Bar, which has become the stores’ signature. All these elements were new ways for people to interact with technology.

Since 2001, the stores have transformed along a natural exponential curve with the most changes at the beginning. Progressively, there were fewer changes and more refinements. The largest shift was to the current stainless steel panel and wood tables as the initial stores were designed more around the original product offerings rather than a more flexible system. Also, the design has had to address a demand that was greater than originally anticipated. We had to allow for more throughput with moves to a handheld checkout system.

Are there differences between the stores in Asia and the rest of the world?
Apple adopts a multichannel approach with the Apple brand stores leading the customer experience. They are the most authentic expression of the brand as they are controlled by Apple in a very disciplined way.

As Apple has less experience in global markets, its channel presence is more diluted in Asia, where we see more of the second and third tier channel types comprising authorised resellers and third party “shop within a shop”.

How does the store design contribute towards customer service?
The stores were always conceived to be Apple community stores first. They have always been open and accessible with careful placement and density of the fixtures.

The materials used are honest – not plastics or simulations. The lighting is designed to make the experience with the products consistent with the photography and images of the products in advertisements and product presentations.

The products are displayed clearly and with a sense of trust (although the security is there) with the implication being qualities of generosity and trust.

Steve Jobs used to say great brands were about trust. He wanted to ensure we were building relationships. And that is at the root of the Apple difference. Others are manufacturers making products but Apple is a brand and a relationship. A brand is something you connect with. You understand your shared values and want to be part of it.