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Apple Retail looks to get a better understanding of its customers to sell Watches

In order to further personalize the Apple Watch sales experience, Apple is positioning its retail employees to learn more about its customers in order to help them make an even better Apple Watch purchasing decision. Apple today sent a memo to retail employees that summarizes feedback from 16 retail store employees who helped show off the Watch during Paris Fashion Week at Parisian boutique Colette in September 2014. The most notable piece of advice:

 Helping customers buy a watch means you need to understand them more. You need to know about their life, their activities, and [needs]… Be prepared to ask permission to interact closely with people.

While this statement may seem like Apple wants its employees to get overly personal with potential Apple Watch customers, some of these questions are appropriate in light of the Apple Watch’s feature set. Depending on these answers, employees will be able to better steer customers toward different Apple Watch collections. For example, a person focused on outdoor activities may want the Sport version, while someone constantly at high-profile events may want a stainless steel or gold model…

This advice to all retail employees from those with hands on Apple Watch sales experience falls in-line with our reporting on Apple’s official Apple Watch sales materials from earlier this month. According to our earlier report, Apple retail employees will ask customers about strap preferences, upgrading to newer iPhone models, and about where they intend to use/wear the Apple Watch.

Among the other words of advice in the memo, Apple is preparing staff to answer questions on Apple Pay, device compatibility, the Taptic Engine, and various technical specifications. Earlier today, we revealed several yet-to-be-announced Apple Watch features such as more details on battery life management, a new health feature for determining the user’s heart rate, and more information about daily usage details. 

We can expect to hear a lot more about the Apple Watch’s third-party applications, pricing, availability and more at Apple’s Spring Forward event on Monday, but until then you can check out our round up of what we expect Apple to announce.

Top photo via Dan Frommer at Qz.com

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Comments

  1. What if you’re just a regular Latino guy? Will you be directed to the deliveries door in the back?

  2. drhalftone - 9 years ago

    The title implies that Apple is going to get its customers to sells its watches.

    • Timothy Webster - 9 years ago

      it’s written perfectly fine… re-read the title with and without the bracketed portion

      Apple retail [looks to get a better understanding of its customers] to sell watches

      • drhalftone - 9 years ago

        The title doesn’t have brackets. It just reads, “Apple Retail looks to get a better understanding of its customers to sell Watches.” Perhaps a pair of commas like, “Apple Retail looks to get a better understanding, of its customers, to sell Watches.”

    • chrish1961 - 9 years ago

      The headline makes sense to me. I don’t see how it could be interpreted your way.

      • drhalftone - 9 years ago

        I want you to sell watches for me. So how do I get you to sell watches on my behalf? Well, its only reasonable that I should find a way to convince you to do so. Maybe you like illicit photographs available on line. So if I knew that, perhaps I could offer you access to these “photographs,” in exchange for selling 10 watches. Of course, I need to know exactly what kind of “photographs” you would be interested. So I should take the time to get to know you better.

        Now if you accept Timothy’s interpretation of the title, then you would simply read the headline as “Apple retail to sell watches,” because brackets are used to include explanatory words or phrases within quoted language (http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/bracket.htm). I believe the verb in this title is, “looks,” and not “to sell,” hence, Timothy’s post proves my post that the title is ambiguous and open to mis-interpretation.

  3. Beyond style considerations, it is clearly a good example of the importance the customer has today, not only for Apple, but for retailers in general. A deep understanding of their profile and needs is key for personalization and the basis in the stores for a great assisted sale, which by the way not only can increase sales but also is what customers are demanding.

  4. Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

    They will want to know all about you, except … I’m pretty sure the Apple store folks won’t want to actually know what you think about their prices on the Watch!

    I’m getting seriously worried about the price on the Watch since it seems a lot of people are lining up behind Gruber over these multi-thousand dollar prices even for the “base” steel version. I know at least a dozen or so folks (I work in IT) that are thinking they are going to buy this watch and NONE of them are interested in the “sport” model at all. They all want the basic, steel Watch, with various band preferences.

    MOST people want the steel “base” version, and MOST people think it should cost about $500 for the watch itself. If it is instead over $1000, there are going to be a lot of pissed off people out there. The Watch “regular” and the Watch “edition” are very similar looking/feeling.

    The “sport” is another thing entirely and if Apple really thinks that people will buy it instead of the steel or gold ones just because it’s cheaper, they would appear to be quite wrong according to my informal survey’s. If a person want’s the Watch but it turns out to be expensive for them, they aren’t necessarily going to just turn around and buy the Sport version. It’s a completely different “look,” weight, and feel.

    Personally I don’t actually go anywhere, where day-glow plastic and brushed aluminium are something I’d want to wear there. The Watch Sport will only appeal to sporty types. It is not a drop in, cheaper replacement for the regular Watch at all.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.