Recently, I went to my local Apple store to pick up an iPod adapter for my wife’s car. What was supposed to be a quick errand (combined with playing with the new Macbook Air and trying to justify spending $500 on a 32Gb iPod Touch) turned into the coolest example of what a retail experience and customer value management is going to be like in the future.
I’ve never bought anything but accessories from Apple. I’ve bought iPod skins, cables, even that thing that goes in your running shoe to tell you how far you’ve run (nope… never used it but I have one just in case). I’m the quintessential buyer of high markup peripherals that makes electronic retailers drool. Outside Apple though, I don’t do this anywhere else. You won’t find me buying expensive stereo cables nor am I about to buy anything computer-related without first checking on the Internet. However, when it comes to iPod accessories, I find that the convenience factor of walking into Apple, having a decent selection, and getting out – with a pause to play with the latest toys – is worth the premium I’m probably paying. Knowing this about myself, I went in got what I needed and went to check out. That’s where things got interesting.
I looked around for the cash registers. They were gone. I walked by the “genius bar” (branding that may be effective though very dubious) and didn’t see anywhere to complete the sale. A cheerful employee approached me and asked if I was ready to check out. I said, “Yes.” and she proceeded to scan in the adapter with her portable scanner (I should note here that Apple uses Symbol devices. It would look so much better if they could do this using an iPhone or iPod Touch) that she also swiped my credit card through. She then asked me the eight words that will change marketers’ ability to tie customer data to future marketing campaigns:
“Would you like your receipt emailed to you?”
Who could say no? I already had the transaction finished. Visions of my dog eating yet another receipt played through my head. "Sure. Why not? Email it to me."
What just happened and why is it magic? By providing value to the customer, Apple was able to acquire my email address at zero cost. They can be assured that I’m giving them a real email because I absolutely want a receipt. Now, instead of asking if I want to be on their email list (to which most people would say no), I just am. Not only that, they know where I shop and what I buy – especially if they can tie my credit card’s previous transactions together and associate it with the email address I gave them. They can also track my purchase frequency and develop a picture of me as a consumer and predict what I’m most likely to buy (in my case accessories).
Apple has in this case turned experiential design into a marketer’s dream if the information is truly being used as I hypothesize above. If not, Apple, give me a call and we can talk about how to use all that data you’re capturing!
It’s amazing what eight little words can do.