You can't escape the Apple store
Posted
Nov 27 2007, 05:49 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Steve Jobs has come up with an invisible vacuum that sucks people into Apple stores. That's what it sounds like from reading research done by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
Munster's team spent six hours staring at people outside of mall-based Apple stores last weekend and found that 27% of people walking within 25 feet of an entrance went inside.
And here's a stat that could make retailers drool: An average of 462 people entered an Apple store each hour last Friday during the company's Black Friday sale. I've seen quite a few Apple stores and can't imagine that many people crammed in. Apple has created more space this year by removing the cash registers and giving employees handheld scanners. [readmore]
Only a fraction of those people bought anything, however. Munster thinks they're checking stuff out now and plan to buy later. About 100 million people visited an Apple retail store during Apple's fiscal year ending in September, producing $4.2 billion in sales.
Retailers try all kinds of tricks to lure people in. Sony even pipes in a custom-designed scent (blood orange and vanilla with a hint of cedarwood) to attract buyers to its SonyStyle locations.
So how does Apple do it? Why are so many people drawn to the stores? I'm sticking with my giant invisible vacuum theory. Let's hear your guesses in the comments.
