Apple is turning online for the release of its new ‘apple watch‘. The latest in its technology will be launched on 10 April for online pre-sales, before its first deliveries come 24 April.The new watches will be available in stores but will require customers to purchase online.
It won‘t just be Apple stores that are benefiting from the latest innovation, glamourous locations will include Selfridges London, Les Galeries Lafayette in Paris and Isetan Shinjuku in Tokyo – all high end department stores.
Opening these mini stores will allow Apple to target wealthy customers that wouldn‘t necessarily shop in Apple stores or online for the product. It will also push the pricier ‘Apple Edition‘ to clients.
Apple employees have been told to push online sales rather than allowing customers to order online:
“Help them place an order online or through the Apple Store app”, the company‘s training document stated.
Try on appointments will not prioritise or reserve purchases for customers, but they will be given hands on assistance to order items.
For consumers looking to purchase the en vogue 18-karat Apple Watch Edition model, with a $10,000 price tag, Apple has rolled out the red carpet. Customers who are buying the Apple Watch Edition will get to skip queues, while being provided with top service from ex Yves Saint Laurent and Burberry sales experts.
Customers shopping at Selfridges will find their new Apple purchase among luxurious watch brands, Gucci and Cartier, Saint Laurent and Celine, following a 12 page feature in Vogue and a further article in Elle Australia.
Whether they buy the regular stainless steel watch or the luxurious Apple Edition, consumers will be provided with a virtual personal setup for the watch that the company describes as:
“Technology becoming seductive, with desirability not necessarily defined simply by a price tag or elitism, but rather meticulous focus on usefulness and utility rooted in beauty.”
Apple is clearly expecting big things from the new addition to its product family, which comes as no surprise following its net profits reported in January 2015. In its first fiscal quarter, the company reported the biggest quarterly profit ever made by a public company so the tech giant certainly has room to experiment with its latest products.
