And even customers who book appointments won’t be able to take home the device that day — like online buyers, they’ll need to wait until April 24, the company told The Chronicle.
Forcing in-store customers to take part in fittings — almost as if the wearable were a wedding dress or bespoke suit — is a new sales technique for the Cupertino tech giant.
“Apple is recognizing that this is not a phone. This is not a tablet,” said J.P. Gownder, a Forrester Research analyst. “This is a deeply personal device and has implications on how it feels on my wrist, my fashion and sense of self.”
Despite the early hype for Apple’s first new product line since Tim Cook became CEO, the Apple Watch presents something of a conundrum. It’s the first wearable designed for fashionistas rather than fanboys, meaning Apple must sell to a crowd with limited tech experience.
That’s why Apple is taking a different approach, analysts say.
Customer service will be key in showing the value of checking e-mail, sending notifications and tracking fitness, opening hotel doors and making payments from your wrist.
A jewelry store experience could be especially helpful in selling versions of the watch that are more expensive than the $349 base model.
When it comes to the opulent Apple Watch Edition, which starts at $10,000, “I can guarantee you it’s not going to be an Internet only sale,” Gownder said.
Booking appointments — as Apple Stores already do with the Genius Bar for tech support and various classes — will ensure that only well-trained staffers sell the watch, said Dale Achabal, executive director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University.
“Apple has a history of excellent attention to detail and making sure they have the complete solution for customers,” he said, noting that the impetus for the Apple Stores was the poor level of customer service at many consumer-electronics chains. “The Apple Watch is a product that requires a lot of customization. With an appointment, you know you won’t have to wait and will have a sales associate who really knows the product.”
Locking up $10,000 gold Apple Watches in glass cases with extra security also makes sense in a world where thieves from Berkeley to Berlin have smashed cars into Apple Stores to gain entry for grab-and-go robberies.
And appointments could help avert stampedes — as well as limit the queues of buyers who traditionally camp out overnight for Apple releases.
“Tire kickers alone could clog the stores if they all want to come in and play with three or four watches,” said Rick Doherty, research director of Envisioneering, a technology market research firm. “Teenagers will say, 'I wanna go try on a gold watch that costs $10,000,’ so there has to be some means of crowd control.”
For some people, like Klaus Bandisch, it seems customary to go to the store to try on a watch. Bandisch likes buying Apple products and has an iPhone from each of its six generations. In September, he waited 23 hours in line for an iPhone 6 Plus, and had his heart set on it even before holding it in his hand.
But the Apple Watch is different.
“It’s one of those things you want to touch and feel and go to the store first,” Bandisch said. “See what looks best and feels best before you buy it.”
Analysts aren’t expecting a huge rush of people to buy the device. There are roughly hundreds of millions people who already own iPhone 5 and 6 devices that would work with an Apple Watch, but Gownder expects only 10 million of the watches to be sold worldwide in 2015.
Forrester surveyed U.S. online adults, and 40 percent agreed with the statement that they were tired of pulling their phones out of their pockets all the time. An Apple Watch could be a solution to that.
“There is room for this kind of technology,” Gownder said.
News of Apple’s appointment policy was first reported by MacRumors.
©2015 the San Francisco Chronicle. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
