Apple has announced that its first flagship retail store in India will open in Mumbai on April 18, followed by a second outlet in Delhi on April 20. In Mumbai, the Apple BKC is inspired by the iconic ‘Kaali Peeli taxi’ art, whereas Apple Saket takes inspiration from Delhi’s many gates.
This got some of us excited, but many wonder — what’s this fuss about?
To begin with, the Apple Store is really all about — not its products, but the experience. The entire purpose of an Apple Store is to attract people and make them experience products. The philosophy leans more towards educating people about Apple products than making them buy any. Typically, we have seen there are facilities like free WiFi in some of the stores we have visited, so visitors can thoroughly check out the device and spend as much time as they want to with it.
Then, one of the key components of an Apple Store is the ‘Today at Apple’ initiative. For those unaware, the ‘Today at Apple’ programme was launched back in 2017. It sees the company organise in-store group sessions on topics varying from coding and music to photography and design. These sessions are conducted by Apple Creative Pros who are employees with in-depth knowledge of the company’s products and tech. Many a time, Apple also brings in other popular personalities, like renowned photographers, to conduct the sessions. Apple users can book free appointments using the Apple Store app. We hope to see these sessions at the Apple Stores coming to India too.
Buyers can also opt to order a product online and pick it up at the Apple Store.
And finally, the after-sales service: after buying a device, there are technicians who help in setting up the device. Also, as part of after-sales support, there are experts — dubbed Geniuses — to fix particular issues that users may face with their devices.
So overall, a visit to Apple's retail store is an experience in its own. I have heard real instances of Apple employees using their iPhone scanners, etc, to make product returns possible in less than a minute. If you have a problem with a device, it gets easily fixed at the store. Might be a hassle with a multi-brand retail store or any other Apple authorised reseller, but it is super smooth at a company store.
Plus, the Cupertino-based tech giant is clear about one thing: consistent customer experience around the world. And that is what we can expect in Mumbai and Delhi both. So, for Apple Fans and Indian consumers, their experience, which has been limited to Apple resellers only, is going to expand to this kind of experience and the joy of buying something directly from Apple.