Woohoo! Reserved my new iPhone4 with the Apple Store app on my 3Gs and got the confirmation that it's waiting for me. With a 7:00 a.m. open for what was anticipated to be a very busy day at the store, I figured I would go a little later after a morning meeting, hoping that it would have slowed down a bit.
But that was not the case. When I arrived about four hours after opening at the store located in an outdoor mall, I estimated that the line was probably about 100-150 people. Yow! How long was this going to take? Luckily, it was a nice day, but on the warm side with temperatures in the 80s.
Took my place at the end of the line, even though I had a reservation and many in line did not. Why didn't they have a separate line for reservations and one for those who were just hopeful of getting one? We then learned from an Apple Store associate that another associate would be working through the line to redirect those with reservations. The redirecting associate then tried to make announcements about the procedure, without a bullhorn or loudspeaker, to the entire crowd. She did not have a voice that projected well.
So we slogged on in the line, moving about five feet every 15 minutes or so. Portions of the line were in direct sunlight, subjecting those in the line to more than their recommended daily dose of vitamin D and UV rays. Some Apple Store associates then began distributing a few golf size umbrellas (without Apple branding on them, but at least the umbrellas were new) to those standing in the sun, asking that they pass the umbrellas along once they arrived in shade. Yep, that worked really well. Some were passed along. For others, it was a free gift with phone purchase.
When you're standing in the sun, you also get pretty dehydrated. I knew I would have somewhat of a wait, so I brought along a Starbucks iced drink. Others were not as prepared. Apparently realizing that they had people whose patience was waning and not wanting to have a heat exhaustion episode, a store associate started toting plastic cups of water to those in line who requested one. As with the umbrellas, the cups were generic.
An enterprising kiosk food vendor from the mall wandered over to the line and offered a free snowcone to a few people if, after they got their iPhones, they would walk through the line to advertise their kiosk. At least one person understood the value of the line!
For those who did have food or drinks while in line, there was a question of where to dump the trash since stepping out of line could put you at the back of the line. Littered along the path were water bottles, food wrappers, and bags. Finally, a mall maintenance employee began to cruise through the line to pick it up.
Also becoming exhausted was the AT&T cellular network for the area. I was trying to tweet about my experience on Twitter, as well as do some online tasks while I waited. Even the Apple Store wi-fi service was over capacity. Guess that's to be expected when you have maybe 100 or more people accessing the network at the same time.
Two hours or more passed. I was getting closer, but realized that there were maybe another 50 people behind me. Then the redirecting associate started to ask people just ahead of me about their reservation status. Yay! I was going to soon be able to leapfrog over the hopefuls and, finally, get my phone that was on reserve. After I waited for a short time in the reservation line, I was in and out in maybe 20 minutes. All tolled, I was there about three hours.
As someone who assists clients with promotions for events, I just saw so many missed promotion and customer "touch" opportunities for Apple and the businesses surrounding their store. So what are my takeaways from this experience?
* Treat Loyals Like Royals - The iPhone4 launch was all over the news. Pre-order reservations were high and first day sales were expected to be high as well. The Apple Store had been through this scenario before with the launch of previous models. Yes, there were stanchions for the line. But there was no separation of the line for reservation and non-reservation customers. A special line for those who made the effort to reserve early should have been given a priority line.
* Give 'Em a Sign - In addition to no separate line for reservations, there were no signs anywhere. Instead they had Apple associates wandering around sporadically trying to direct traffic and provide instructions. They may have had sign restrictions due to the store's location in the mall. But I think the mall would understand if they coordinated in advance.
* Make it an Event - Instead of having a couple hundred hot, irritated people standing in line, I think this was a great opportunity to make it an iPhone4 Launch Party. How about some music, cool drinks (at least water stations), and decorations?
* Create Partnerships - The snowcone guy had the right idea. There are many food vendors in the mall. Maybe partner up with them to sell mobile munchies for folks waiting in line? Also could have partnered up for use of another wi-fi network to accommodate the huge usage.
* Expand Your Brand - Generic umbrellas. Generic water cups. Surprised that super brand-conscious Apple didn't have some branded promotional products for that day. But they did have all their staff members in matching shirts so people could identify them.
* Think Green - Certainly, the limited number of waste containers was a mall issue. But coordinating for additional recycling and trash containers, as well as collection efforts, in advance would have helped keep the area clean and green.
Heidi Thorne is a promotional products marketing expert, speaker and author with over two decades experience in the fields of sales, marketing, advertising and public relations. Her Promo With Purpose concept shows marketers how to make more effective and cost-effective promotional choices based on their objectives, values and image.
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