After hiring a new team of fashion sales and marketing experts from Yves St. Laurent, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry, Apple has developed a unique Apple Store purchasing experience just for the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition, according to sources briefed on the launch plans. When a customer interested in the Apple Watch Edition enters the store, he or she will be given no-wait access to a dedicated Expert, who will provide a personalized “journey” from the beginning of the appointment until the end, as much as one hour later. There will even be a new option for at-home video conferencing rather than in-store personal setup. By design, it will be more “elegant” than the budget-focused experience Apple Watch Sport customers receive…
Apple is describing the Apple Watch Edition to employees as:
“the ultimate expression of extraordinary craftsmanship, incredible innovation, and design driven by functionality and end use… 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.”
The company believes that “[m]ost Edition customers are interested in this collection for the intrinsic value that a gold watch offers along with the unique style choices available.”
As such, Apple has created a different purchasing path for potential Edition customers, one that “is intended to be extremely personal, elegant, and purposeful.” It is less time-constrained than the typical Apple Watch appointment, and fully guided by an Apple Store Expert, a salesperson who has received specialized training for working with high-end clientele.
Longer, Private Appointments: Apple plans to complete in-store Apple Watch Edition purchases during special appointments within a dedicated, private Apple Watch Edition try-on area. The Apple Watch Edition will have its own try-on table separate from the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport, and the purchasing process will last up to one hour, including 30 minutes for simply trying on the highest end Apple Watch. (There will be 5 to 15-minute appointments for the other models.)
Generally Only Two Watches At Once: Customers interested in the Apple Watch Edition can try on up to two distinct gold models at a time; to reduce the risk of theft, employees will need to assess the store conditions before bringing a third Watch out simultaneously. If the customer wants to compare the Edition with non-Edition models, the Expert will be able to ask another Apple Store employee to bring over a couple of Sport and stainless steel models on a special “caddy” from the standard Apple Watch display table. Accessories will be offered after a customer has finished trying watches on, but before the purchase transaction is completed.
A Special Station and Chairs: Apple will have a special try-on station for the Apple Watch Edition, including a pair of stools for the customer, an Edition demo kit holding the watches, and a try-on mat like ones found in jewelry stores. Once the customer decides to purchase the Edition, it can be set up in one of two ways: in-store with the same Expert or via a new service called Virtual Personal Setup.
Virtual Personal Setup: Apple will allow a customer to video conference from home with an online Apple Store employee to learn about the Apple Watch. This program will be offered to both Edition and standard stainless steel Apple Watch buyers. However, Apple Watch Edition customers will be given an exclusive, dedicated Apple Watch Edition phone line for two years of 24/7 technical support (in English). With AppleCare+, this is upgraded to three years.
Contact Center Edition Team: Beyond using a telephone-based Contact Center to offer a personalized pre-sale experience to Edition customers, Apple will have a special Contact Center Edition Team with a dedicated phone number to schedule on-demand setup.
Courier-to-Store: As Apple has previously noted, walk-in and reservation-based Apple Watch Edition try-ons and sales will not be available at all stores. However, sources say that the Edition can be ordered online and delivered to any store the customer prefers through a special new “Edition Courier-to-Store” program, where a courier will deliver the Edition for try-on and purchase. Alternately, an Apple Store without Editions can schedule a try-on appointment for a customer at any nearby location with stock.
Largest Markets Only, At First: While Apple tells employees that the Edition will initially be exclusive to the company’s “largest markets,” the company also says that the device will roll out “gradually” to the rest of the company’s stores. The aforementioned 24/7 Edition support will be in English only at launch, while the special line will be available in all markets in local languages at launch.
No Waiting In Line: Unlike stainless steel Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport customers, those seeking to buy the Apple Watch Edition will not have to wait in a line. Sources say that potential Edition buyers will have priority access to assistance, effectively skipping the line of other waiting customers. Experts will be able to help a couple of customers try-on Watches simultaneously, unlike standard employees who will simultaneously help as many stainless steel and Sport customers as necessary.
As we reported earlier this year, Apple will also secure Apple Watch Editions with in-store safes, indicating the value of the device. We earlier profiled Apple’s strategy of offering customers fashion advice and the three-step sales strategy for positioning the Apple Watch. Apple Stores, at launch, will likely not have Apple Watch stock for those without appointments, as Apple wants to promote the customer sales experience.
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I still wonder how they will determine who is “edition” worthy and who isn’t. Does one have to produce an American Express Platinum or better card? What about a music person who may not “look” like a person who could afford such a watch but surely could in reality.
They probably won’t have to vet prospects for “worthiness” at all. With most jewelry stores (and most expensive retail in general) it’s understood that most prospects won’t buy. If a salesperson can close one out of every five or seven prospects, a mostly lookie loo pipeline is still worthwhile, especially if some of those who pass on the gold “only” end up buying a steel version instead.
I wonder the same thing though. I have never had any problem in an Apple store, but every time I even get close to the entrance of a jewelry store in the mall, I get people looking at me like I’m about to mug them.
The kind of high end customers that will buy an Edition Watch though, will likely not set foot in an Apple store to begin with.
GazooBee: Maybe you should do something to change your appearance so you don’t scare everyone. First impressions are usually the most important. Looking like a freak show isn’t going to help unless you are someone that’s famous and you travel with your entourage.
@ Rich Davis: But I *like* looking like a freak show. :-)
Seriously though, I just mean wearing a hoodie, sneakers and jeans as opposed to a polo shirt and Khakis. Also, I sometimes have paint splatters all over me, even though my wallet is full of platinum cards.
Maybe retail employees shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover though?
If you require 24/7 1 hour private support the watch is already a fail.
They’re two separate things that frankly have no reflection on the potential success of the watch itself.
1) 24/7 support – which is already provided on all of their other products though I’m guessing they’ll have a separate set of support reps exclusively handling the Edition. If I were spending that much on the thing, I’d expect this level of service.
2) 1-hour private appointment – this is for trying on the watch, selecting the color/band, and purchasing it.
The difference is AppleCare phone support is NOT 24 hours a day. Sure you have chat support for after phone close but this article is talking about phone support.
24-hour phone support is the point here.
The 24/7 private support is an obvious perk. Apple knows it will barely be used, but it’s an acknowledgement of the expense made without Apple actually having to do much with it.
More importantly, it gives the customer that sense of special attention, which the uber-rich are totally accustomed to. This is Apple rolling out the proverbial red carpet, and for the cost of each Edition (you don’t think rich couples won’t be buying *two*, do you?) it’s the very least Apple could do.
Tim Cook says everyone’s welcome at apple. Maybe that’s true, but Apple Watch Sport customers have to use the rear entrance, and sit over on their side of the store.
By the look of it, it will be Edition customers who will use the back door…
+1
Yup, that’s a factual statement.
Get to the back of that bus. Perhaps the Edition watch should be renamed the Selma
Comment above read by mistake.
A little bit of a stretch there. a 10+k purchase warrants a little more decision time. A 500-1k purchase, less so.
I would actually disagree. The people that will be drawn to the 10k models will have probably the same income to purchase ratio as people buying the lower end models. It’s just as big of a price tag for some.
I don’t like this. I don’t like the idea of such a massive separation between those buying a Sport and those buying an Edition. I also hate the idea of having a population that is essentially tagged by their wrists, where you can gauge the income of a person buy what kind of Apple Watch they have. From a business perspective, an 18k gold Watch may be a good idea (I don’t know), but from a social perspective, this is going in the opposite direction from which we should be moving.
I know that super expensive watches already exist, but they’re in specialist stores, and you have to specifically seek them out. The Apple Watch is dangling this tangible elitism right in front of you in the same place that people go to buy their $69 Apple TV. And what’s really bad is that this is Apple doing it, and if Apple is doing it, every other company will do it.
Technology (although this is basically a fashion accessory) should be used to break down social inequalities such as race, gender, wealth, etc. This is just like “oh yeah I know you’ve been waiting for an hour but this guy has a lot of money so he’s going first”
Agree 1000%
This is the direction we should be going as a nation and as a world….REWARD THE HARD WOKING SUCESSFULL PERSON.
The problem with the America Liberal Demacrat is that you somehow think we should punish people for being sucessfull. How stupid can you be and still breath. If you have worked hard and earned the ability to buy high end than so be it. Business is about catering to the client that makes you the most money….go get an education in business. If you choose not to sacrifice what others do the buy high end thats your choice….but don’t complain that the hard working (who actually make the sacrifice to earn money) have it to spend.
the poor and the wealthy should be seperate, and those who succeed shoul dget the reward…America is all about the opportunity for everyone to go as far as they choose, get as rich as they want to, and have the life (buying exspencive stuff) as they please. If you want the rich and poor to be the saem go to China…Oh wait a minute you cant aford to go there…try woking a little harder and stop complaining liberal.
PS for the un-educated liberal…there will never be income equality anywhere in the world. Even CHina has the rich and the poor, Russia the same, Asia the same…..travel a little and learn what the real issue of life are.
I am a high school drop out, but have my own business and yes I am sucessfull. In America you can do the same and its really not that hard, try working instead of posting uneducated lazy comments on the web.
PS – I dont wear a watch, I work to hard and get dirty :( But I will buy one for the investment. Thats the real American way. If you cant afford it work harder and save your money.
If I can do it you can to…if you choose to…..
Yeah I’m not saying that I think the rich and poor should have the same amount of wealth. That’d be stupid. I’m saying that the gap between the rich and poor should be massively reduced (for example, the 6 children of the guy who founded Walmart have the same amount of money as the 180 million poorest Americans). If you have managed to become rich from being poor and having no opportunities, rather than just inheriting your parents’ wealth, then well done! However, you can enjoy something without also having to shit on other people just because they prioritised other things in life. Some people really want a family rather than their career, which is fine, but that doesn’t mean then that other people who prioritised their career are better than them.
Perhaps you should learn about the difficulties that some poor people face? For example, a single mother who gets up at 5, goes to work until 3, picks her kids up from school, then goes to a second job until 7, and then a third job until 11pm, and after feeding her kids, paying bills, etc, still doesn’t have enough money to even feed herself. How much more does she have to work before she becomes rich? I know you aren’t gonna let this into your brain, but the idea that if you work really really hard then you’ll just magically become rich is a story that the super rich people keep telling to keep the poor people distracted. Sure, sometimes, if you’re fortunate enough to not have responsibilities and you’re super creative or something, you can become rich from working hard, but for most people it’s just a myth.
Examples of the famed “single mother” typically leave out the big question—where is her husband? Did he leave? Was he never her husband? Why did this woman choose this man to father her children (plural, as in your example). And, yes, the woman chooses the man. Not the other way around.
Sometimes the purpose of a person’s life is to serve as a warning to others.
Working hard is a key to moving ahead in life. However, it’s only one of several. Another is to be in a committed relationship with a person of virtue or to simply minimize your responsibilities to others in the first place. You mention the “responsibilities” aspect but you term it as “if you’re fortunate enough to not have responsibilities”. That’s a victim mentality. In the example of the single mother with multiple children this implies that it was just luck, bad luck, that these kids ended up in her home. That’s not how these things work.
She made terrible choices. Yes, I should personally help her out. Instead of reading this, you should be personally helping her out right now since you may have the greater heart of us two. But whatever happens let her example be a teaching guide as what NOT to do with your life. And teach this to the kids with whom you regularly have contact. Statistics say that the worst predictor of a child’s outcome is that of a child from a single-mother household. Put a stop to that.
And then, some day, more happy consumers can buy an Apple Watch Edition. ;)
Dear R.I.Green:
You have no idea what you’re talking about. Most rich people get rich by stepping on everyone else. That’s just how it works, and always has. Study your history. (REAL history, not the sanitized version taught in public schools.) The other method is mainly luck.
You think working hard is the way to success, do you? You just got lucky my friend! Andrew Carnegie became filthy rich literally working his people to death, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. When they revolted, his company hired private security to shoot them in broad daylight. His employees worked far harder than Mr. Carnegie ever thought of doing. They all believed in the American Dream—the nonsense that if you just work hard enough, you too can be part of the 1%. And yet, Mr. Carnegie had a change of heart later in life, giving away all his money. Too bad this sentiment is rare in our society. Most just pass it down to their truly lazy offspring to squander however they please.
My own cousin got rich. And by “rich” I mean far richer than you could ever dream. But unlike you, he didn’t toot his own horn believing he was better than everyone else. No, he admitted the truth. He worked his ass off, that much is true. But he also admitted that millions of other people worked their asses off just like he did, but got nowhere. “I got lucky,” he said many times. He also swindled thousands of people by selling them worthless real estate in the desert.
Lastly, let me just say that you, Mr. Green, sound just like most rich people I know. Patting themselves on their backs for a job well-done. Never mind how many people they had to screw to make it to the top. Those other people obviously didn’t deserve it. They didn’t work hard enough. They were just lazy. Yea, that’s it, they’re all just lazy. Everyone working for those rich people are a bunch of lazy slobs who don’t deserve even the pathetic minimum wage they’re getting. They’re lucky the rich people allow them to lick their boots.
“I know that super expensive watches already exist, but they’re in specialist stores, and you have to specifically seek them out. ”
You can get an $8K Tag Heuer watch at Macy’s you know. The same place that they sell the $15 Despicable Me watch.
“Apple Stores, at launch, will likely not have Apple Watch stock for those without appointments, as Apple wants to promote the customer sales experience.”
You are guessing.
But, if this were to be true, people who arrive without an appointment to try on an Apple Watch should still be given the best possible customer sales experience.
Not guessing. This is what Apple is telling employees. People who walk in without reservations will be allowed to try on the Watch, but will be told to place an order online or through the Apple Store app to actually get one.
That’s kinda messed up that you won’t be able to buy one in the store, especially if you’re ready to buy, but I suspect this’ll only be the case initially. Once they have enough stock and the excitement dies down a little they’ll actually have in-store stock.
If I had the cash, I wouldn’t *want* to buy one in the store as unseemly folks may get inspired to, you know, follow me to the parking lot. I’m not the paranoid type and certainly wouldn’t expect this to be the norm for most people everywhere (like, not even close), but I’d hate to be that one dude that has it happen to him that’s read about in the papers.
expected pampering
Oh thank God, now the Apple watch edition is totally worth it … =)
This sounds great and all – but how do they combat scalpers? Do they not expect scalpers to attempt to buy these watches? Having seen groups of scalpers attempt to buy dozens of the most expensive 128GB iPhone 6 Plus on launch day it seems an interesting issue.
There’s a built-in mule detector this time around: $10-17K in cash (per device!). That would be a pretty reliable indicator that it’s not a legit purchase.
Besides which, it’s launching in China on day one isn’t it?
Cannot believe the criticism for careful preparation and desire to provide great customer service . Just go to a local pc store.. Spend 15 mins trying to find an assistant.. Buy a Sony or Samsung watch… Don’t expect they know anything about the product.. You probably have a choice of one… Oh yes it will be much cheaper but will lose 90% value before you get it out of the store
The rich know nothing about the problems of the poor; and care even less – (especially about the peasants wearing an Watch Sport !)
All Apple customers are equal; but some are more equal than others – (B.B. 1984/T.C. 2015)
No one, and I mean no one, is going to buy the Edition. It’s less than $1,000 worth of gold in a $10K-$18K package. Rolex can pull it off because a Rolex will be worth more than you bought it for in 20 years. These, however, will be worthless the moment the next one comes out which will happen in a year or less.
Not a single one huh?
It may not have a high gold content – but for a time at least there will be a flourishing after market at premium prices for any Apple Watch.
Besides the rich who buy expensive trinkets will not care about dumping “last year’s” Watch anymore than their pampered wives care about dumping last year’s expensive handbag for this year’s equally expensive one.
nice looking …. i m feeling cool to see the watch ….