The new Apple store opened in Sydney to much fanfare this week. According to reports people came from as far afield as California just to be there when the store opened. And what a gleaming, glass fronted store it is.
On visiting the store I was struck by the proximity to Telstra’s much heralded T Life store, literally just across the road. Telstra launched the T Life store with much ceremony. To quote Telstra’s CEO, Mr Sol Trujillo:
It provides one of the most compelling customer experiences that can be found anywhere in the world and will be a key differentiator in the market.
(Oh the irony! Apple must be having quite a laugh.)
For those of you who haven’t ventured into Telstra’s store, it is a very pleasant single story wooden floored shop. It is customer experience in a fairly minimalist way, but certainly quite a step compared to other Telstra shops.
“Key differentiator in the market”? I think not.
The shop is now dwarfed in all terms by the Apple experience just across the road. What now Telstra?
On the day of my visit to the Apple store, two Telstra staff were outside the shop desperately trying to drum up interest in a free raffle. The contrast between the two stores, and the attitudes of staff and customers towards them was marked.
Simpler is better 