The Apple Store has become a very successful channel for Apple
products. But did you
know that industry-specific, third-party products also have a place in these
high-visibility locations? Through a series of Apple Store
Business Workshops, third-party developers can work with Apple Business
Consultants to showcase their products to targeted potential customers. If your software and business are qualified, the Apple Store
Business Workshops could be a great
opportunity for growth.
In this article, you'll read about two developers, Salon Transcripts and
POS•IM, who partnered with Apple in the Apple Store
Business Workshops and successfully
expanded their businesses. Salon Transcripts saw their sales
increase 38% after working with Apple Store sites across the country.
In the same program, POS•IM—a much larger business where it is harder to increase sales by large percentages—still enjoyed a significant 15% uptick in sales.
If you develop
products for a clearly defined business market, consider whether your business
may be a fit for this model (see How to Participate
below); if so, you may be
eligible to participate in the Apple Store Business Workshops. At the end of
this article, we'll tell you how to contact the Apple Pro Markets team to explore the
possibilities.
The Opportunity
Apple set up this flexible initiative to demonstrate the business viability of
the platform at the retail level and to offer vertical solutions developers an
opportunity to leverage the marketing power of the Apple Store identity.
Participating developers may not get shelf space, but they do get the
opportunity to find new customers and to win mind share—especially with the
Apple Store Business Consultants, whose mission it is to help local
companies find and deploy Mac-based solutions.
To date, several smaller vertical solutions developers such as MacPractice,
PayGo, HealthWare, Salon Transcripts, and POS•IM have participated successfully
in Business Workshops at Apple Store locations nationwide.
For example, in this photo, potential customers of Salon Transcripts watch a demonstration of the STX software presented at an Apple Store.
Let's take a look at two of these businesses, how they worked with the Apple Pro Markets team, the Apple Stores and the
Business Consultants, and the results of their collaborative efforts.
Case Study 1: Salon Transcripts
Salon Transcripts provides software to the growing
salon and spa industry. Their
STX product has been a runner up for an Apple Design Award and features online
booking, inventory management, payroll, appointment books, and client
tracking—all tailored to the specific needs of salons, spas, cosmetic surgery
clinics, and other personal wellness businesses.
After an initial consultation with the Apple Pro Markets team, Salon Transcripts staged
one-hour product presentations at two Apple Store locations (San Francisco and
Santa Monica) in October 2004. They sent out invitations to leads in their
database and also used a small, regional mailing list. Based on the success of
these trial efforts, the company then decided to launch a nationwide marketing
effort.
In March 2005, Salon Transcripts put on presentations in 77 stores, all on the
same day. To invite prospects, they purchased a mailing list from a national
trade magazine. To deliver the presentations, they enlisted the help of local spa and
salon owners who were already enthusiastic customers. (At that time, the Salon
Transcripts staff numbered only 15.) Nationwide, attendance was 350 potential customers.
Pleased with the results, Salon Transcripts decided to move forward and do
another round of presentations in September 2005. This time the company focused
on 45 Apple Store locations in the most promising markets.
Salon Transcripts
Director of Sales Tonya Moran reports that the overall results were very good:
“For all these events,” says Moran, “we ended up reaching 720 business owners and closing
business with 250.”
Tonya feels that the combination of reaching their target
market with the help of the Pro Markets team, combined with the credibility of the Apple Store
venue, directly contributed to this impressive number of leads and
stellar closing rate.
In 2006, Salon Transcripts has continued their marketing activity in the Apple
Store, working in close consultation with individual stores and the Business
Consultants. There are a lot of benefits to this relationship.
“When we reach
out to the Business Consultants and show them the software,” says Moran, “they
know what the product is good for and can better inform people who come in to
the Apple Store. Also, they have been wonderful in calling us and giving us
leads.”
“In fact,” Tonya continues, “I’m getting on a plane today because we got a call
from the Cleveland Apple Store about a couple of businesses that had come in.
Since I was going anyway, I sent out an e-mail to our leads database for anyone
in that area. And the Business Consultant at the store said he would do a little
marketing. As a result, we have five business reservations for tomorrow. All
with very little marketing and at very low cost.”
These custom, ad hoc marketing efforts in Apple Store locations will continue,
Moran says. But Salon Transcripts is planning to evolve the type of marketing
event they present
at the Apple Store. Rather than just repeat the same presentation over and
over, they want to come up with creative, new ways to get their message across.
One approach under consideration is to offer a series of events featuring
successful business owners where the focus will be general business tips and
advice, not just the Salon Transcripts software.
Moran explains, “We still do want to do national events once a year—a full push
to get to the wider audience. And we will continue to use prominent business owners—we
call them ‘rock stars’—at certain locations.”
“The Apple Store identity is really invaluable for us,” says Tonya. “Because we
develop exclusively for the Mac, working with Apple and the Apple Store makes us
look all the more credible. Also, the Apple Store goes that extra mile in hiring
people who can think with their right brain. Everyone, including the Business
Consultants, is really easy to talk to. For our prospective customers, that’s
really important.”
The results of working with Apple and the Apple Store are impressive.
“Last year,” Tonya says, “our sales grew 38% and we hired three new staff
members to handle the increased business. A huge part of this is attributable to
our new relationship with the Apple Store. We are very, very pleased.”
Jon Maple, president and CEO of the company, adds his thoughts:
“Networking with the Business Consultants at the Apple Store locations has
allowed us to bring our potential clients to a place where they can touch and
feel a Mac and speak to true hardware experts,” he explains. “As well, it has connected us
with a store's current clients who are looking for salon/spa management
software. It’s truly a win-win situation for both the Apple Store and Salon
Transcripts.”
Case Study 2: POS•IM
POS•IM, from Ensign Systems Inc. in Utah, is a leading
Point of Sale and
Inventory Management solution. Selling mostly through a network of VARs, Ensign
Systems provides independent retail stores across the country the software
capabilities that big chain stores enjoy, but at a fraction of the cost. POS•IM
customers include computer stores, clothing stores, show stores, and and any other type of retail business where, typically, the owner is deeply involved in day-to-day
operations.
Stacey Davies, Director of Public Relations at Ensign, says that the initial
effort in Apple Store locations in 2005 used a standard Keynote presentation
without a software demo delivered by either an Ensign VAR or an Apple Store
Business Consultant.
“But we found that an actual demo was more effective,”
Stacey comments.
And the results?
“In 2005 we went to all the stores,” Davies explains. “In 2006, we narrowed our
focus on 40 stores and had a big success.”
“Immediately following the 2006 June event, we received a 15% increase in
sales. We find that one out of five people introduced to our product in an
Apple Store will purchase the software.”
Another big benefit is establishing a relationship with the Business Consultant.
“When one of our VARs can build a relationship with a Business Consultant,” says
Stacey, “it allows the VAR to educate the Business Consultant on POS in general,
as well as POS•IM. Then, when a customer comes in the store, the Business
Consultant can educate the customer about POS and, as appropriate, mention our
solution.”
From now on, Stacey comments, Ensign is encouraging its VARs to hold a
marketing event in an Apple Store whenever the VAR and the store believe it’s
opportune to do so.
Alan Thurgood, President of Ensign, sees real benefit in working with the Apple
Store.
“Our relationship with the Apple Store,” says Alan, “has been a valuable tool in
closing the gap between our VARs and those people searching for a POS solution.
In addition, the Apple Store effectively provides a neutral environment for the
exchange of information between the VAR, the Business Consultant, and a
prospect.”
If you want to take part in Apple Store Business Workshops, your first
step is to submit your product to the Macintosh Products Guide. This provides recognition of your product as a Mac product.
Next, know your target market. This is important so when you acquire mailing
lists, you know the right lists and get the names of the businesses that are
appropriate for your product.
Now, make sure your software:
- does a great job of addressing the needs of your particular market;
- has the look and feel of a genuine built-for-Mac product—design matters;
- as appropriate, exhibits synergy with other Mac products, such as .Mac or iCal.
In addition, your business should already have:
- a substantial customer base, or at the very least, the ability to properly generate and support customers;
- a marketing plan in place;
- customers who can act as references for your product and who, as appropriate, may be willing to
participate in your marketing events;
- a support and service model that can scale up as your business grows because of your exposure in
Apple Stores.
Your final step is to contact:
promarket1@apple.com.
Designing Your Event
If your product is selected for an Apple Store
Business Workshop, you then need to think how best to organize your event.
Advice and support from the Apple Pro Markets team and the Apple Store Business Consultants can help you
with the details and considerations for presenting your product and company in
this retail environment. This includes everything from the
invitations and pre-event marketing all the way through to post-event
follow-up.
Updated: 2006-10-11
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