≡ Online Shopping Excellence: Apple
It’s the week before Christmas, and the stores are packed with people, looking for the right presents for their family and friends. Parking is a nightmare and slots in and around the shopping malls are hard to find. And once inside, the line-ups for service in especially the electronics departments and shops, are nearly a dozen deep. And the choice is getting limited.
Frustrated and empty handed, I went online to make my purchases instead. I decided that despite the pricy price tag, there would be an i-Pod Touch or two under our Christmas tree this year. So I logged in to the store at Apple.com.
My first surprise was the choice. I could choose everything they had and they promised delivery before Christmas. At no extra charge.
“Sure,” I thought to myself with suspicion. “That’s never going to happen.”
Next, they offered to engrave my purchases with whatever personalized slogans I wanted on up to 2 lines. I tried a few different ones, and found that both the first name and last name fit perfectly on the first line, with enough room for a nice saying on the 2nd line.
And then they offered a special Apple gift wrapping service — complete with a card that I could either personalize online, or they would supply it to me blank.
“Wow!,” I thought to myself. “A personalized iPod Touch, already wrapped, complete with a card, in time for Christmas! This is great, if it all pans out the way they say it will.”
So I made the purchase and got my confirmation mail stating that my purchases would be delivered within 3 to 5 days of the purchase.
“We’ll see about that,” I said to myself, fingers crossed. I hope they’ll be here by Christmas.
About 20 minutes lates, I got another surprise: a 2nd confirmation email saying my shipment was on its way and would be delivered within 1 to 2 days.
“Right,” I thought to myself. “This must be a mistake. Nothing happens this quickly.”
But at Apple, it does. This morning, my package arrived, having been dispatched from the Netherlands! My purchases are neatly wrapped (I haven’t opened them to see if they’ve really been personalized) but the entire process was much easier than buying in a crowded store.
The online shop was filled with everything I needed to know about the iPod, together with comparisons, a multitude of images and a delivery chart that clearly shows that most of their products, including personalised ones, will be delivered to a non-post box address if ordered before a certain date. In the USA, that date is December 21st. In Luxembourg, it is tomorrow at midnight.
Apple has always been exceptional with their design, advertising and products. Exceptional is how they can also describe their online shopping experience.
I can’t wait to tell all my friends.
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December 17th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Finding out about your Apple experience really tempted me to order that latest glossy super-class toy as Christmas approaches. Time is even tighter than the parking spots in this country, not to mention those dazzling, smiling faces that bring service we’re so used to…(NOT)
What better idea than to surf the net in quest of THE object which will be the surpise under the Christmas tree.
I recently made an order from the online store for dog lovers at Cesar Millan Inc, known to all as the Dog Whisperer. Here’s where the online system falls down. They did their job perfectly, however when it got to the post office in Luxembourg, it took the letter carriers one week before I got the package. I am, of course, still waiting for an explanation from the Luxembourg P & T.
It also reminds me of a birthday order I made to the UK for some golf clubs and found the package in a 3-day delivery right in front of the door. Lucky this is Luxembourg and contrary to social control, people pay no attention to this kind of stuff which could have disappeared during the day. Lucky I came in first to hide the present!!!
But all is not bad in Luxembourg: getting some money “out of the wall” as we say, a man ran 2 streets behind me with his kid on the shoulders to give me the money I had forgotten to take out and had only put my credit card back in the wallet.
December 17th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
I have never had such great customer service before. If everyone follows Apple’s lead and follow through, we will be very satisfied customers, indeed.
You can set up systems internally, but we all need to rely on 3rd parties at some point along the way. Your P&T experience is a case in point. Poor delivery makes for very frustrated consumers. And frustrated consumers don’t like repeat performances!!!
c.
December 18th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Mir bleiben och wat mir sinn
With a smirk on the face we used to imitate the Luxembourgish accent on the way they were and wanted to remain, and with progress we have assimilated with the locals and don’t want the country to change.
Apart from the inevitable extension, people used to leave their doors open with no fear. That all has changed. You had better be aware when someone rings the doorbell with the excuse of a broken-down car or inquiries as to whether or not you sell sheep (I’‘m living mid-town!). Intruders these days break into your house, beat you and take your belongings, fleeing to a neighbour country.
Did borders ever prevent Europe from becoming united ?
Red Pen