The New York Times got a peek at the “Spot-the-Shopper”technology now in use at the Apple Store. Times scribe Brian X. Chen visited the Palo Alto, CA Apple Store and saw a demonstration of the new technology Apple is using to improve the already great customer experience.
Brian received the demo from store employee Diego Aguirre. He showed off an internal application, which runs on the iPod Touch. Using the app, Diego has the ability to find the location of a shopper who has come to pick up a purchase.
Diego explained:
An iPhone owner can use the free Apple Store app to shop before entering the store. When she arrives, the app’s location feature alerts store workers on their iPhones, and they can find her and bring over her purchases. Sixteen customers used the app’s location feature to claim gear at the Palo Alto store on Friday.
Employees have already been able to locate customers requesting assistance in the store, via a system similar to how you request assistance from a flight attendant on a plane. iPads mounted next to displays in the store allow a customer to tap an on-screen button to request assistance, and a message appears saying a specialist is on their way. On the back end, the iPod Touches of Apple Specialists show customer requests and their location.
The iPod Touches carried by employees are outfitted with a thick, black case containing a credit card reader, a bar code scanner and a battery pack. This allows them to complete a transaction with a customer, without going to a traditional cash register. The customer’s receipt can then be e-mailed to them, or if they wish, a receipt can be printed for them.
To date, Apple has 358 physical stores worldwide.
