POSWizard

The December holiday season is a very busy period for many retailers. Apple expected a huge request for their iPod line of digital media players, and streamlined the sales process for these devices in the Apple shops.

They reserved a section of the shop for their most popular product, and called it the iPod Express. The iPod Express area has more stock than usually to give the item directly to the customer and uses a 30-inch Cinema Display to advise customers which models were in stock. But the most revolutionary part of the iPod Express is that they take advantage of the Internet savvy audience, and mimic the Internet shopping experience,

Staffers in the iPod Express area are equipped with Symbol hand-held computers with a magnetic stripe card reader so they can process credit- and ATM cards. For registered Apple users, that is all there is; the EasyPay software recognizes the card and will send the receipt by e-mail within an hour.

The result of the iPod Express area and EasyPay system is an increased velocity of order-taking for this particular item and an improved customers’ experience.

According to Business Week, Apple is satisfied about the results of the iPod Express area and the EasyPay system, and will make it an ongoing aspect of the Apple retail experience.