A dedicated Pickup counter has been one of the most notable changes in Apple store designs over the last few years, giving a faster service to those customers who have ordered a product for in-store collection.
First launched in 2021, the very latest Apple store design has combined this with the Genius Bar in a single counter …
Express counters to Pickup
Apple’s first iteration of a rapid pickup concept was an Express Counter first launched more than a decade ago. These were stocked with popular variations of the best-selling products like iPhones and iPads, and proved particularly popular in China.
The pandemic saw curbside pickup of pre-ordered products, and it was the popularity of this concept which led to the launch of the Pickup counter.
If you’ve ordered a product online for in-store collection, you just go directly to the Pickup counter where it should be in your hands within two or three minutes. This is a much faster and slicker experience than having to grab a general member of staff and wait for them to go find it in the back office area.
Combined Genius Bar and Pickup counter
In the latest mall store design seen in India, Apple has combined the pickup counter with the Genius Bar, as seen in the above photo of the new Apple Hebbal store opening tomorrow in Bengaluru.
Given the compact size of the store, this is likely just a space-saving measure, but seems likely to be rolled out in other mall stores.
From a customer perspective, what matters is a very clearly marked pickup point and staff who are able to quickly retrieve your order, so there seems no downside to this arrangement. It could be argued that it potentially makes the Genius Bar more crowded, but pickup customers should only be there for two or three minutes so it seems unlikely to make much difference in practice.
... continue reading