Via Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, Apple is gearing up to offer a new option for Apple retail store employees to offer customers when buying a product. Employees will now be able to make sales with home delivery, instead of requiring the customer carry the product home.
Gurman says the new EasyPay Online Ordering program will start being available to stores in August. The move to offering home delivery shipments in store may signal a larger strategy shift.
Previously, Apple store employees would merely be able to recommend customers do their purchase online, or help the customer impromptu fill out their order on the website. The new official program will mean home shipping will be directly integrated into the Apple retail EasyPay terminals.
By moving more customer sales to home delivery, future Apple stores may be able to dedicate less back-room space to holding stock. It also offers customer convenience; when purchasing bulky devices like an iMac, customers can now simply have the item shipped to their home rather than having to carry it out of the store.
Gurman also speculates that shipped orders may also play a role in the rollout of Vision Pro. With thousands of combinations of accessories for Vision Pro, such as the head band and light seals each fitted to each user’s head size, it is unlikely that Apple stores will be able to have everything in-stock. With shipping delivery as a supported option, Apple Stores will still be able to complete Vision Pro sales, even if they don’t have all parts in stock at the same time.
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