Page 252 - The Apple Experience

that’s going to do $15 million a year?’ They should be asking, ‘How do we
reinvent the store to enrich our customers’ lives?’ ”

Building a Friend for Life

Apple is perfecting the notion of experience shopping for computers while
Build-A-Bear has done so for teddy bears. By allowing children to participate

in the actual creation of their stuffed animals, the store has moved beyond a

toy store to one that creates treasured childhood memories. Two years after

their first Build-A-Bear experience, my daughters remember choosing their

animals and the outfits they would wear. They also remember making a wish

and watching as the animals’ “heart” was stuffed into the casing. Build-A-

Bear learned long ago that kids love to create and that families enjoy
interactive experiences together. In fact Build-A-Bear is not called a “store,”

but a “workshop.” Its mission is to bring the teddy bear to life and to evoke

warm thoughts about childhood. Anyone can sell a stuffed animal, but Build-

A-Bear won the hearts and minds of millions of children around the world

by turning the commodity into a multisensory experience.

Time and again Apple shows what good customer service really means. —John P.

Rock the Aisle

Dr. A. K. Pradeep says the brain loves multisensory experiences. The more

you engage the senses, the more likely it is that the brain engages with the

product or service on an emotional level. This stimulates information

retention and, not surprisingly, the willingness to buy. By encouraging

customers to touch and play with products, Apple and LEGO stores are