Apple’s SVP Retail, Angela Ahrendts shared some insightful thoughts on the future of the retail industry in an in-depth interview with Vogue Business. Here’s a little of what she had to say:

12 things we learned about Apple retail

• When Steve Jobs launched Apple’s retail stores in 2000, he told the teams: “Your job is not to sell, your job is to enrich their lives and always through the lens of education.”
• “Stores need to become living, breathing spaces, not just two-dimensional boxes,” she said.
• 70,000 people work at Apple Retail working in 506 stores.
• Apple retains around 90 percent of full-time staff.
• Apple is opening fewer retail stores, but those it does open are larger.
• Apple retail stores are packed with location-aware beacons that connect with the Apple Store app on iPhones – check and you’ll find you receive greetings and the chance to pay for what you want to purchase without using a cash register.

• Apple’s Today at Apple series of courses will expand, and already hosts thousands of events across 21 countries every week.
• Apple has a social network – for retail staff. Called Loop, it includes video and auto translation and lets staff share what they know with each other. It’s a highly successful tool.
• Store staff have an app called Hello which offers them important information about the day ahead, often including video from Ahrendts and other retail high-ups.
• The biggest selling product in Apple retail stores are Macs, not iPhones.

[amazon_link asins=’B01LYR6T08′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’playlistclub-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’357d798b-ea7c-401c-9627-80626ed11f93′]

• Apple doesn’t measure store performance merely on the basis of sales, but also looks at how strongly they support its customer base in the region they are in.
• Retailers must rethink their approach – its not about one-time notions like store or app profitability, it’s about building the connection between customer and brand. This is why Apple retail focuses on creating long-term customer relationships. “Digital natives long for human connection,” she explained.

Please follow me on Twitter, and join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.