Historic but now down-at-heel retailer Sears isn’t known for its cool stores, but the company is hoping a massive iPad and iPod deployment will change that.
Sears Holdings is equipping 450 stores nationwide with Apple’s sleek devices to train sales people and boost productivity by allowing them to check inventory, order products online and access product information before customers get frustrated and go somewhere else.
Sears is the latest to adopt Apple in stores — from super cool customer “experience” models to replacing cash registers — retailing is becoming more Cupertinified by the minute. Sears has a lot to learn from Apple as a retail experience, it’s said that the poor showcasing of Apple products at Sears spurred Apple to launch its own chain back in 2001.
To keep customers around, Sears will also be providing free wi-fi access and plans to develop apps and features to take the overall shopping experience from frumpy to fabulous.
“This isn’t only about cool new devices,” Deidra Merriwether, senior vice president and president, retail services, said in a press release. “this is about a better overall in-store shopping experience for our customers as we strive to put them first in everything we do.”
