Abstract
Only recently has Apple Incorporated released its unprecedented Apple Watch as its newest and most invigorating product on the IT market. The Apple Watch was designed to provide customers with a different and innovative product that would inspire intrigue and amazement. Despite the inherent differences between the Apple Watch and other Apple products such as the IPhone and IPad, there are still consistencies in the technologies used and how Apple markets all of its products to its loyal and also new customers. This paper will analyze how Apple has effectively generated customer empowerment and loyalty over the new Apple Watch and how the product itself caters to the needs of Apple’s customers.
Managing Customer’s Satisfaction of the Apple Watch
The new Apple Watch empowers its customers by providing a new and exciting experience that is different from anything currently being offered in the worldwide IT market. It is the first release of its kind to include updated Apple technology but not through a phone, Ipad or computer system. Customers are part of the marketing of the product as it is positioned on a part of their body that can be observed easily in public. By customers simply using and wearing the Apple Watch visibly on their wrists, potential customers can observe its appearance and features prior to entering an Apple store and have the option of assessing its usability and effectiveness well before making a decision (DeMers, 2014). Furthermore, the use of social media is pivotal in marketing the Apple Watch to the public. Social media first reported on the potential release of the Apple Watch in late 2014 and this instilled hope and excitement in potential Apple clients and customers prior to the product being announced at the biannual Apple developer’s conference in Silicon Valley in June 2014. Apple social media efforts such as the use of its website, Facebook and advertising through the Apple store effectively established buzz marketing over the Apple Watch and also provided the means by which customers could exhibit their positive and negative feedback on the product (Apple Inc, 2015).
The lifetime value of the most loyal Apple customer is over $100,000 when considering annual releases of new updates and Apple products. This number is worth maintaining as it will continue to provide apple with billions of dollars of capital that can then be used to develop more innovative products and which are more expensive and lucrative. The Apple watch instills hope in the customer that further improvements will be made and other products will be released that are just as innovative and sophisticated yet easy to use (Apple Inc, 2015). Apple incorporated has an extensive update process for all of its products hence current and future Apple Watch customers will maintain their enthusiasm for the Apple Watch through hope for future updates. Additionally, the Apple Watch series includes a number of different models, which cater to the needs of thousands of different people and adds significant diversity to Apple’s range of products. Therefore, profitable customer relationships are guaranteed through the hope that updates and additional models will be provided based on previous history involving Apple IPods and IPhones (Swider & Beavis, 2015).
Through the Apple store both online and at specific locations, customers are given the opportunity to complain or provide feedback about their purchased products. The in store Apple technicians allow for technical difficulties associated with products to be overcome and customers are assured that they will eventually be provided with a highly reliable product that guarantees customer satisfaction. Furthermore, updates fix bugs and provide customers with a refreshed look in regards to their products. By providing the possibility for all Apple products to be linked and connected, customers can be satisfied that all of their needs will be catered for entirely and solely by Apple products (Apple Inc, 2015).
The privacy laws of Apple Incorporated are such that any music or media purchased through the Apple store can only be used on Apple devices. This restricts the respective usage of Apple products across the generic IT market and forces people in to purchasing an entire range of Apple products to increase usability of particular Apple features (Apple Inc, 2015). Each Apple product has an extensive mechanism for ensuring the privacy of the user. The user ultimately has the autonomy to determine what and whom they share data with. On a much larger basis, all Apple information is kept very private from other unrelated media and non-users of Apple products find it difficult to obtain Apple related information or media that has only been shared by Apple Products (Swider & Beavis, 2015). The company also has strict guidelines in regards to exposing the identity of users and the material that is contained within their Apple Products. Apple users can be assured that their material will remain contained to their respective Apple technologies (Apple Inc, 2015).
- Apple Inc. (2015). Apple Watch. Apple Incorporated, Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/au/watch/ Accessed on 03 July 2015
- DeMers. J. (2014). Here’s The Simple Secret To Apple’s Marketing Success. Forbes Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/07/08/heres-the-simple-secret-to-apples-marketing-success/ Accessed on 03 July 2015
- Swider. M, Beavis. G. (2015). Apple Watch Review. Techradar, Retrieved from
http://www.techradar.com/au/reviews/wearables/apple-watch-1264567/review Accessed on 03 July 2015
