Bricks and Mortar

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I still remember all the hype in the late 1990s that online retailing would replace so-called bricks and mortar - i.e. - real, physical stores.

But it didn't happen.

In fact, one of the most technologically-savvy firms in the world, Apple, has done the exact opposite. Apple Inc. first developed an online retail presence to sell its wares directly to customers. It then began an aggressive plan to launch its own branded retail stores.

They now have more than 200 retail stores of various sizes in either the premium shopping malls or in the cases of so-called flagship stores, in elite shopping districts as standalone buildings.

I've been to Apple Stores in Las Vegas, Virginia and most recently to three in Canada - two in Toronto and one in Montreal.

While spartan by design, these stores are absolutely packed most hours of the day. The stores highlight the importance of human interaction as customers deal with knowledgeable sales staff - who are commission-free - and technical experts called Mac Geniuses.

Apple provides an interesting example of a multi-pronged marketing and sales effort that combined the best use of web-based communications tools and absolute highest-quality real world retailing. Apple Store's aren't simply a place to buy some tech, ala Futureshop, they're designed to be an extension of the Apple experience.

The Apple experience - from the elegant hardware and robust, yet simple to use software along with excellence in online and real world sales and marketing - is what Microsoft is competing against with its latest $300 million ad campaign.

And it's a key reason the Microsoft campaign won't likely make a dent in Apple's growing influence among computer users.