Psathiti, C; Sailer, K; Palaiologou, G; (2015) The Apple story: Spatial, functional and cultural parameters in branded architecture. In: Karimi, K and Vaughan, L and Sailer, K and Palaiologou, G and Bolton, T, (eds.) Proceedings of the 10th International Space Syntax Symposium. (pp. 33:1-33:16). Space Syntax Laboratory, The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London: London, UK.

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Abstract

Numerous scholars from a wide array of disciplines have discussed the way in which flagship stores establish the use of physical space as a marketing device for the embodiment of a branded organisational identity. Apple is a particularly interesting example of the way the consistent and strategic consideration of customers’ experiences can be mediated by retail space. Apple is a brand that develops careful, strategic policies to compose unique experiences for its customers and simultaneously achieves constant redefinitions of its retail process in alliance with its marketing intentions. Therefore, this makes for a particularly interesting case study. Recently, Apple launched a new payment strategy where employees can conduct transactions all over the retail area by using mobile devices. This paper constitutes an attempt to understand the extent to which the new mobile practice has changed the Apple Store’s established dynamics and user experiences. The investigation is twofold: First the examination of the Apple Store in Regent Street at two different time periods, in 2009 and in 2014 allows capturing the introduction of a mobile payment strategy and resulting new behavioural dynamics. Second the comparison of two London based cases, the Apple Stores in Regent Street and Covent Garden allows identifying commonalities or variations on how the same organisational strategy is embedded in different configurations. The methodology combines analytical tools of space syntax with on-site observations of space usage. Results suggest that the functional dispersal of the purchase experience has changed the dynamics within Apple’s retail interiors with reflections on functional allocation, space usage behaviours and the layout’s performance. The analysis highlights that the functional distribution appears to have an impact on the operation of the recently introduced mobile payment method and that the way in which each retail interior incorporates organisational principles in relation to its spatial configuration affects the generated behavioural patterns. Overall, results revealed the complex interplay between spatial appearance, functional distribution, behavioural patterns, operational properties as well as cultural connotations. This study introduces a consistent way of analysing branded environments and organisational strategies through a multi-layered and temporal methodological approach that combines analytical tools of space syntax with observations of customers and staff behaviours. Overall, the paper offers a starting point for incorporating a framework of analysis that can enhance our current understanding of spatially configured branded experiences.

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