[apinstein]

I remember thinking during class at business school (1992-1996) that the internet was going to cause a major shift in retail. To survive in the internet age, retail would need to morph into basically a manufacturer showroom, with very knowledgeable staff and where most goods were ordered in-store or online and just drop-shipped.

Why? Because the retail industry had devolved into essentially a real estate business; manufacturers bought shelf space from retailers. Manufacturers had essentially no control over the person-to-person sales/education experience for their own goods. Manufacturers hated it, especially new entrants, since it was so hard to introduce a new and actually better product.

It's taken about 20 years, but this is finally starting to happen at scale. Companies like Sony and Dell tried it, but they didn't really invest in the right floor salespeople or retail experience to make it anything other than a Sony store vs a Best Buy. Apple is really the first company to nail it, and it's paying off big time. It is really cool to see, as I think it's such a move in the right direction for both manufacturers and customers.