

With advice from Steve Jobs, Disney plans overhaul of mall stores - mjfern
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/business/media/13disney.html

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replicatorblog
It reminds me of one of PG's lines about hardware now being mostly software. I
think we are seeing the first wave of computerization of retail. Think about
how backward going to Barnes & Noble or Borders is compared to Amazon.com.
There is no cross sell or upsell, no way to easily get reviews, find
inventory. I am excited to see Jobs help move a massive company like Disney
into this direction. One more way to keep hackers in high demand.

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apowell
At my local Borders, the checkout queue is lined with stuff to purchase. It
isn't contextual, but it's an upsell nonetheless. Also, the book I want is
physically next to other books I may be interested in - that's an effective
cross-selling technique (it works on me, anyhow!).

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replicatorblog
Fair points, I guess I should have said "Personalized" cross sell or upsell.
I'd love a borders bar code scanning app so I could see if a book was well
rated without having to go to amazon, or to get a "people who like this..."
message based on a selection. Those ideas are just the start. I think the
startup ethos could be applied pretty heavily to the world of retail,
especially as more and more people are carrying around personal computers.

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apowell
You're right, Amazon really nails the personalized upsell in a way that is
tough to do in a retail environment (short of having talented salespeople on
the floor).

As for the bar code scanning, isn't that what these folks are trying to
accomplish? <http://www.redlaser.com/>

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mkinsella
Assuming Jobs influenced the current "Apple Store environment," this is
probably a good move by Disney. Apple's stores are always the most crowded at
the mall.

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protomyth
article on the creation:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/technology/19apple.html?ex...](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/technology/19apple.html?ex=1305691200&en=0a5d2e724d58ac68&ei=5090)
\- also - the bizweek article on why it will fail:
[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/01_21/b3733059....](http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/01_21/b3733059.htm)

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chanux
The article needed me signed up for free access. And "more", as they say.

