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🎧 Is Retail Dying? Why 85% of Revenue Still Comes From Stores
Podcast Marketing / PodCast / Jul 24, 2026 / Posted by Ron Johnson / 1

🎧 Is Retail Dying? Why 85% of Revenue Still Comes From Stores

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The Apple Store Retail Playbook with Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson, creator of the Apple Store and author of Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius, says winning retail treats stores as experiences, not transactions — because “good things happen when people come to stores.” Twenty-five years after opening the first Apple Store, Johnson explains how empowered people, radical simplicity, and one globally consistent experience grew average store revenue from $10 million to $50 million. This episode traces the strategy from Steve Jobs’ weekly design sessions to the future of physical retail.

This episode answers:

  • Why did Apple open its own retail stores in 2000?
  • What makes great customer service impossible to automate?
  • How did Steve Jobs shape the Apple Store’s design and simplicity?
  • How did Apple scale one consistent store experience worldwide?
  • What leadership lessons turn retail employees into decision-makers?
  • Is physical retail dying — or thriving in the omnichannel era?

Ready to shop different? Visit ronjohnsonshopsdifferent.com to learn more about Ron Johnson and pre-order Shop Different, out September 22.

Visit us on Apple Podcast. You can also find SalesPOP! on all major podcast stations.

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About Author

Apple Store creator Ron Johnson is a sought-after speaker, board member, and author of Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius (September 22, 2026 / Harper Collins). He also founded Enjoy, the first mobile retail store, and served as the CEO of J.C. Penney. He is best known for creating the Apple Stores and for working directly for Steve Jobs while serving on Apple’s executive team. Prior to his time at Apple, Ron was highly regarded for his work with Michael Graves to bring good design to all as a merchant leader at Target; their collaboration set the stage for the brand’s hundreds of subsequent design partnerships and cemented Target as America’s premier upscale discount retailer. Ron lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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About Author

Apple Store creator Ron Johnson is a sought-after speaker, board member, and author of Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius (September 22, 2026 / Harper Collins). He also founded Enjoy, the first mobile retail store, and served as the CEO of J.C. Penney. He is best known for creating the Apple Stores and for working directly for Steve Jobs while serving on Apple’s executive team. Prior to his time at Apple, Ron was highly regarded for his work with Michael Graves to bring good design to all as a merchant leader at Target; their collaboration set the stage for the brand’s hundreds of subsequent design partnerships and cemented Target as America’s premier upscale discount retailer. Ron lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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