Apple is touting its newly redesigned Apple Stores, and they are indeed quite impressive. Conceding that the very nature of Apple’s stores (very limited inventory, complete control of key products, customers who walk in already willing to buy, etc.) makes them hard to compare with a Walmart, Target or Macy’s, they are demonstrating what an in-store experience can be like. Retailers would be well served to take note.

Peeking at the pictures of some of these new stores — such as one in Memphis and one in New York — the design is about simplicity and elegance. This is the same approach that Amazon has been taking with its handful of physical bookstores, where it displays books cover out. This allows for fewer books but it also enables a much more meaningful browsing experience. In a sense, that is what Apple has done.

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