Introduction
Apple Inc. is among the largest and most profitable technology companies with a global presence. In the digital age, developing the right marketing strategy requires the skillful application of various non-physical information dissemination channels, and Apple’s official website, apple.com, contributes to its overall strategic approach. Apple uses the website effectively by making it a universal information dissemination tool for various stakeholders, including individual and corporate clients, government sector/healthcare employees, and investors.
Apple’s Website as Part of the Marketing Strategy and a Marketing Tool
As a massive resource, the website complements the company’s global marketing efforts by serving as a universal informational resource for all customer types. Apple’s overall marketing strategy relies on the multi-channel approach and is characterized as aggressive, especially with regard to promotion on TV and social media (Hsu et al., 2021). Building more connected marketing efforts and brand community value has been identified as the marketing performance gap to address (Hsu et al., 2021). The website, on the one hand, maintains this general assertiveness in the store section and product presentation strategies (Apple Inc., n.d.a). On the other hand, for corporate clients and investors, information is provided in a reserved tone (Apple Inc., n.d.a). This balanced approach fits into Apple’s overall expansive marketing strategy while also serving as the key source of factual information about Apple.
Apple’s official website is rather effective as a marketing tool as each section fulfills particular promotional tasks, exposing individual users to relevant content and strategies to contact Apple’s local representatives. The store section lists ten product categories, ranging from Mac to Apple gift cards, in a user-friendly format and offers a selection of recent exclusive products, such as Macbook Pro 13’’ and Apple iPhone 13 (Apple Inc., n.d.a). Shopping assistance tools, including online support services and finding physical stores by ZIP codes, can effectively inform individual clients’ product selection decisions.
The website also delivers information on recent offers, news, and financials to non-individual clients by enabling each visitor to select the relevant menu, which strengthens the tool’s success. Special offers for particular user categories, such as educational institutions, healthcare organizations, and governmental agencies, are presented in relevant submenus. Each customer group is directed to a list of relevant resources. For instance, the Apple Store for Government provides sales support e-mail addresses for federal and state/local governmental employees separately (Apple Inc., n.d.a). The Investor Relations section provides investor-focused marketing materials, including quarterly financial results, announcements of webcasts, earnings reports, Form 10-K annual reports, net sales, capital return, and green bond reports (Apple Inc., n.d.b). Relevant selections from Apple Newsroom also reveal Apple’s ethical and sustainability advantages to potential investors, serving as another marketing tool.
Apple’s Global Presence and Things to Do Differently
Using the website, the corporation highlights its global presence rather adequately and in diverse ways, ranging from offering localization opportunities to presenting its international team. Apple’s discussion of the value of inclusivity in global workforce development highlights its global presence (Apple Inc., 2021). The webpage related to the executive leadership team introduces the corporation’s diverse team and structure, including the leaders of Apple Greater China, worldwide communications, and worldwide marketing (Apple Inc., n.d.a). The region selection tool is available on any page of the website, but its location near the copyright tool and no visual design features to make it noticeable might probably leave the uninformed user puzzled. The country/region selection submenu offers a list of over fifty local websites in these countries’ national languages. The links are grouped by region for five separate regions, and each list is alphabetized for the user’s convenience.
Apple also highlights its global character by announcing its involvement in supporting the victims of crises and catastrophes outside of the U.S. In particular, the website promotes the corporation’s Donation Ukraine DK application designed for iPad and the Solidarity humanitarian platform (Apple Inc., 2020). The iPad application enables visitors to donate money and support Ukrainian refugees and war victims, and the platform connects volunteers to beneficiaries all over the world.
Two recommendations about the things to do differently can be offered in Apple’s case. The website’s contents and the selection of services are suitable for Apple’s marketing and information dissemination goals, whereas the design features might need improvement. Firstly, making the localization/region selection menu easier to find by using brighter colors and making it the first element that the user notices would improve customers’ experiences. Secondly, according to research, a webpage’s visual complexity is negatively correlated with the user’s positive emotions from viewing it (Liu et al., 2021). Knowing this, making web pages and offers in the store section even less disordered and distracting would be a helpful step to take. Both alterations could support the user in finding relevant information promptly and without distractions and exposure to overly complex information presentation approaches, supporting the website’s effectiveness.
Conclusion
In general, Apple’s website seems to be an effective marketing tool that differentiates between various types of users, locates all relevant information in one place, and highlights the company’s global presence. The abundance of information complements Apple’s overall active approach to marketing. At the same time, certain design features, such as the presence of overloaded web pages and the location of the region selection tools, might present areas for improvement.
References
Apple Inc. (2021). How we come together is how we change the world.
Apple Inc. (n.d.a). Apple site map.
Apple Inc. (n.d.b). Investor relations.
Hsu, T. H., Her, S. T., Chang, Y. H., & Hou, J. J. (2021). The application of an innovative marketing strategy MADM Model—SIVA-Need: A case study of Apple Company. International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies, 13(1), 33-68.
Liu, W., Cao, Y., & Proctor, R. W. (2021). The roles of visual complexity and order in first impressions of webpages: An ERP study of webpage rapid evaluation. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 1-14.