Shop Different

How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius

By: Ron Johnson, Zander Nethercutt

Apple Store creator Ron Johnson shares timeless lessons about innovation, leadership, design, creating winning cultures, and the future of retail through the power of relationships. When Ron Johnson began as vice president of retail at Apple in 2000, the dot-com revolution was in full swing and common wisdom predicted that the internet was going to put retail stores out of business. By the time he left Apple in 2011, Johnson had created the most respected and profitable retail stores in the world. And even then, prominent pundits like Marc Andreesen were still predicting the death of physical retail. In Shop Different, Johnson shares the stories and secrets of how Apple became America’s best retailer. From developing a vision for the stores, to building a world-class retail team, to launching game-changing innovations like the Genius Bar, Johnson redefined the very purpose of a store and now reveals how it happened. But Shop Different isn’t just about looking back. It’s about looking forward. The internet provides a great way for brands to launch and deliver digital convenience, but ultimately, they can only reach their fullest competitive potential through physical stores. Thriving in physical retail, meanwhile, requires constant evolution as new technologies like AI change how we shop. Johnson’s success at Apple provides a blueprint for the type of thinking companies need to build dynamic, enduring retail experiences around new, transformative technology in an omnichannel world. Shop Different is a must-read guide to success as we learn to navigate the technological developments shaping our world. It’s about not just succeeding, but creating a better world—now and in the years to come.