Apple Stores outside the U.S. to give consumers a Personal Pickup option?

Consumers inside the U.S. who purchase an iPhone or iPad or Apple Watch online, can use the Personal Pickup option available from Apple, to pick up their shiny new device one hour later at a nearby Apple Store. Not available overseas at the moment, it appears that the program will be extended to Apple Store locations in the U.K., France, Australia, and some other countries. Apple has 460 retail stores globally, with 260 of them located in the U.S.

While this has not been confirmed by Apple, Personal Pickup is rumored to start overseas this month, possibly in conjunction with the launch of the Apple iPad Pro. Speculation has the 12.9-inch tablet getting released on November 11th. Apple has reportedly been training overseas Apple Store staff on the program. There is some thought that with the iPad Pro launch coming soon, followed by the hectic holiday shopping season, Apple just might hold off on starting up Personal Pickup outside of the U.S. until next year.

The advantage of using Personal Pickup is that the consumer can go into the Apple Store with a decision already made on certain options, such as the amount of native storage, color and more. And it certainly beats waiting for a package to arrive every morning. With the Personal Pickup option, those who placed an order will receive a notification when it is ready to be picked up. For Apple, offering Personal Pickups saves money on order fulfillment, and increases the chances that the consumer will add an accessory to his purchase.

source: MacRumors