By Daisuke Wakabayashi
Ron Johnson, who helped build Apple Inc.'s successful retail
stores before a troubled stint as chief executive of J.C. Penney
Co., is getting back in the game with a well-funded startup that
aims to bring some of the Apple Store mystique to online
shopping.
The new company is called Enjoy, and Mr. Johnson says its goal
is to change the way people buy and use the "things that matter" in
a world in which consumers start their shopping online. The service
is scheduled to start in 2015.
In a move reminiscent of his old boss at Apple, Steve Jobs, Mr.
Johnson is keeping most of Enjoy's plans and strategy secret to
avoid tipping off rivals.
But he said Enjoy aims to help shoppers develop a connection
with new products, in the way that Apple Stores let shoppers try
its products. For example, Mr. Johnson said it is hard for
customers to understand the capabilities of a new product like a
GoPro camera from shopping online.
As Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc. jostle to sell everyday items
on the Web and deliver them as quickly as possible, Mr. Johnson
says they overlook the human aspect of helping shoppers find the
right products, especially for infrequently purchased items that
are more complex and expensive.
"That's when you typically want something more than fast
delivery; you might want a little help," Mr. Johnson said in an
interview. "There's a place for high touch in a high-tech
world."
He has sold some big-name investors on his vision. Enjoy has
raised $30 million, including a recent $25 million funding round
led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Oak Investment
Partners. Andreessen Horowitz is also an investor. Mr. Johnson
declined to disclose Enjoy's valuation.
A one-time executive of Target Corp., Mr. Johnson was the
architect of Apple's retail strategy, which aimed to establish a
deeper connection with customers. The minimalist stores allowed
people to touch and try Apple's computers. The stores also feature
a Genius Bar that provides technical advice or help in setting up
new products. The strategy worked: Apple Stores generate more sales
per square foot than any other retailer, including luxury brands
like Tiffany & Co.
Mr. Johnson left Apple in 2011 to become the CEO of J.C. Penney.
But his efforts to overhaul stores and cut back on discounting led
to a massive drop in sales. The company ousted Mr. Johnson in April
2013.
He said he took a "one-year sabbatical," spending time speaking
to entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. During those
conversations, he said, he realized that while customers start
shopping online, e-commerce sites focus more on the speed and cost
of delivery than on helping them buy the right products.
"There's more to life than logistics. There's more to life than
a review, " he said. "Just because we're moving online, it doesn't
mean that need for a connection is going away. No one has really
thought that through yet."
Last month, technology-news site The Information said Mr.
Johnson was launching a high-end delivery service for gadgets and
dispatching employees in energy-efficient branded vans. Without
going into specifics, Mr. Johnson said: "We don't need another
delivery service."
Enjoy, based in Menlo Park, Calif., aims to differentiate itself
by offering retail workers full-time salaries, training, benefits
and flexible schedules--much the same way Uber drivers can
determine their own hours.
Mr. Johnson has recruited a team of well-known executives to
Enjoy, including Jerry McDougal, a former retail vice president at
Apple, and Tom Suiter, a veteran creative director known for his
work on the iMac campaigns and in-store graphics for Apple Stores.
They are joined by Kunal Malik, a former chief technology officer
of the San Francisco 49ers and technology director at Facebook
Inc.
The team "won't need any on-the-job training," said Brook Byers,
who helped lead the investment for Kleiner Perkins. Despite the
lack of public details, Mr. Byers said, "It's pretty clear what
they are going to do and how they are going to do it."
Write to Daisuke Wakabayashi at Daisuke.Wakabayashi@wsj.com
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