Store signage is crucial for ensuring efficient navigation and accurate product information for customers. To design a furniture showroom layout that showcases your pieces in their best light, consider using a variety of heights, textures, and colors. Focus on the brand theme and display your white or painted cabinets to create a fresh and inviting atmosphere.
When planning store layouts, aim for the first floor, identify customer flow, and avoid transitions. Ensure the store floor is free from debris to prevent distractions and hinder the shopping experience. A furniture showroom requires creative use of color, lighting, and modular layouts to stimulate memorable experiences for customers.
Two best practices for furniture store layouts are creating a focal point, grouping items by category, setting up multiple seating areas, and using low tables. Stage your furniture, incorporate design trends, create a functional layout, and avoid transitions. Understand your brand and audience plan and layout the space, as well as the aesthetic and visual merchandising.
Contemporary displays of furniture collections can range from derivative to otherworldly. A Racetrack Plan with straight aisles is the most efficient layout for furniture stores, as it allows retailers to display their products effectively. By following these tips, you can create a visually appealing and engaging showroom that attracts customers and boosts business sales.
📹 Cielo Furniture Store – Design Quarter
CieloDesignQuarter #furnitureStore #ContemporaryFurniture #Decor Take quick a tour through our new Design Quarter store!
What is a typical markup on furniture?
The typical markup for distributors of consumer products, such as furniture, is in the range of 20 to 30 percent. However, markups for retailers vary considerably depending on the product type and business style. In general, markups for retailers fall within the range of 50 to 100 percent.
What is the average profit margin on furniture?
The mean gross profit margin for a retail furniture business is in excess of 40%. However, this figure declines to between 3 and 6% once marketplace fluctuations have been accounted for in the pre-tax context. In order to enhance profit margins in the furniture retail sector, it is recommended that businesses employ product configurations and personalization strategies. In addition, the implementation of three key strategies is advised:
How profitable is selling furniture?
The mean gross profit margin for a retail furniture business is in excess of 40%. However, this figure declines to between 3 and 6% once marketplace fluctuations have been accounted for in the pre-tax context. In order to enhance furniture profit margins, retailers may consider employing product configurations and personalization, in addition to implementing three strategies.
How to organize a furniture showroom?
To optimize a furniture store’s inventory, organize items by style, color, material, or room, and add signs above each category to guide customers through the store. This will streamline their shopping experience and encourage them to browse more items. Set up multiple seating areas in the store to help customers understand how certain pieces might look and feel in their homes. Place items near each other to compare styles and fabrics side by side, using area rugs and throw pillows to create inviting spaces.
Use low tables and displays strategically to help customers visualize how certain pieces might look in their homes. Place lamps, photo frames, books, and plants on these tables and displays to showcase the latest styles and trends without taking up too much floor space.
How can I increase my furniture showroom sales?
To improve furniture store marketing, keep your website updated, create a comprehensive marketing strategy, engage your audience where they are, keep customers coming back, and provide the sales team with the necessary tools to deliver results. Identify your audience and engage them through their preferred platforms. Furniture store marketing is crucial for customer retention, as the cost of acquiring new customers is often higher than keeping current ones.
Market to your current customers to maintain their relationship with your business, as feeling supported will lead to continued loyalty and increased sales in the future. Providing your sales team with the necessary tools to deliver results is also essential.
What is the profit margin for a furniture store?
Furniture business profit margins typically range from 45 to 80%, depending on factors like product quality, store size, and competition. To maintain healthy profit margins, owners must focus on cost management, supplier negotiation, and providing high-quality products and services to attract and retain customers. To ensure long-term sustainability and profitability, furniture business owners must focus on pricing strategies, inventory management, and overall business efficiency.
The salary of a furniture business owner is unpredictable and influenced by factors like store location, size, and competition. In a prime position, an average weekly salary for a well-established furniture business owner is around $23. 3K.
How much does it cost to start a furniture business?
Starting a furniture business can cost between $50, 000 to $500, 000, depending on the size of the operation, location, and whether the business is manufacturing or retailing furniture. Renting a retail space or manufacturing facility can be a significant expense, with monthly rent ranging from $1, 500 to $5, 000 depending on the city and neighborhood. High foot traffic or affluent neighborhoods can command higher rents but potentially offer higher sales volumes.
The cost of raw materials like wood, metal, and fabric also plays a significant role in the startup budget. Quality hardwood costs $4 to $10 per board foot, while metal frames cost $2 to $6 per pound. Securing reliable suppliers for these materials is crucial, and initial investments of at least $10, 000 to $20, 000 are required to maintain an adequate inventory.
How do you attract customers to your showroom?
In 2024, brick-and-mortar stores are expected to see a resurgence, with a significant increase in in-store sales. To attract customers, businesses can enhance curb appeal, improve store layout, elevate the environment, reach customers online, take customer service training seriously, offer in-store-only sales and promotions, start a customer loyalty program, and create personalized customer experiences. Experts predict that 72 of retail sales will occur in brick-and-mortar stores in 2024.
To continue growing, businesses need a strategy to maintain a steady flow of new customers. Some effective ways to increase foot traffic in retail include freshening up curb appeal and adding retail inventory management software.
How do furniture stores attract customers?
In today’s omnichannel environment, reaching your audience involves various methods, including traditional advertising outlets, social platforms, email lists, and maintaining a strong online presence. Building a successful furniture business requires more than just creating beautiful furniture; it requires making a positive, lasting impression on potential customers. A furniture marketing strategy is crucial for ensuring your brand is in front of the right people at the right time and making a lasting impression.
The furniture market is evolving as demographics shift and consumers’ buying habits change. A poor marketing strategy is not enough to compete; you need to be top of mind at the right time and provide a buying experience that compels shoppers to complete the sale. Having a strong furniture marketing strategy is essential for any furniture seller to succeed in today’s evolving market.
📹 Persuasive Design: How IKEA Tricks You Into Buying More Furniture
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Thank you – great to understand why it’s such a delightful shopping experience. Our home is filled with a mix of vintage, 2nd hand, & Ikea. Much of the Ikea has been hacked, upgraded, or painted. I love it. And look forward to going back occasionally. We are retired – so go early in the day when it isn’t crowded, wander slowly & enjoy that free coffee in natural light. 😊
I compare what Ikea is offering to other furniture makers all the time, but it usually turns out that due to Ikea’s huge selection, it has something that meets my needs and the others don’t. Or in cases where there are comparable items, Ikea’s is way cheaper or actually even looks better due to having a focus on minimalist designs and not having to factor in the handmade labor cost. Then there’s the staging. I love the staging. It shows what type of style this piece of furniture looks good in and what kind of context really brings out its charm along with giving a sense of scale. Otherwise I have to do a lot more work to picture how it would look in my space.
Hm. In Europe Ikea has shortcuts in the exhibition so you do not need to follow the maze all the way. In Hamburg / Germany we even have an IKEA right in town in a normal shopping area; it has windows to the outside, too. I can arm myself against Ikea’s evil designs by making a shopping list and sticking to it (and I do, too😀): I am old enough to remember furniture shopping before the first Ikea hit northern Germany: mostly ugly, and mostly way too expensive for me. So yeah, next to inherited or thrifted furniture I have a lot of Ikea stuff and I’m not sorry.
I knowingly fall for it; hook, line and Swedish meatball 😂 My trick is to go through the market place with two carts. We happily put everything we think we want in as we’re shopping. When we get to the end that’s when we decide to buy or not. I feel guilty leaving a cart full of stuff from all over the store, but I do try and put most stuff back. Also looking online beforehand helps.
We have no IKEA where I live in nz but we specifically imported a couch from IKEA because our furniture here is mass produced and expensive. I found that really interesting because it was just product placement in a lot of interior design articles, and not just yours btw that drew me to it. We saved thousands importing the couch and a few bits and bobs from IKEA that we just can’t get here where I live.
Points in this article apply only to who I call IKEA ‘noobs’. Once you figure out the shortcuts, exits and all entry points of your local store, you can hack your trip and quickly grab what you need and get out. For example, I always enter from the As-Is section, which is that circular/second hand bit this article showed, so I can check if I can find a cheaper and second hand alternative for what I need. Then, I go directly to the shelf where my product is, which I have already checked on the website before going to the store. Yes, you can see the location of an item on the website. If you are still entering from the main entrance, following the arrows, doing the entire maze, then the marketplace, that’s a noob move 😉
This is brilliant. Just perusal this made me want to go buy some IKEA products. 😂 Good on them being so good at what they do (despite the fact that this isn’t good for me as a customer). As a minimalist, this makes me dread wanting to go into one of their stores. 😅 Lots of willpower needed to make it through this all.
I LOVE IKEA!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ From the free coffee to the frozen Swedish meatballs that are always in my freezer 😁. Excellent article 👏👏👏, so clever of them that I am not even upset by being manipulated by their strategies to get me to buy more stuff 🤣. Our store does have short cuts in it and we also have the option to enter straight into the ground floor area, I do use the short cuts if I don’t have the time, but I like having a look at the displays so I usually walk the whole store. We also have the option to just go to the restaurant section as our IKEA is attached to a large shopping mall. So not like the description in the article.
I always think about what I “want” or “need” in the apartment. Search for it online with a setting showing only what is available in your favorite store. You won’t be surprised by any promotion in-store as you already saw it online and you know exactly the items you are looking for, so no browsing around. You can now skip whole sections of the showroom or even go straight to the ground floor and skip the showrooms all together. Choose “the cheapest” but still visually acceptable ones for you in each category as well as actually “pleasant” ones. Wait a week, look through them over, and delete most of the “wants” saving only the ones which touched my heart. Go through “needs” reassess them and delete some. Wait another week, look through everything calculate the total, compare it to my budget and eliminate from that, the way it sits right with my emotions. (usually, a balance between “the cheapest” and “pleasant” in “need” category and 1 item from the “want” category, because IKEA always finds a way). I also do grocery shopping there to please the craving for ikea food which stays with you for a few days after visiting IKEA.
Very interesting article. I am restoring an 800 years old house in Tuscany, and even though no expense was spared on the renovation, I will probably use A LOT of IKEA furniture. Just one correction: upsell is selling a large McMenu instead of a medium one. CROSS selling is selling drapes, or pillows, to someone who bought a sofa. Or nuggets if you got a Big Mac menu. Up is the same, but bigger and more expensive. Cross is something else. Like their Kafferep cookies (formerly known as chokladflarn). Damn they’re good.
I love your articles but I really think you’ve over thunk this one 🤣. I’ve yet to go browsing in ikea, I always go in with a planned purchase in mind. I’ve also yet to have a good experience in their dining room 🤷♀️. I’m disabled so have sussed out all the shortcuts and can be in and out in very quick time. It’s all perspective. Good job though and your wife and daughter are beautiful.
I am a huge fan of IKEA regardless of their tactics. Their design, innovation, accessibility and utility just makes them the perfect option for furniture when you’re not looking to spend an arm and a leg to outfit your living space. The idea of building your own furniture gives you a sense of connection and achievement to the things you’ve built and it even allows you to come up with creative solutions by mixing and matching things for yourself.
The most positive aspect of the IKEA store is that you will never come across an annoying salesperson asking if they can “help” you. There are a few yellow-shirted people floating around who can actually help you find something, but otherwise they keep out your way and make the whole experience a lot more relaxing – compared to your typical hard-sell retail store.
Great job! While I always new there was “the Ikea affect” It was very informative to hear it broke down and explained. I usually go to Ikea with something in mind so in an effort to find the product I tend to get lost and frustrated. On my next visit I will go with the flow you described and look at it like an amusement park.
Interesting. For the past 25 years, I have bought Ikea in the UK, the UK, and the EU. I missed them in South Africa. However, I often have my coffee first, cut across the passages to get to where I want, and avoid some of their low quality items like textiles. Generally, I buy sponge mattresses (cheaper than shipping from one continent to another), kallax systems, tables, and chairs. That’s it. 🙂
The Ikea maze is faster to get through once you know about the hidden doors between sections. A staff member told me about it once, so now I can zip through an IKEA store in no time, be up the escalator, through the “hidden” door and into the restaurant for a quick lunch, and out again without buying anything eacept the meal.
You make it sound so technical with all the specific design words of how everything is so cleverly designed/displayed. But it is one of a kind of a store! I don’t get why you always give an “annoyed” tone about the IKEA brand or its products in your articles!? Why can’t people just accept that IKEA is so ahead of its time and it always has been!
I love going to Ikea:) haven’t yet bought anything that I’m not using except for maybe a cutting board (too narrow) which now serves as a cheese board for parties. I’m also proud to say, that I’ve both the same table 6 (!!!!!) times, when I lived in different cities, in the USA and Australia. I’ve given away lots of Ikea items when I moved, and received many for free. There’s a sense of comfort in being able to get the same dining table no matter where I live. Sadly it is now discontinued, but knowing that I have bought two. My favorite YouTuber who works in leather craft has the same table. It melts my heart 🙂 even though we are on different continents and likely will never meet in person. I like browsing the “as is” section – both of my sofas were ex-display items and I just got new machine-washable covers. I just bought a new cover for one of them for $28 instead of $180 a few weeks ago, in the same store, 3+ years later. What other store can offer this kind of joy? On multiple occasions I’ve come after a long day at work just to relax, with no intention to buy, simply to browse and look for new ideas on how I can reuse my current items at home or perhaps rearrange my room. On days like this I typically set a budget of $20 on whatever pleases my heart. We also have a group chat with the closest friends and when someone is going to IKEA, we coordinate on various daily necessities like napkins, plastic bags, candles, meatballs haha.
Great article thanks. I might be Ikea’s worst customer as I only go when I need something specific – replacing the wine glasses my friends broke at my last party – and never at a weekend. Trick can opener – no thanks I’ve got one; handy pack of tea towels – no thanks I’ve got a set I can wash. Free parking – ok thanks!
Another consideration for me personally is that the IKEA showroom isn’t just a shop you stroll by and decide to pop in and have a look. For most people they will have travelled there with the intention to buy, so you’re already in the mindset of “I’m buying something today”. Add that to everything mentioned in this article and I’d be amazed if anybody has been to an IKEA and not bought something!
great product presentation, thought through store spaces (btw there are stores in cities but mainly it makes a lot of sense to go further out and provide a large space to shop and park – nothing wrong with that) and appealing furniture and home products are tricking? the only trick here is you tricking me into perusal this
Well, I don’t know, but most furniture stores I have visited in Germany use exactly the same approach (building with 2 or 3 walled “rooms” instead of just a big floor – and if there is a big floor, it’s actually not that crowded with stuff, either -, having signed out walk ways through the store and maps which show you were you are and where to go), a few of them even have their own restaurant, too (most of them are in an industrial area, which really helps with those, too, since you get a lot of employees from the other companies who go there for lunch). Same with the sort order from expensive to cheap. I would say this store layout is a typical European design, which differs quite a bit from the US or North American design, which is literally what you described: one big room without walls and furniture standing so close together that it’s hard to get a good look at what you actually want to buy… I guess the point is that especially the German market is one of the most difficult markets in the world when it comes to retail, so you HAVE to be clever, have good prices and good quality, otherwise you’ll be gone in no time. Just ask Walmart about this one… 😉
I love IKEA. All the things you described in your article are, as you said, marketing tactics. But that’s IKEA’s job: to market their products as effectively as possible. I disagree that IKEA tricks us into buying things. It presents items in an enticing way, but again, that’s marketing, and if we don’t want to buy something, we don’t have to.
I enjoy visiting Ikea, especially walking through the showrooms. I like designing small spaces for fun and I like getting ideas from the pretend rooms and apartments. I also take a lot of pictures of things that I like for inspiration or to think over, if I can build it myself for cheaper, for example. I probably have gone to IKEA just to walk around more times than I have gone to actually buy something. Part of that might be because it’s 1 hour from my house and a halfway point to another city I travel to often. So it’s a nice place to stop and take a break if traffic is bad. Once I’ve decided on buying something, I’ll look it up online at home then go in through the exit doors straight to where it’s at and pick it up. I sometimes make a detour over to the as-is/clearance section that is right by the checkout. I filled my car with a bunch of material for building my own stuff, like 3/4″ laminated mdf for $1. I’m making some computer desks for my kids with it and my dad used some to make a pullout shelf in his cupboard. Way cheaper than what it would have cost to get the same material at Home Depot.
I think I IKEA is also brilliant in making scarcity of stores. I found that when I lived far from an IKEA, I was far more likely to get sucked into buying things I didn’t need because I couldn’t come back easily. When I moved close to an IKEA, it was so much easier to go home and consider if I really needed those items.
lmao the first time I got in an IKEA store, I was pissed off at the layout, I got lost when I was just trying to get a couple of specific items. Second time, I made damn good use of the shortcuts, but unfortunately my mom was with me and she hated that I took shortcuts to take her to where the items she needed were. No points in guessing who complained of foot pain later on.
Hello! I am Swedish and grow up with IKEA. Actually, I think that many in Sweden have a quite reserved attitude towards Ikea furniture. We have some Billy (the bookshelf) and they sag under the weight of books. We actually avoid IKEA’s furniture as the quality is questionable. We have some minor items (plastic bags, shoe organisers and similar) that are OK. I also would lie to point out that it is possible to enter the shop on the ground level ! This to avoid the unbearable maze. It is your choice to enter there or through the maze.
I don’t think it is a “trick”. I think it is a wonderful customer centric way to go about the need for furniture. I am usually anti-corporations, but Ikea knows what they are doing. Wal-Mart has a lot of the same flat pack funiture in their Mainstays brand and in the Better Homes and Garden brand for the same price point as Ikea. But Wal-Mart does not display their furniture, they do not provide accurate measurements, they have zero customer service if there is hardware missing from the box or the item is damaged and they absolutely do not make the shopping experience a joy in any way. At least Target usually has a Starbucks and keep their stores cleaner in general, but again no displays. My favorite part of Ikea is the modular office furniture and storage shelves and units. We were able to build our work-from-home space completely using their online catalogue and then go to the store and pick it up and have a nice lunch at the same time. It takes a lot of the stress out of the shopping process.
Well, despite their intention to persuade and manipulate people, Ikea is also economically and astetically not a bad choice. I knowlingly buy the Ikea furniture despite the mediocre quality because of their cheap price and modern design. I need to move anyway in a few years, and I do want to spend too much for that but I still want nice looking kitchen and furnitures. I often start with food and then go to the section where I want to go. There are often shortcuts. Otherwise, the whole path is too exhausting and an annoying experience to me.
Great play by play on the ikea experience. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 As I hail from a time when choices involved well made solid wood furniture versus only veneers, particle board, mdf, laminates, malemine resins and fibre board, these products are very unimpressive to me. I’ve experienced first hand how easy these overpriced alternatives to natural wood can be damaged. I’ve even witnessed it in the ikea show room and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been there. I refuse to pay good money for these products. Yes, there is solid wood to chose from..but the unimaginative forms and roughly finished products leave a lot to be disired. Although many ideas are “storage friendly,” the sizes are never “fit friendly” as nothing can be custom sized. Because of the cheap materials used, I find the gassing off, that occurs during an ikea walk thru leaving me dopey and tired. I don’t partake of any food because after reading the labels, I can see only cheap unhealthy ingredients. I’ve made exactly 3 purchases in my life from ikea…being desperate to find what I needed and finding other furniture stores even more sadly lacking. After finding just the right office chair on display only, which then had to be self retrieved from the vast area of aisles, after a long walk through the showroom and figuring out how things worked, I was majorly disappointed to see that the chairs were “OUT OF STOCK” Do you think they might have posted that fact where they displayed the item in the showroom or even where the chairs were suppose to be?
I would NEVER have the patience for this nonsense. If I want a bookshelf, I’m not going to be happy about being dragged through mile after mile of krap I don’t need. Far from making me want to buy things, that sort of “experience” just makes me swear off the store in question. Give me what I WANT, and stop trying to make me fulfill your sales quotas.
Omg I really love your articles! I think you are very informative and very knowledgeable but it really bothers me when you try to portray IKEA as a “manipulative” or “evil/dark” retailer! I am really sorry but I completely disagree with you on that! No other furniture retailer even competes with this genius idea of IKEA! I don’t think it was planned to be the way you portray it to be! It’s actually a very PRACTICAL store that is very well planned/designed/layed out and executed! It is practical to have a restaurant in such a huge store so that customers can take a break from their day out and rest or relax a little bit. It is practical to have the IKEA bistro at the end of checkouts so that you can grab a quick bite before you head back home after a tiring day of shopping at IKEA with the self serve bit etc. It is usually exhausting shopping at IKEA because of the size of their stores. Bistro with hotdogs, ice cream or meatballs or chips at the end after checkouts were probably designed so that if some customers have travelled from a long distance to get to the store, than they can grab a quick bite and not go back home hungry if they have a long journey back home! Again that’s just very practical! What is “manipulative” or “dark/evil/insincere or clever” about this? I have a lot of interest in architecture myself and am very interested about home furnishings but you always seem to give an “annoyed” tone about IKEA products etc 🤦🏻♀️ why? Lol It is just genius and they are the best at what they do!
Great article! I was boycotting IKEA for years, but occasionally pop in to buy their AA batteries. Well, last time I did come to this gigantic store, I found that they were no longer kept by the checkouts and I was directed to the electrical section in the depths of the maze. Also, the price that attracted me years ago was then only available to family members. Frustrated and disappointed I left this place for good.
Ikea is smart Undoubtedly, but I’m so satisfied from their products and using them for years (means more than 10) and which company furniture you know buy back theirs products after years!? Ikea does. Genius people who knows customers and their wills are working there and this is result every household has at least one Ikea product. Viva Ikea
This was interesting, and the article has such high quality production. Yes, we’re manipulated everywhere we go, but knowing that fact allows one to make informed purchasing decisions. I’m near Dallas but have never been to the IKEA as it’s still quite distant, and I have watched a documentary about some of their questionable materials procurement. I prefer antique furniture but hilariously do have an IKEA table and chairs that was given to me by a friend. If the woman and little girl are your wife and child, you are truly a beautiful family.
The funny bit is how often I see IKEA products in computer room set ups like the countertops for the desktops on top of IKEA Alex units and I’m like “You have it spaced so far apart and then you complain about it sagging! It’s made of cardboard essentially!” T^T Beyond that though, I love their customer service.
Use the shortcuts! Don’t follow the maze. And escalator procession; nah did not have those in IKEA in the 1990’s in Scandinavia; but still loved going there and buying there products. Warehouse shop, yes but isn’t that an American construct they have adopted. As you say their retail tacticts is not there, but part of our consumerism, they are just clever at using it! And come to think of it; I actually go there for the design of their products!
This is not what I thought this article would be about, but it’s interesting. I’ve never been to an Ikea. The nearest one’s about 300 miles away. Parts of it look like Bed, Bath and Beyond, but the furniture part at the start looks like nothing I’ve ever seen in a store before. Though oddly, it looks exactly like the pictures in their catalog. What I thought this article was gonna be about is why people recommend Ikea furniture over similar things from other brands (like the Walmart Mainstays brand). You can find all sorts of people doing Ikea designs, but none of the others really. Even if I find something I like, it’s simply not worthwhile to have them ship it to me or to drive that far (last time I checked I think they wanted $300 to ship me a $100 dresser).
Another excellent article! I love your forensic analysis of the IKEA stores and of course all other articles as a talented architect with ideas that won’t explode your budget! Beautifully edited, inspirational and relaxing articles that I’ve been binge perusal since I’ve discovered your website. Thank you for sharing your talents and knowledge!
I found this very interesting because I almost never go through IKEA following their planned route. I haven’t been in some time because my great shopping buddy, Joyce Abel, passed away about two years ago, and going without her doesn’t seem as fun. We would arrive at IKEA and park very near the exit, enter through the exit, go past the checkout stands, and visit the second chance merchandise first. Then we’d take the elevator up, not the escalator, to the restaurant and review what we wanted to visit while we ate. Using the map, we’d use the wormholes — the doors that go from one section to another skipping the walking route — directly to the section we wanted, then use them again to immediately go down to the lower section. The lower section has them, too, and out we’d go to get our item. This just seemed the most efficient way to buy from IKEA.
I studied MBA and can see some of these tricks set up by IKEA. Sometimes customers would easily fell in their trap and bought some wrong products. So, 1st should really know what kind of furniture really need; 2nd should subscribe, watch more Daniel Tichener’s article for sensible ideas, to plan and learn what to buy, then not necessary to buy from IKEA.
It just annoys me that you are an architect yourself so you should be amazed at their design and actually appreciate or value the IKEA brand even more so… But you almost always look down upon the IKEA brand and you try to portray it in a negative light mostly or make it appear like it is some “villain or evil” retailer which I don’t think it is! It is a brand that is a leader in its field.❤ Should be proud of it’s success! I think it is just pure brilliant concept… And yes as a customer I have the CHOICE to buy something or not😅 I don’t think there is anything manipulative about it! The word “manipulative” would be right to use if IKEA was using insincere selling techniques or giving incorrect or dishonest information about its products/prices/principles/values etc .. which is not the case! There is plenty of information on the IKEA website about it’s products, even the exact location of where the products are placed! The IKEA App on your phone is so useful, the app and the online website even gives stock availability information. That is very useful and informative! What more do consumers or customers expect!? Lol It is not the retailers fault if customer’s do not know how to shop at IKEA, or do not understand the IKEA concept, or do NOT do their own research about what products they are interested to buy prior to their visit!? Lol
I’ve recently learned that in order to pick up a cabinet from the warehouse I don’t have to go through the entire circus!! There is one gate to go in right next to the cashiers. If you looked up the location of your piece online, it is in-and-out experience like you’d never believe. (Well at least in Amsterdam.)
Their return policy sounds great but in most cases you are never going to dismantle a complex piece of furniture, that you likely damaged at assembly just to do a trip back to the store and get partial refund, yes partial because I recall the item may be on offer so you won’t get the full price back or typically only get 3/4 of the price… genius too on a marketing point of view
I must be the customer from hell for IKEA. I avoid the long walk through the maze by looking for the shortcuts that are not well signed, but allow a very quick trip from the top of the up escalator to the top of the down escalator. I do not use the restaurant. I go with a list of what I want, and ignore everything else. Even in the food section by the exit I only buy what I have on my shopping list. Perhaps that is why I only have a side table, two rattan chairs, and some Billy bookcases, not a houseful of their stuff. Also, I prefer to drive for 5 to 10 minutes to my more local stores, rather than the 30 minutes (not including any queues) on the motorway to IKEA. All the stuff in the IKEA showroom section can be bought elsewhere, and even if more expensive, the cost balances out when I factor in fuel costs and time. IKEA is a good place to get some good items, but it’s not the only place. I buy at IKEA when I cannot get similar locally.
Really nice vid! Would love to see that about other brands as well! 🙂 Long ago I once really liked the IKEA Design and also fell for all the little items like candles etc.. But I am frustrated about the low quality of many things meanwhile and became minimalist and a quite intentional consumer overall. However, I really like their show rooms as a nice inspiration to see, test, feel in real life rather than online. Taking the ideas you maybe got by looking at their stuff, you can than sit down and plan your actual shopping list to order online.
The bad part (not the topic of this article really) is how they make you think that cheap furniture that will probably not last more than 5 years is “trendy”. Many of the designs are not very appealing, but they spend enough in marketing to make you think they look good. In 5 years or less they will be promoting a brand new style. I’d prefer to stick to more timeless designs and also make sure that the materials will last.
I already know what I want when I enter, but I’ve seen family and friends getting sucked into the IKEA hole before. And if I had unlimited budget, I would too. What I don’t understand, why other retailers don’t copy the design (at least for their purpose build stores). I was helping my aunt pick up something at XXXLutz (sounds like a porn store, but it’s a international furniture retailer from Austria), at a location less than 6 months old (they built the building and all), and it felt soulless, confusing, unorganized and just worse than IKEA in every regard.
Don’t forget to say about their terrible customer service. One time they overcharged me $65! Couldn’t get anyone on the phone for 3 days and ended up spending another day on IKEA trip ro get my money back. And this year I stupidly ordered 2 beds to be delivered. They forgot to deliver 5! boxes out of 12. It took me calling them for 2 months to collect the rest of the boxes while my house was covered in boxes and mattresses and i couldn’t start building the beds with missing boxes!
I think part of the attraction is also not being able to buy what you choose straightaway (make a note, so you can find it later, more investment for your own effort and thus buy-in…). You are sabotaged by your own desire to make the whole long hike ‘worth it’ by the end. You’d think they’d want you to commit early… but no! Deferring purchase actually helps you commit!
I find it hilarious how hard they have to think to try & recreate in the much smaller stores in Paris. You sometimes still can’t find that item you need without going through isles or asking an employee, but it is more manageable. I think they have more usual stores outside Paris but for many Parisians like me without a car (don’t need one, don’t want one even if it drives itself perfectly, lol), it might as well be on the moon. I didn’t have anything Ikea until they opened their Paris stores.
Hey, that’s my sofa, my chair, my storage containers and my spotlights in your article! My big local IKEA in North East London has closed and I really miss it although I’m probably saving money by not “popping in” to look around. I don’t like most of IKEA’s stuff but there’s always something to my taste as their products are so varied. Most of my furniture, etc. is from IKEA as their prices are reasonable. I have in the past overspent on trinkets like their poor quality picture frames, but when you’re on a budget you simply can’t afford the better made ones. IKEA remains a good day out, it’s quite exciting to go there. They’re opening a store in central London in the autumn, in Oxford Street, and frankly I can’t wait to go there even though I don’t need anything. Great article and lovely family btw.
I love IKEA. I fonin just ro walk around more than I go in to buy things. Especially during off hours when it’s not crowded. It’s a great way to get in steps without feeling like I’m exercising. I prefer the room displays to rhe furniture store, because I’m not a designer. My normal options would be to buy an entire curated matcjing set, or have a mishmash of furniture. Ar IKEA I can get ideas for how to furnish my home, even if I don’t buy for them. Looking at designer curated homes online is not helpful, because they’re always designing million dollar homes on the beach, it appears! I like that IKEA designs rooms that look like they belong where normal people live.
I must be doing Ikea wrong, I go straight to the bargain corner, then the stock shelves, and if I don’t find what I want then I go up to the showroom. I’ve even started selling old Ikea furniture (bye bye Lack coffee table) for store credit, now that I’ve watched a few Daniel Titchener articles and know what items are actually worth buying (dual purpose, more durable etc.) I also feel that since I’ve learned to build things in recent years, I much prefer to browse the aisles of a big box hardware store instead of Ikea 🤷🏽♂️
For many people, IKEA is something they can afford, with good design and function. Many people rent apartments today, and they need something to start, good-looking but not expensive. IKEA collaborates with many designers to lower the price and bring the product to us. They are still retailers, not a charity, so that is why we know they try to sell things to us, but we still buy it. Creates a better everyday life for the many people, halleluja IKEA
One negative thing about IKEA is the appalling customer service, you can’t email them, they don’t reply to tweets, they recently charged me £40 for delivering 2 garden tables and a couple of glass containers that they stuck a label on and didn’t even pack properly, I frequently receive their glassware and plates/cups broken and I haven’t been able to get a refund. But it says a lot that I still buy from them because I like the design and quality and the price is always cheaper (sometimes half) than other stores.
IKEA makes it affordable and possible to have modern furniture. I don’t understand this article. I’m from Arkansas. My husband from France still has IKEA furniture I adore. Also not all people have access to the store easily. I mean there are those who can appreciate why they do this. You call it manipulation. I call a coffee table under 100 dollars a good value. Talk about their labor. Talk about how crooked they are but don’t shame a business for doing good business.
I’ve been to three different IKEA’s in Texas and none of them are two stories. That said, they have shortcuts to cut through the store. Not sure if I’d call it manipulation, but their stuff is cheap(er) and functional especially the kitchen accessories, lamps, and smallish furniture. I’m okay with that.
I am sorry, but I live 30 minutes away in Denmark, and 45 min from a second one. I know all the short cuts, I know what I want. Being an autistic individual I get in and out of IKEA in a hurry on busy days. Or just window shop, and buy the small stuff I came in for anyway. I only make big purchases maybe once a year now since we do not need anymore furniture.
I intuitively knew that this store used assertive psychology to sell their items even though I’ve never set foot in their store. I have always had the philosophy that older furniture, even antiques, were a better choice because they have patina, quality build and are plentiful. Why should I buy a cardboard and paneled made box when I can get an elegant real wood, classic? IKEA shoppers sound like mindless zombies.
I won’t even bother perusal this clip till the end. I don’t understand why Ikea is being singled out when every single retailer is doing more or less the same – have you never read about the layout in big grocery stores? There is a logic behind it, too, it may just not seem so obvious because grocery stores are not Ikea’s size. Of course every single store wants to squeeze you for as much money as they can. And Ikea does not trick me into buying anything – I do my own careful choices based on research, reading customer reviews and price comparison. And by the way, I once made it out of Ikea in under 10 minutes – I went there for a single item, I looked up online where it is located in the downstairs section (aisle and bin #), then I drove to Ikea (it’s a 1 hr way for me one way), grabbed the item, paid at the check out and walked out. Simple as that.
I feel a lot of these “findings” are based on confirmation bias as there are tons of IKEA that don’t have natural light in the restaurants nor having higher-priced items closer to the entry etc., we even have IKEA in cities hidden in some office buildings and they go down instead of go up when you enter them, how IKEA became this successful is not due their neuromarketing strategies (maybe a little, but all brands do it, why are there only one IKEA?), but because of their low price with an aesthetic that meets the need of blooming middle class worldwide. They got the balance right between price and forms with good enough quality. Name one other furniture brand that got these formula right?
The only IKEA i have access to is purpose built but single storey. No escalators. I look through their options online and im pretty sure i know what i want when i get there. I always use their little map with shortcuts because the place is a NIGHTMARE if you have pain or mobility issues. I loathe shopping so i want to get in and out. I use click-and-collect where possible
Psychological manipulation is prevalent in all successful marketing and influencing, and yes, it is working on you, and no, there isn’t really anything you can do about it, but is that really so wrong? I have a spot to put my coffee, and someone has a job for it. Heck, perusal content creators and influencers like Daniel is intentionally subjecting yourself to it, but it lets him buy bread for his cute baby, so I’m okay with a small kick to practice commercialism.
I used to follow the IKEA stream of dreams in a trance, however now that I have everything & I just go back for a specific item, I rush through (sometimes backwards) & grab what I need & leave, that way I don’t go on a mad spending spree, otherwise I might hang around at the restaurant if my car is charging outside, the EV chargers are another incentive
What a brilliant break down. I would go to IKEA to get design ideas and get a sense of what you can pack in and not feel cluttered. The only thing I don’t like is how angular everything is but I can’t complain about the price. So glad there are creative people who dress up Ikea furniture to where you don’t recognize it
This is very interesting but does it count as manipulation? I feel as if they’re considerate to their customers visits and tactful when presenting a home design, knowing that appeal is important to their customers. At that point, if you buy a item that you like, then the purchase feels earned doesn’t it? I know I prefer the walls to separate rooms because I usually get overwhelmed by regular furniture stores and always end up not buying anything because normal furniture stores feels claustrophobic. Is it that way for anyone else? Or maybe I’m just traumatized from bad customer service and pushy furniture salesmen. 😂
I hate going to IKEA. Their store design does not fool me into buying products that I do not want. It keeps me from wanting to step foot in their store. I know it is going to take me 3 times as long to find what I came for and to get out. The sensation is one of being in a maze. I have an anxiety disorder, so I alternate between anger, annoyance, and anxiety walking around in IKEA. I am a survival shopper. I like to get in and get what I want and to get out. I don’t shop IKEA unless I can buy it online. This impression has been solidified in my last relationship. My ex and I would go to IKEA and he had a nerve problem that made being up and around a nightmare. The store is not designed to help people with disabilities. I love IKEA products. I would want to go into IKEA a lot more if it weren’t for the way it is laid out. Because of this I only buy things from IKEA that I can have shipped to me. I am that irritated by going into the building. I wonder how many people feel like I do? I intend on replacing my kitchen with an IKEA kitchen. I am dreading going there to have it designed. I might try to do it without stepping inside because I am turning my current house into a rental when I move, so it isn’t like the kitchen is going to be for my forever home.
By the way, another thing that they do is have y’all ever figure that it’s so difficult to find an IKEA worker? So that means you have to fill up your cart and hopefully find someone downstairs that is willing to help you chances are you’re more likely to just buy it and not even bring it back, even if that was your intention.
Pffft. When I decide I’m going to buy something at IKEA I go online and put what I want in my basket. It tells me exactly where it’s located in the warehouse. I go to the store, go up the escalator from the parking lot. I then turn left before the second escalator and go straight to the warehouse entering through the checkouts. I go get a cart, load up my boxes, check out, and leave. I never enter their maze.
The top floors are fine and easily avoidable, it’s the downstairs maze that freaks me out. I keep getting disorientated, the only thing I look for is the exit, and what if there is a fire? So many people will die.. And once you find someone to ask were you find the stuff that you came there to buy it turns out they don’t have it, and wont for another 6 weeks, so you end up going to a more expensive store..
Obviously they’ve got to work out a new one me. If I need something I do a search online and only go to Ikea if I think they have what I think is suitable. I go straight to the section, ignore anything en route, decide if it is right, if it is go directly to the tills and buy it, if not go home. Never been interested in the cafe, just want to get out of there pronto. Pretty simple really.
Ikea is like an Alfred Hitchock or Twilight Zone horror episode. There have been a few times I was almost hysterical feeling trapped. I ONLY go to their 1st floor food court a couple of times a yr to stock up on some of their foods because once you get into the store you can’t get out all the while being bombarded with cornicopia of stuff. I love the container store because everything is well organized and well lit, I spend my money here.
As in any manipulative marketing system all the love affair was just that . One just needs a few Months with one of its products .And that was it . No good quality not even able to restore any of the products .the it becomes a constant slave to the system that sales and emotional manipulated attachment .
I despise being manipulated. I’ve been to an IKEA store twice in my 58 years. First time, I hated it. I felt very manipulated and wanted to run but was with friends who love this. I vowed never to go back. Fast forward 25 years later… I wanted some chair cushions which were at IKEA at a great price. I tried to order on line and went to pick up. They had the wrong ones for me and I insisted on going in a back way to find the right ones as I did not want to go through the whole store. PS- I also despise malls and “shopping” as a pleasure.