Customers drawn to IKEA “experience”
The Sacramento Bee’s Jon Ortiz reports on shoppers’ reaction to IKEA stores:
“As you read this, someone in Utah is planning to drive to West Sacramento for Ikea’s carnival-like grand opening on Wednesday.
Folks are also making plans in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon, if the past is any indication. A two-day drive is nothing for ga-ga fans of the Swedish-based retailer’s inexpensive European-themed home furnishings.
That kind of devotion is no accident. Like the trendy, assemble-it-yourself furniture that founder Ingvar Kamprad pioneered in 1956, everything about Ikea is carefully engineered and executed for maximum effect and profitability.
“Ikea’s secret is that they put design thinking into everything that they do,” said Craig LaRosa, a retail environment expert with Design Continuum, a Boston-based consulting firm. “They don’t just design furniture. They design cost savings, advertising, the customer experience, all of it.”
As a result, Ikea is in a rare place for retailers: Customers happily give it their money for good-looking, inexpensive products and put up with inconvenience and – in some instances – less-than-top-of-the-line quality….”
Sacbee.com
Photo: Sacramento Bee/Hector Amezcua
