IKEA. Where the only product is YOU

IKEA is a master of mind games.

It knows how to make you feel hungry, tired, and lost.

All in the name of selling you more furniture.

I’ll tell you how.

IKEA one-way maze is a masterstroke of marketing.

It’s to keep you moving forward, even when you’re exhausted and just want to go home. The maze is not just there to help you find what you need. It’s there to trap you. And before you know it, you’ve spent hours in the store and bought a bunch of stuff you don’t even need.

IKEA is a feast for the senses.

The bright lights, the music, and the delicious smells all work together to overwhelm you. You’re so bombarded with stimuli that it’s hard to focus on anything in particular.

IKEA strikes the iron while it’s hot.

That’s why they place the restaurant right in the middle of the store. You get hungry, and you’ve eaten those overhyped Swedish meatballs, (sorry not sorry) you’re more likely to keep shopping.

IKEA is a big store.

It can take hours to walk through and see everything. By the time you get to the checkout line, you’re probably exhausted. You just want to get out of there, so you’re more likely to buy things impulsively.

IKEA is a master of the guilt trip.

They know that once you’re in their store, you’re vulnerable. You’re tired, you’re hungry, and you’re surrounded by affordable, stylish furniture. They whisper in your ear that their furniture is the best, and that you’re making a mistake if you don’t buy it. They remind you that you need a new dining table, and that your old sofa is falling apart.

IKEA is known for its affordable furniture, but there’s a catch: you have to put it together yourself.

Painful much? Actually it’s IKEA’s genius marketing strategy. IKEA knows that people value things more if they’ve put effort into them. That’s why they sell their furniture unassembled. Once you’ve spent hours putting together a new bookshelf, you’re more likely to love it, even if it’s not the best quality.

It’s the IKEA effect: labour = love.

IKEA stores are located on the outskirts of town. Why? To trap you.

They know that once you’re there, you’re less likely to leave, and more likely to spend money on furniture you don’t need. It’s like a shopping cult. You go in thinking you’ll just buy one thing, but you come out with a cart full of stuff, wondering how you’re going to get it all home.

IKEA stores have no watches or windows for a reason.

Once you step inside, the laws of time and space no longer apply. They want you to be completely focused on emptying your wallets.

So next time you’re at IKEA, remember: you’re not shopping for furniture. You’re shopping for survival.