So I started off my Monday morning among
classmates, plastic chairs, and coffee cups that said “Ikea” on the bottom.
That’s right, you guessed it, I was at Ikea. For a school assignment, no less.
The task was simple: market research.
Who was at Ikea at 10am on a Monday? How did they shop? And, what exactly were
they there to buy?
The first thing I noticed as I
watched people line up at the door at 9:30am (from my warm vantage point inside
a friend’s car) was that the demographic at this point was decidedly, retired.
As I sat inside the restaurant ten minutes later with my cup of coffee (free
before 10am) I realized that the people around me were those [1] looking for a
good deal on breakfast ($3 gets you a full breakfast) and [2] those who had
time to spare before starting the rest of their day.
Namely,
1. 65+ crowd
2. parents trying to occupy
young kids
3. construction workers
These people weren’t looking to
shop. And they didn’t. They ate and they left, spending all of $3 on a full
breakfast.
As my classmates and I progressed
through the store, leaving the breakfast-only crowd behind, we noticed another
group emerge: couples looking to beat the expected influx of afternoon and
evening shoppers by shopping in the morning.
These people, the ones looking to
shop in relative quiet, were there for a reason. They were there to find
something in particular but, because of the relative emptiness of the store,
seemed to be in no rush to leave in a hurry. They wandered, until they found
what they had been looking for in the maze that is Ikea and then stood there
looking pained – as if there were too many options and they couldn’t decide.
(This inevitably led to people on their phones trying to describe to their
‘second opinion’ on the other end of the line the plethora of choices that
stood before them.)
Back to the idea of the maze, I’m
sure anyone who has wandered through an Ikea has had this thought enter his or
her mind: this place is built for browsing.
An employee mentioned that the
first few days after the grand opening were exciting because of the rush of
people but said that it slowed down after Christmas, both in the influx of
people and in the speed with which they wander through the store. This employee
also said that people come into Ikea for all kinds of reasons– some to make purchases
and many just to get inspiration and take notes that may lead to a purchase in
the future. There seems to be little discrimination by employees against people
who just want to browse. Like I said, the place is built for it.
I was incredibly impressed by the placement
of in-house promotion throughout Ikea. The As soon as you might just be getting
hungry, having wandered for about 20 minutes along the predetermined path,
there’s a HUGE poster telling you how cheap it is to eat upstairs at the
restaurant.
Merchandizing and self-promotion has
to be incredibly important to Ikea’s success. It serves up inspiration to all
who wander through the inescapable maze, creating want and desire where they
previously were none. The displays that show you the whole package (down to the
toothbrush holders in the display bathrooms) are the most effective. It’s
really what sets them apart from the Bed Bath and Beyonds and the Pier Ones of
North America. That, and the incredibly low prices.
I did find it frustrating that you
couldn’t just pick up and buy what you see. You have to wait until you get to
the lower floor where all the products are stored. That being said, they do
have tags that tell you where exactly to find it.
As I wandered around (I’m prone to
wandering, especially in Ikeas) I had this feeling that I’m screwed if I leave
the predesigned path. It’s annoying, even when you’re fully prepared for the
experience.
But, if you stick to the path, you
can be out in an hour. For me that was about 11:12am.
I think Ikea will be a success here
in Winnipeg. We’ve waited a long time for this milestone (we’re not really a
major city if we don’t have an Ikea, are we?). Winnipeggers will keep Ikea
alive and well for a long time to come. Those are my thoughts.
