The Secret Sauce: Why doesn’t IKEA sell assembled furniture while they can?

When working with IKEA, @rorysutherland  was advised

‘Don’t suggest making the IKEA experience more convenient. Or we fire you on the spot.’

That’s intense. But that’s what made IKEA the giant it is today.

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CHAPTER 1: DREAMS DISASSEMBLED

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What happens when you buy furniture from IKEA?

You are handed parts and plans.

And when you buy furniture, it is often a moment that signifies something:

• The baby is on the way.

• After a personal achievement

• Redesigning for self expression

• Fresh beginnings: starting a new life

• Redesigning for self expression

• All these moments are highly emotional.

Now let’s pick one. The most monumental one: the baby is coming.

Together you picked a baby bed for $149.

Before bringing the furniture to your home, you bang-bang some hotdogs in IKEA.

(with onion crunch)

You get home. Move the new furniture to the baby’s room.

The room is empty.

It’s only you, your lover and the baby's bed.

You’re trying to figure out instructions with a cup of tea.

Together, you bang the nails and build the first ever bed of your baby.

‍

You’ll never FORGET this day.

And when she is born, your daughter will sleep in a bed that YOU made together.

Now, can you tell me that if the baby bed is still $149?

You can’t really put a price on that.

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Chapter 2: TIED TO MOMENTS

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IKEA DIY is smart af.

Because it ties the perceived value to the emotional experience.

The greater the emotional motivation, the bigger the perceived value.

Now, let’s make a thought experiment.

Go look at any IKEA furniture in your house.

Try to recall the moment when you built them.

Odds are you’ll recall it successfully 95% of times.

(Sources: my ass)

Now, imagine what happens when you take EFFORT out of the IKEA experience.

You don’t have access to the moments anymore.

All of a sudden, all furniture becomes soulless.

They lose their magic.

Because EFFORT makes people commit.

It makes everything more meaningful and memorable.

Ok, how can you do it?

Here is some food for thought:

• Coaching: Co-creating the strategy

• Digital course: Give tasks at the end of each section.

• Digital product: Customizable interface to increase ownership

• Consulting: Open feedback loops, commit clients to your plan and share the strategy.

Effort is your friend.

Use it to tie your product to emotional experiences.

Go beyond $ and own the experience.