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IKEA without Impulsive Buy or IKEA Effects: New NYC Planning Studio
In April 2019, IKEA opened Planning Studio, the compact store oriented around consultation for the urban life-style, in Manhattan. This 17,350 sq.ft. store is only one-fortieth of the size of their biggest stores, and it covers only 1,000 of the 9,000 items in inventory. The initiative in Manhattan is the third one in the world, after the other two located in London.
I recently visited the studio, which made me think of what IKEA meant to me and where they are headed. My impression of IKEA had been that it was a furniture version of Walmart with their large store size and the general coverage of many home items. For both entities, people tend to plan their visits ahead of time and intend to buy a lot in one trip. Moreover, these stores are known for being set in suburban locations. With this context, IKEA’s store-design masters customer-seduction for their impulsive purchases.
Impulsive buy in the big-box stores
One research study shows that 50% of what’s being purchased in the general retail experience is unplanned. This impulsive buying has been a huge driver of the retail industry, since Victor Gruen, an Austrian architect, pioneered the post-war, modern shopping mall. His design intentionally leads customers to take long and confusing paths inside vast…
