Ikea becomes an ordinary furniture supplier
IKEA becomes an ordinary furniture supplier
We all know Ikea as an iconic brand. A few days ago it was made public that it will test selling through online retailers.
Torbj?rn L??f, chief executive of Inter Ikea, told the Financial Times it was "the biggest development in how consumers meet Ikea since the concept was founded. We want to learn ... we want to find out how we could keep our identity on a third-party platform."
I have lived and shopped for furniture, beds, kitchens and all at the local Ikea in the 5 countries where I lived. I even been a supplier to Ikea. All of these experiences have given me the insight that Ikea is much more than flat-packed furniture. It is a complete ecosystem of customer experience with a global consistency and therefore scale that is truly unique.
Shopping at Ikea is only to a small degree about their flatpacked furniture. Going through run-of-the-mill webchannels will reduce them to just that. In their own environment they can create a unique customer experience that starts with how you are addressed ( informal), how it has a very clear identity ( starting with the Swedish colors) referring to Swedish credentials such as sustainability, transparency and egalitarian values. Their shop routing encourages (or forces you ) to take a journey through their assortment exposing you to new ideas, clever solutions and wide choice that you would typically would not actively seek. Yes, along the way you most likely pick up some flat-packed furniture. Your kids are entertained, you shop for some Swedish food, get to eat simple snacks at a fraction of the price of other fastfood outlets, both catering for your appetite as well as reemphasizing that you are shopping at a value for money place.
Clearly on-line sales pose a challenge to one of the most successful retailers in the world. Clearly Ikea needs to be successful on-line as well. I do not have any data on the success of Ikea.com but as far as I can judge it does very much provide an Ikea brand experience. I doubt that Ikea can keep enough control when they open up to Amazon or Alibaba. It will not be an Ikea delivery, it will not be Ikea customer service. Even if it is great customer service, even if it is very fast or very flexible delivery, it will not enhance the Ikea brand.
Be self- confident Ikea. Not opportunistic. Choose the path less traveled and remain distinctive. It may take some time to develop a similarly strong ecosystem online as was developed in bricks and mortar ( that was also build over decades) but diluting the brand through a channel that wants to flag the customer experience with its own brand looks like a dangerous direction.