IKEA's In-Store Customer Experience is Completely Broken, and That's Why it Works

Sometimes embracing a problem is the best solution

Photo by Ruel Del Jamorol on Unsplash

Happy Thursday, y'all! So if you haven't noticed from reading Backstage Pass, I delight in stories of companies that are taking a unique approach to solving business problems.

These stories are designed to help you to think differently about business problems and look for counter intuitive solutions. Why? Because if you simply approach a problem from the same view as your competitors, you will end with at best, the same results. Growth and breakout are often found in approaching problems from a different angle, as it gives us a chance to spot an opportunity that would otherwise go missed.

Let's look at how IKEA is using counter intuitive solutions to deal with two key problems retailers face:

1 - Store design facilitates customers spending more time in the store, not less

2 - The checkout process is designed so that faster checkout is NOT a priority

Here's what IKEA does, and their rationale behind the moves: