[Susan]

IKEA's market positioning statement is "Your partner in better living. We do our part, you do yours. Together we save money."


What's your position on IKEA's position?



Susan

[DulcineaK]

Well, I know together I save money, but i think they're still making a bit which is a win/win to me

but seriously, I do appreciate the marketing position. I hope it helps others understand that shopping at IKEA is different from Macy's or Pottery Barn... you don't get the same level of service (though most ikeans i've come across are nice) but you also don't get the artificially higher prices.
And I also enjoy the diy aspect...

[GardenOfDarwin]

I think that a primary reason that people find themselves discontented with IKEA is that they don't understand this position from the outset. IKEA is NOT a Full Serve Store. It is a SELF SERVE WAREHOUSE. Like Costco, or Sam's Club.

Do you downgrade your opinion of the self-serve gas station because the attendant didn't skip out to your pump and check your oil and air pressure while he pumped your gas and cleaned your windows? No - you don't expect it because that's NOT WHAT THEY DO. Are you upset when there's no produce manager squeezing the squeezables in Costco? No - you don't expect it because that's NOT WHAT THEY DO.

Somehow though, it seems as though IKEA is expected to do things that IKEA DOES NOT DO. And when they don't do it, they get slammed. They are not about customer service. They are not about helpful employees following you around the showroom floor helping with your decisions. They are not about creating your kitchen design with you or double-checking your plan. That is NOT WHAT THEY DO.

What they do is provide high style at a low cost. In some cases, very HIGH quality, despite the bad reputation for cheap PB bookcases. But don't expect them to recommend a curtain to match your sofa or to load your car at the door. That is NOT WHAT THEY DO. You do your part and they'll do theirs and everyone will be happy.

Whew! Sorry for the diatribe. Pet peeve, I s'pose.

Susan

[DulcineaK]

as long as folks realize that diatribe was not directed at me
since i'm part of the choir she's preaching to

[greenie227]

Personally, I think stores like Lowes have made it harder for stores like Ikea. Lowes used to be a warehouse like Home Depot, but suddenly there are all these commercials and ads about customer service at Lowes. I thought the whole point of the big hardware warehouses was low prices because there was no customer service? But then Lowes and now HD seem to be competing on customer service. So people expect customer service at Lowes and HD -- I've seen it,customers carping about not finding anyone who can help, making a mess in an aisle looking for their particular item and expecting a cadre of employees to clean up behind them. So people want low prices associated with no customer service PLUS the customer service. And frankly, I think the ads are a bit of a fraud, because I don't think Lowes really has customer service... they've just made it harder on their competitors and stores like Ikea by creating a perception of customer service.

Whatever. I think you need to buy Ikea's reality when you walk in the door. I've met helpful Ikeans along the way; I've had trips when there were no Ikeans in sight. I still save $$$ and get great style and mostly quality products. I have a friend who says "expect the worst and you will probably get it at Ikea." I think people with princess attitudes need not shop there.

(I guess I have a bit of a pet peeve too. I've actually fielded more criticism than I expected when I tell people my kitchen is Ikea. Maybe they're defensive because they just paid $40-60k for their kitchens, because not a single person has had anything but raves before they find out it's Ikea.)

[DesignDiva]

IKEA has definitely got to define its niche. Unless they do, they'll be in the worst of two worlds...not enough service to compete with furniture showrooms and home improvement stores, and being branded with the "poor quality" brush of DIY lines like Sauder and Bush.

They are trying...I like that they continue to advertise they start with the price tag, but they fall down on getting the message across that they don't compromise on quality from the outset. Making some point about labor and service being the most expensive parts of a transaction might help...something to indicate that THAT is where they're saving you money.

edited to add: Greenie, I just tell people my cabinets are European.

[kelly]

I believe that this is IKEA's attempt to clearly and postiviely differentiate themselves in the US market. Americans are in a tough mental space right now- we love to consume, and we demand to be treated like high rollers and we expect commoditized pricing and availability on everything. Ouch, we are dead hard to please. And we complain A LOT. IKEA is trying to do what Susan says- get people to see it as a partnership that they can buy into, a brand and service mantra for the US that will help people understand and accept the IKEA experience.
Just one problem, and hopefully, IKEA has a lot more going on behind the scenes on this...if the consumer cannot figure it out, or becomes too frustrated to be successful, it doesn't matter if they believe the brand mantra.
They must provide self-help tools and excellent access to information and education by alternative means.

They need more than a mantra.

[DulcineaK]

Kellly, great point. I wish IKEA believed more in MY ability to help myself, I'd like a self serve kiosk where I don't have to stand in line behind the folks expecting customer service. I'd like to be able to input my order in the store and have it pulled (I know this means they'd need to improve their inventory system)... heck, I'd like to be able to order from home and pick it up that afternoon!

Americans are pretty technically saavy (not all of course, my mom would be hopeless! But she has me ) and if companies truly want us to participate they must build the infrastructure to encourage it!

[kisaacs]

I think one of the reasons that people expect customer service in an IKEA is because of the way it's set up and the way it looks. Think about what it is on the suface. It's a furniture store, and it's set up like a showroom. That's just how things at an expensive furniture store are set up. The rooms look well put together, and like there was thought put into them. Given that, it's not much of a leap to think that the IKEANs there are the ones who do this and might know more about the furniture and styles.

However, when you're buying DIY furniture from, say Target, you're buying things individually, off the shelf. There's no pretending that the workers there know what they're doing with those products.

I think that where IKEA gets in trouble is that it appears to be a fairly high service store, maybe even with design experts. Customers aren't going to read a position statement to decide whether they expect service - they're going to look a their surroundings and make a guess based on them. The surroundings at IKEA say "we know what we're doing and are going to help you create this look in your home", not "you're on your own, we're cheap, good luck"

Kristen

[Emmie9999]

Originally Posted by DulcineaK

Kellly, great point. I wish IKEA believed more in MY ability to help myself, I'd like a self serve kiosk where I don't have to stand in line behind the folks expecting customer service. I'd like to be able to input my order in the store and have it pulled (I know this means they'd need to improve their inventory system)... heck, I'd like to be able to order from home and pick it up that afternoon!

Americans are pretty technically saavy (not all of course, my mom would be hopeless! But she has me ) and if companies truly want us to participate they must build the infrastructure to encourage it!

Hear, hear! It's wonderful to have the assistance of a salesperson in the store, but if you really don't need it, why not let the purchaser take advantage of their own expertise and knowledge, and let them pull the items themselves. If they are not going to put the money into sales specialists who can follow you around like a high end showroom, I can understand it totally. However, if they really want to make this a self-serve system, why not invest in the proper equipment to truly make it so? A few stations where you could order on your own, even if they were only for smaller things, would be great.

I also agree with Kelly's comment, especially about the US market. Americans are very vocal abut what they want, how they want it brought to them, and the fact that tomorrow is often not soon enough. They don't necessarily need to change their systems or expectaitons, but I think making them more clear, and making certain the expectaitons they themselves set for consumers are met consistently, will go a long way.