Persuasive Design: How IKEA Tricks You Into Buying More Furniture 

Are you telling me that I don't need to buy new cutlery, kitchen equipment, candles, towels and a new coffee table each time I pop in to get a hotdog?!

Every single one of these tactics works on me. I'm aware of it and I'm fine with it lol. I'm actually really impressed with how ikea curated the experience in a very unique way. I appreciate how well-thoughy it is.

Staging rooms to showcase products and layout is the smartest thing they ever decided

Yeah, Ikea tricks me into buying their stuff by offering inexpensive prices, designs that are aesthetically and functionally somewhere between inoffensive and pretty damn good, and items that fulfill basic household needs. I don't know why I keep falling for it.

I compare what Ikea is offering to other furniture makers all the time, but it usually turns out that due to Ikea's huge selection, it has something that meets my needs and the others don't. Or in cases where there are comparable items, Ikea's is way cheaper or actually even looks better due to having a focus on minimalist designs and not having to factor in the handmade labor cost. Then there's the staging. I love the staging. It shows what type of style this piece of furniture looks good in and what kind of context really brings out its charm along with giving a sense of scale. Otherwise I have to do a lot more work to picture how it would look in my space.

We have no IKEA where I live in nz but we specifically imported a couch from IKEA because our furniture here is mass produced and expensive. I found that really interesting because it was just product placement in a lot of interior design videos, and not just yours btw that drew me to it. We saved thousands importing the couch and a few bits and bobs from IKEA that we just can’t get here where I live.

I enjoy the psychological journey and seeing the work of the interior designers. It's a great date night adventure. The key is leaving your money at home and recognizing this for the theme park it is.

Thanks for the glimpse of my hometown IKEA! I live in Paris now but have visited that store since childhood. I 'get' all their clever tricks but I don't care. Long live IKEA!

Daniel, could you please do an episode on how to achieve the wonderful lighting effects that Ikea rooms have. It's so calming and soothing and makes me feel great. I have light sensitivity issues! Btw, just found your channel and loving it. Great information. Thanks for your efforts!!

Good for them!! they’re inspiring and giving design ideas. Everyone knows you don’t have to go through the show room and you can skip whatever it is you’re not interested in, it’s up to you, we all know where the exit is!

Hm. In Europe Ikea has shortcuts in the exhibition so you do not need to follow the maze all the way. In Hamburg / Germany we even have an IKEA right in town in a normal shopping area; it has windows to the outside, too. I can arm myself against Ikea's evil designs by making a shopping list and sticking to it (and I do, too😀): I am old enough to remember furniture shopping before the first Ikea hit northern Germany: mostly ugly, and mostly way too expensive for me. So yeah, next to inherited or thrifted furniture I have a lot of Ikea stuff and I'm not sorry.

I always think about what I "want" or "need" in the apartment. Search for it online with a setting showing only what is available in your favorite store. You won't be surprised by any promotion in-store as you already saw it online and you know exactly the items you are looking for, so no browsing around. You can now skip whole sections of the showroom or even go straight to the ground floor and skip the showrooms all together. Choose "the cheapest" but still visually acceptable ones for you in each category as well as actually "pleasant" ones. Wait a week, look through them over, and delete most of the "wants" saving only the ones which touched my heart. Go through "needs" reassess them and delete some. Wait another week, look through everything calculate the total, compare it to my budget and eliminate from that, the way it sits right with my emotions. (usually, a balance between "the cheapest" and "pleasant" in "need" category and 1 item from the "want" category, because IKEA always finds a way). I also do grocery shopping there to please the craving for ikea food which stays with you for a few days after visiting IKEA.

It's interesting how I would apreciate the effort and money investing on research to come with such strategical decisions from IKEA. I also apreciate the great analysis YOU did. So instead of feeling myself manipulated, I thank YOU and IKEA! great job both of you!

Thank you - great to understand why it’s such a delightful shopping experience. Our home is filled with a mix of vintage, 2nd hand, & Ikea. Much of the Ikea has been hacked, upgraded, or painted. I love it. And look forward to going back occasionally. We are retired - so go early in the day when it isn’t crowded, wander slowly & enjoy that free coffee in natural light. 😊

Very interesting video. I am restoring an 800 years old house in Tuscany, and even though no expense was spared on the renovation, I will probably use A LOT of IKEA furniture. Just one correction: upsell is selling a large McMenu instead of a medium one. CROSS selling is selling drapes, or pillows, to someone who bought a sofa. Or nuggets if you got a Big Mac menu. Up is the same, but bigger and more expensive. Cross is something else. Like their Kafferep cookies (formerly known as chokladflarn). Damn they’re good.

I truly hate shopping but for some reason the Ikea Model works for me. Maybe being able to see items in a functional way works for my brain. When you showed the picture of “the other” furniture store, my heart rate went up!

That is all true and it may even be dark and cruel but the fact for me is, how amazingly perfect everything is and the furniture always does the job and most items can even simply be upgraded and made sturdier with a little diy effort

I LOVE IKEA!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ From the free coffee to the frozen Swedish meatballs that are always in my freezer 😁. Excellent video 👏👏👏, so clever of them that I am not even upset by being manipulated by their strategies to get me to buy more stuff 🤣. Our store does have short cuts in it and we also have the option to enter straight into the ground floor area, I do use the short cuts if I don't have the time, but I like having a look at the displays so I usually walk the whole store. We also have the option to just go to the restaurant section as our IKEA is attached to a large shopping mall. So not like the description in the video.

Daniel...when we had nothing in North America, IKEA in Canada became a beacon of better design and gosh golly fun to explore. The novelty has worn off and the options are now manifold but the Hot Dogs and ginger cookies will forever rule...long live IKEA

Points in this video apply only to who I call IKEA 'noobs'. Once you figure out the shortcuts, exits and all entry points of your local store, you can hack your trip and quickly grab what you need and get out. For example, I always enter from the As-Is section, which is that circular/second hand bit this video showed, so I can check if I can find a cheaper and second hand alternative for what I need. Then, I go directly to the shelf where my product is, which I have already checked on the website before going to the store. Yes, you can see the location of an item on the website. If you are still entering from the main entrance, following the arrows, doing the entire maze, then the marketplace, that's a noob move 😉

This is why the last time I went there (it is only 10 minutes by foot and bus from my house) I ordered the items online and only picked the stuff up, avoiding at least some of the psychological manipulation;-))

I am a huge fan of IKEA regardless of their tactics. Their design, innovation, accessibility and utility just makes them the perfect option for furniture when you're not looking to spend an arm and a leg to outfit your living space. The idea of building your own furniture gives you a sense of connection and achievement to the things you've built and it even allows you to come up with creative solutions by mixing and matching things for yourself.

That explains why I love going to Ikea stores. Take me away and let me wander in different environments. It's like having multiple interior designers already paid. 😂

Loved to watch this! As a Swedish person I've had this experience all through my life and find it so nice. If we didn't had anything to do, we young kids went to Ikea. :) Lovely family of yours and thank you for great work!

I've never wanted to go to an Ikea more than after watching this video. Sounds like a pleasant weekend outing. Get excited > look at an irl interior design catalogue > get inspired > have lunch. Hopefully when they do make one here they actually follow the same formula.

I love going to Ikea:) haven't yet bought anything that I'm not using except for maybe a cutting board (too narrow) which now serves as a cheese board for parties. I'm also proud to say, that I've both the same table 6 (!!!!!) times, when I lived in different cities, in the USA and Australia. I've given away lots of Ikea items when I moved, and received many for free. There's a sense of comfort in being able to get the same dining table no matter where I live. Sadly it is now discontinued, but knowing that I have bought two. My favorite RU-vidr who works in leather craft has the same table. It melts my heart :) even though we are on different continents and likely will never meet in person. I like browsing the "as is" section - both of my sofas were ex-display items and I just got new machine-washable covers. I just bought a new cover for one of them for $28 instead of $180 a few weeks ago, in the same store, 3+ years later. What other store can offer this kind of joy? On multiple occasions I've come after a long day at work just to relax, with no intention to buy, simply to browse and look for new ideas on how I can reuse my current items at home or perhaps rearrange my room. On days like this I typically set a budget of $20 on whatever pleases my heart. We also have a group chat with the closest friends and when someone is going to IKEA, we coordinate on various daily necessities like napkins, plastic bags, candles, meatballs haha.

Your insights are so interesting! It's now clear that upon arrival Ikea is a wholesaler providing the customer with a retail experience, while the average retail furniture show room treats the customer to a wholesale experience.

Another consideration for me personally is that the IKEA showroom isn’t just a shop you stroll by and decide to pop in and have a look. For most people they will have travelled there with the intention to buy, so you’re already in the mindset of “I’m buying something today”. Add that to everything mentioned in this video and I’d be amazed if anybody has been to an IKEA and not bought something!

I think I IKEA is also brilliant in making scarcity of stores. I found that when I lived far from an IKEA, I was far more likely to get sucked into buying things I didn't need because I couldn't come back easily. When I moved close to an IKEA, it was so much easier to go home and consider if I really needed those items.

I live 8 minutes from an Ikea. I love it and it’s kept me from doing huge shops a few times a year as I can easily pop in.

A trip to IKEA is the only way I get a good walk! I tried a shortcut once and ended up walking against the flow and feeling like I'd crossed the space/time continuum!

The downside to this IKEA strategy is it’s been years since I’ve been able to face going there. The parking situation is competitive, it takes more of your weekend than you’d like it to, and when there’s something I want to buy, I like to get it and go, otherwise I’ll lose interest.

Multinationals like IKEA win every time in Australia as our boomer-owned local retailers steadfastly refuse to adapt with the times and offer good ways to browse or shop online.

Thank you Daniel. It is good for people to know how they are being manipulated whether the reason is benign or sinister.

Great job! While I always new there was "the Ikea affect" It was very informative to hear it broke down and explained. I usually go to Ikea with something in mind so in an effort to find the product I tend to get lost and frustrated. On my next visit I will go with the flow you described and look at it like an amusement park.

I enjoy visiting Ikea, especially walking through the showrooms. I like designing small spaces for fun and I like getting ideas from the pretend rooms and apartments. I also take a lot of pictures of things that I like for inspiration or to think over, if I can build it myself for cheaper, for example. I probably have gone to IKEA just to walk around more times than I have gone to actually buy something. Part of that might be because it's 1 hour from my house and a halfway point to another city I travel to often. So it's a nice place to stop and take a break if traffic is bad. Once I've decided on buying something, I'll look it up online at home then go in through the exit doors straight to where it's at and pick it up. I sometimes make a detour over to the as-is/clearance section that is right by the checkout. I filled my car with a bunch of material for building my own stuff, like 3/4" laminated mdf for $1. I'm making some computer desks for my kids with it and my dad used some to make a pullout shelf in his cupboard. Way cheaper than what it would have cost to get the same material at Home Depot.

Thank you for the upload, Daniel! Enjoyed the video very much. Looking forward to my next visit to IKEA hahaha 😂

Loved this. I didn't even skip a bit. So yeah indeed some genius editing you did there!

Great mini-class! Thank you

I found this very interesting because I almost never go through IKEA following their planned route. I haven't been in some time because my great shopping buddy, Joyce Abel, passed away about two years ago, and going without her doesn't seem as fun. We would arrive at IKEA and park very near the exit, enter through the exit, go past the checkout stands, and visit the second chance merchandise first. Then we'd take the elevator up, not the escalator, to the restaurant and review what we wanted to visit while we ate. Using the map, we'd use the wormholes -- the doors that go from one section to another skipping the walking route -- directly to the section we wanted, then use them again to immediately go down to the lower section. The lower section has them, too, and out we'd go to get our item. This just seemed the most efficient way to buy from IKEA.

I knowingly fall for it; hook, line and Swedish meatball 😂 My trick is to go through the market place with two carts. We happily put everything we think we want in as we’re shopping. When we get to the end that’s when we decide to buy or not. I feel guilty leaving a cart full of stuff from all over the store, but I do try and put most stuff back. Also looking online beforehand helps.

Thank you for this video! Great stuff!

Such a great analysis on persuasive design!

IKEA tried to trick me but it failed due to the anxiety they induce me by not letting me see the exit and creating a maze inside the store. Almost died, 100%

This is brilliant. Just watching this made me want to go buy some IKEA products. 😂 Good on them being so good at what they do (despite the fact that this isn't good for me as a customer). As a minimalist, this makes me dread wanting to go into one of their stores. 😅 Lots of willpower needed to make it through this all.

I'll totally give it to you for a thorough and interesting analysis. Thank you!!!

Not to forget the many designers and architects who (rightfully) endorse/push their products 😅

Great video thanks. I might be Ikea’s worst customer as I only go when I need something specific - replacing the wine glasses my friends broke at my last party - and never at a weekend. Trick can opener - no thanks I’ve got one; handy pack of tea towels - no thanks I’ve got a set I can wash. Free parking - ok thanks!

The Market Hall makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Those discounted items from As Is /Circular Hub were products once used for display; Home areas, Shop Windows, Walls & Shelves.

It's probably 15 years since I last went to an IKEA, but this video did a great job of making me really REALLY want to go to one soon!

I ❤ IKEA as a brand, as a leader in its field! I think it's super genius (like you said in your video), I as a customer don't fall for their tricks, I think it is a fantastic worldwide brand! I also love your videos but just wanted to share my thoughts with you! X

I’ve recently learned that in order to pick up a cabinet from the warehouse I don’t have to go through the entire circus!! There is one gate to go in right next to the cashiers. If you looked up the location of your piece online, it is in-and-out experience like you’d never believe. (Well at least in Amsterdam.)

I go to IKEA to annoy my family with puns using the product names. That, sir, is priceless.

You, Daniel, are absolutely genius! I’ve been laughting and saying WHAT!! all the time. Such a clever essay 👏🏻👏🏻 Thanks!

I love IKEA. All the things you described in your video are, as you said, marketing tactics. But that's IKEA's job: to market their products as effectively as possible. I disagree that IKEA tricks us into buying things. It presents items in an enticing way, but again, that's marketing, and if we don't want to buy something, we don't have to.

The Ikea shop is a mixed love-hate experience to me, i enjoy the different spaces decorated as a real home but i can't stand the fact that i'm forced to walk the whole store even if i just want to grab a couple specific items

This was fascinating! I have to say that I'm not a fan of the store, but I love online shopping.

Thank you for the amount of detail you go into to prepare your videos, that's really appreciated. I can tell.

What a brilliant break down. I would go to IKEA to get design ideas and get a sense of what you can pack in and not feel cluttered. The only thing I don’t like is how angular everything is but I can’t complain about the price. So glad there are creative people who dress up Ikea furniture to where you don’t recognize it

I’ve been in two ikea one in Australia and one in Columbus Ohio I’ve never bought anything from them The one time I wanted to, the piece was out of stock. And Daniel is the cutest

What a great informative video!

You should come to IKEA Groningen, we have a slight different layout! The markethall is here after the appropriate showroom. Only big packages like furniture is still at the end. :)

Its interesting that you were able to describe the exact layout & experience of IKEA Kuwait. From start to finish.

There was an IKEA store in Richmond Canada that was too small, so rather than expand it, they tore the whole thing down and built a new one from scratch. It is *still* too small, so they are expanding the new store even further.

The IKEA that Daniel went to has the same exact layout with the one we have here in the Philippines, which they dub as the cheapest IKEA in the world. LOL

this video is DOPE Full of great knowledge can you do the same style with another company that uses those kind of strategy?

when I moved to Europe I first heard about Ikea and I love it ! But, I see a lot of Europeans that don't like or if you say this furniture is Ikea it is perceived as "bad". I would say Ikea need to solve this on their business model :) hheheh

Another excellent video! I love your forensic analysis of the IKEA stores and of course all other videos as a talented architect with ideas that won’t explode your budget! Beautifully edited, inspirational and relaxing videos that I’ve been binge watching since I’ve discovered your channel. Thank you for sharing your talents and knowledge!

I love Ikea and don't care if they are manipulating me! 😁😅 For me going there is like going home... All those swedish things warm my expat heart. 🥰

Haha that's why I always look online first, make a list of all the items I want or need and follow that list! AND I always add all item prices to my calculator before they go into my shopping trolley, so I know I'm not over budget by the time I get to the exit :)

This was interesting, and the video has such high quality production. Yes, we're manipulated everywhere we go, but knowing that fact allows one to make informed purchasing decisions. I'm near Dallas but have never been to the IKEA as it's still quite distant, and I have watched a documentary about some of their questionable materials procurement. I prefer antique furniture but hilariously do have an IKEA table and chairs that was given to me by a friend. If the woman and little girl are your wife and child, you are truly a beautiful family.

In Poland (and probably some other countries) IKEA’s staged rooms are based on actual flats in recent developments, so you see a living room with open kitchen and a plaque with a complete floor plan saying „a 54m² flat, street X”. It shows that the furniture really firs your space.

0:42 That IKEA looks like the one in Coquitlam, Canada.

I admit to being persuaded by the IKEA vision of a clean, orderly world and a meatball lunch. But I would argue every purchase I have made was based on utility and value. They provide inexpensive pieces that are useful. And they’re cheap enough I don’t really care if they wear out.

Hey, that's my sofa, my chair, my storage containers and my spotlights in your video! My big local IKEA in North East London has closed and I really miss it although I'm probably saving money by not "popping in" to look around. I don't like most of IKEA's stuff but there's always something to my taste as their products are so varied. Most of my furniture, etc. is from IKEA as their prices are reasonable. I have in the past overspent on trinkets like their poor quality picture frames, but when you're on a budget you simply can't afford the better made ones. IKEA remains a good day out, it's quite exciting to go there. They're opening a store in central London in the autumn, in Oxford Street, and frankly I can't wait to go there even though I don't need anything. Great video and lovely family btw.

Love this sit down documentary video! its a very welcome change for the channel.

Yes their branding is great but ultimately it’s the combination of value, function, reasonable quality, and mid to good aesthetics that continues to get me

I've just furnished my new apartment almost entirely from ikea. Having an infinite choice of products, makes it very easy to furnish a room in a certain style/colour.

So you are telling me in Canada Ikea serves meatballs with poutine? Absolute genious!

Aww your daughter is so cute! Love the b-roll 😊

4:28 OMG I have to copy this bedroom! 😀Very interesting video, thank you so much! ♥ Best wishes from Switzerland!

Wow this is SUCH a well done video. I’ve been bingeing your channel for the last month and always enjoy how well produced, aesthetically pleasing and informative your vids are, but this one is next level. Amazing job! I learned so much!

An excellent presentation- no hyped OTT cheesy presenter but a no nonsense professional insightful clear straightforward informative piece- substance with some style!

Hey Daniel, again a great Vid. Can you recommend a good online room planer for amateurs?

Great ! Its real true ! Greatings from Austria

Thanks for the video. I personally find the entire process very time consuming and for many years now when I need something at Ikea I enter from the exit, often possibile, I have already a list of items I will pick up and go back to pay. In this way I save time and exit less stressed.

Funnily enough most of my IKEA stuff is the Tupperware cos they’re really good 😂😂

The funny bit is how often I see IKEA products in computer room set ups like the countertops for the desktops on top of IKEA Alex units and I'm like "You have it spaced so far apart and then you complain about it sagging! It's made of cardboard essentially!" T^T Beyond that though, I love their customer service.

It's a destination, where you know you can get a little of everything. And so many other people shop there, that you're bound to have been recommended products from your friends or family. In the U.S., other retailers like Costco, Wal-Mart, or Target are very similar.

My first comment on RU-vid. This was the best video and about Ikea :) Yes im Swedish :) keep up the good work...

I wouldn’t say that I have an emotional attachment to IKEA or to my items from there, but I would pick them over my family 😬 I love my store because it’s one level. They can manipulate me & take my money better than any of my ex bfs!

This is not what I thought this video would be about, but it's interesting. I've never been to an Ikea. The nearest one's about 300 miles away. Parts of it look like Bed, Bath and Beyond, but the furniture part at the start looks like nothing I've ever seen in a store before. Though oddly, it looks exactly like the pictures in their catalog. What I thought this video was gonna be about is why people recommend Ikea furniture over similar things from other brands (like the Walmart Mainstays brand). You can find all sorts of people doing Ikea designs, but none of the others really. Even if I find something I like, it's simply not worthwhile to have them ship it to me or to drive that far (last time I checked I think they wanted $300 to ship me a $100 dresser).

As an IKEA nerd.. I usually go through the store backwards- I enter through the cash registers and shop in the marketplace area.. unless I’m looking for a specific large piece of furniture (then the showroom is better).

Ikea is smart Undoubtedly, but I'm so satisfied from their products and using them for years (means more than 10) and which company furniture you know buy back theirs products after years!? Ikea does. Genius people who knows customers and their wills are working there and this is result every household has at least one Ikea product. Viva Ikea

Your Ikea store looks freakishly the same as our Ikea store over here

You make it sound so technical with all the specific design words of how everything is so cleverly designed/displayed. But it is one of a kind of a store! I don't get why you always give an "annoyed" tone about the IKEA brand or its products in your videos!? Why can't people just accept that IKEA is so ahead of its time and it always has been!

Beautiful child man 👊 Got to say the only IKEA things I have is two of those drona boxes. Recently brought and that's for a microphone enclosure video 😅

That old tried-and-true advice about sticking to a pre-made list has saved me more than once. Rarely go there, anyway.

Great video! I was boycotting IKEA for years, but occasionally pop in to buy their AA batteries. Well, last time I did come to this gigantic store, I found that they were no longer kept by the checkouts and I was directed to the electrical section in the depths of the maze. Also, the price that attracted me years ago was then only available to family members. Frustrated and disappointed I left this place for good.