IKEA

One of the oddest things about IKEA is that you can’t order their stuff from the Internet and have it delivered.

You have to physically go there to buy stuff – and there is an expensive delivery option but that still involves you carting stuff through the checkout.

Why do they do this? Well primarily so you get conned into ancillary purchases. By making you run through the complete rat-run that is their shop, they bank on a few unplanned purchases along the way.

And the cartage thing – well that’s just making their life easier and cheaper. Bloody lazy of them.

They already have a cheap model due to their scale and also the fact that they make their customers assemble the furniture. It’s a bit cheeky also being this uncaring of their customer’s real needs.

My forecast as to what will happen is this – someone will develop and internet business that copies IKEA products but where there is no shop. Just internet purchases and delivery. Customers will be able to go to IKEA to check out the products and then go online and purchase the stuff from this shadow website and app.

The only comeback IKEA will have is registered design on the products and copyright on the names of the products. These objections are easily obviated by making small non-functional and non-aesthetic changes to the design of the products and small changes to the names of the products.

Or, of course, IKEA could just give their customers what they really want, and offer this service before someone does them over.