Why are IKEA stores designed like a maze?

You start off with good intentions and a robust shopping list in your hands. You walk in with a purpose and determination to beautify your home. However, it only takes a few minutes, and you are distracted with other items that you can put inside your shopping bag. You feel lost in the maze of IKEA. And this happens every time!

Budget furniture giant IKEA lets its shoppers experience the journey of walking into labyrinth of furniture and home décor, and typically they walk out with more than what they anticipated.

Why is this so?

#1: TO ENCOURAGE IMPULSE SHOPPING

IKEA’s confusing layout delays the completion of the shopper’s list. It is designed to stop you from leaving. This emotional process disorients and dissociates shoppers from the outside world.

When they eventually figure out the space and start buying, shoppers feel licensed to treat themselves. By the time you find the stool that you are looking for, you will end up being so impressed by how cheap the table lamp is and end up getting it too. Alan Penn, a professor at University College London, said that this results in impulse buying.

#2: TO CREATE A WALK-THROUGH CATALOG

IKEA said goodbye to its printed catalogs after seven decades of publishing, but it does not mean that you cannot witness its pages in real life. Apart from delaying the completion of a shopper’s mission with its confusing layout, IKEA found a way to spend more time with its shoppers through its interactive spaces.

“Historically, we wanted the flow of our stores and presentation of the products to appear in the same way as they would in a catalog,” said Mr. Marcus Engman, the Chief Creative Officer for Ingka Group.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

#3: TO OVERWHELM YOUR SENSES

Consumer Psychology expert Paul Harrison highlighted that IKEA’s layout overwhelms the senses to stop shoppers from thinking about time and space. According to him: “We’re not very good at imagining. We look to others for ideas and IKEA’s store layout helps you imagine your ideal life, how life could be.”

Cognitively, shoppers are not able to control their behavior and responses because they become more emotional. These emotions cascade to the process of building its products. You see, the furniture’s self-made concept provides shoppers with a sense of achievement.

#4: TO TRY NEW THINGS

Despite its popular maze-like layout, IKEA tried out other store formats last year. It tested two new formats to explore how physical locations can remain relevant in the age of e-commerce and amidst the pandemic.

Ingka Group, which operates most IKEA stores, reopened a location in Shanghai to test its new format. This format provides shoppers with other activities aside from shopping. Showrooms were introduced alongside a theater-like space where shoppers can hangout, a restaurant with sustainable food, and a Maker’s Hub where staff can help shoppers repair old items. This store represented its second test store.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Can IKEA still amaze its shoppers even without its signature maze? Let’s see what the future of IKEA holds!

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

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Read this if you find yourself always buying “crap”

an asian woman carrying shopping bags and looking at her phone

It’s easy to be enticed with non-stop ongoing promotions online.

Thanks to the pandemic, more companies are also urgently shifting from brick and mortar to embracing digital means to sustain their business. This means customers like us can view a product instantly and make a purchase within a few taps or clicks.

But this also means it’s now easier to shop and buy “crap”. Please don’t get us wrong when we say “crap”. We’re not necessarily referring to a product as worthless but more towards whether it’s indispensable.

If you find yourself constantly buying “crap”, especially since it’s hard to say no to that dollar deal, read on.

#1: Stocktake your junk

Unless you are already living a minimalist lifestyle, chances are you have plenty of surplus stuff lying around at home or in your car boot.

The first step to help you stop buying items you don’t need is to do a stocktake on your current junk. A detailed record of your household items will help you realise how many things you already own.

Chances are, you will also find lost and misplaced items long forgotten over the years. Take these items and set them aside. Before donating, discarding, or reusing, look at it and do a quick sum-up of the costs. This exercise will reveal the potential savings you would have had if not for the purchase of those miscellaneous products.

And as a bonus, take it as an opportunity to declutter.

#2: Set a financial goal
financial-goals-on-a-notebook

Image Credits: moneycrashers.com

Financial goals are important because they help us make informed decisions with our money. Perhaps you want to save for retirement, get a new car, or take a luxury staycation soon.

Figure out how much money you need for your goal and consider opening a savings account to fund it. Next time you are at the shops and thinking of spending S$10 on something random (just because it’s on discount), consider putting that money in your savings instead.

You will be amazed at how quickly all those seemingly small purchases add up.

#3: Engage in an inexpensive hobby or activity

Shopping is a fun hobby, but it is an expensive one. Consider finding another activity to replace that.

Instead of going to the shopping centre, logging in to your favourite shopping app, or ordering stuff you don’t need during a time sale, do something else. Maybe you could go for a walk, read a book, or develop an artistic interest.

There are many engaging and inexpensive hobbies, such as bird watching or sketching, that can be very rewarding. Having an activity to fill your time can help you stop mindlessly carting out online. This could translate to more savings in the long run!

#4: Implement a 24-hour pause strategy
a red pause button

Image Credits: cobizmag.com

Even if you find a replacement hobby to keep you from shopping too much, you will undoubtedly find yourself back at the shops from time to time.

To prevent yourself from getting into the shopping routine, implement a 24-hour pause strategy. Before you buy that new phone cover or that shiny baking tray, put it on hold and think it over for 24 hours.

If you think it would significantly add value to your life or you would be using it for a long time to come, buy it. However, if you realise it’s possible to live without it until the current item you own wears out, skip it.

#5: Unsubscribe from marketing emails

Even the strongest among us can succumb to the temptations of promotional emails. New products, attractive coupon codes, and special deals are what marketers use to get inside our heads and tempt us to spend that money.

One of the most effective ways to avoid this temptation is to get it out of sight. There is little to no value in these messages if you’re on the road to stop buying “crap”. Unsubscribing from such marketing emails will help you regain control of both your inbox and your wallet.

#6: Create firm budget limits
Singapore debit cards

Image Credits: Vulcan Post

It would be unrealistic to say, “I am going to stop shopping”, and then hope it would work the next moment miraculously.

While we’ve worked hard to earn money, and it’s perfectly alright to spend it, the idea here is to spend less of it on “crap” that we don’t genuinely have a use for. The best way to attain this goal is to set a fixed budget in debit or cash.

Giving yourself an allowance in debit or cash helps you exercise more control over overspending. Spending debit or cash feels different than spending money on a credit card or through an app. Having to count and part with physical bills in exchange for an object helps us observe the trade differently now that we see the money disappearing from our possession.

#7: Pen down specific goals

As we come to a close, just saying “I am going to stop buying items I don’t need” may not work as you intend it to be. You want to pen down a more specific and measurable goal that you can attain.

For example, “I will only shop online on weekends,” or “I will only hit the stores on Saturdays with a cash budget of S$50 with me”. Preparing yourself with precise and realistic goals like these will aid you in reducing your excessive spending and break the chain of buying unnecessary “crap”.

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You’re Flushing Money Away With These Grocery Habits

Since most of us consume food at least three times a day, a weekly trip to the grocery store is unavoidable. We do it on a regular basis until our actions steer into autopilot. More often than not, we idly shove familiar items into our carts and neglect better judgement. It is time for change!

You are flushing your money away with these automatic grocery habits…

#1: NEGLECTING THE EXPIRATION DATES

Say you entered the nearby grocery store and noticed the flashy brand deals. Oh! It is surely tempting to see your favorite items in the “marked down” section. However, some brands lower their prices to get rid of items that are reaching its due date. This is why you must allot a few seconds to check the expiration dates of the items before placing them into your cart. Doing so will save you an additional trip to the store and prevent the buyer’s remorse.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

#2: SHOPPING WHILE YOU’RE EMOTIONAL

If you want to fill your cart with unnecessary items, shop while you are emotional. Grocery shopping when you are “hangry” (i.e., frustrated due to hunger) is a recipe for disaster! It will not only make you reach for more items, but it will also make you lean towards unhealthy ones. An empty stomach may puncture a hole into your pocket just to satisfy its cravings.

#3: FALLING FOR THE BRANDS

Many people stick to the same brands as these have worked for them in the past. Shopping with raging brand loyalty makes you miss out the competitive products of other brands. Other brands may carry the same product quality with significant improvements and attractive deals. So, shake things up every now and then. Do not be afraid to explore the store brand or the generics too!

#4: SHOPPING WITHOUT A PLAN

You will not be able to control your spending habits (and transportation costs) if you enter the grocery store without a plan. Customize a meal plan for the week to set the tone of your shopping list.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

When money is tight, you cannot afford to go to the store spontaneously. Trust me, it rarely works!

Sources: 1 & 2

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