Yesterday I had the opportunity to test the strength of my marriage by visiting Ikea for the 5th time in the last year. In actuality my wife, son and I had a good time and there were no epic debates over couch choices. I did however notice a rather novel decision on behalf of Ikea.
There’s something special about the IKEA Stoughton once you reach the “marketplace” you’re no longer able to communicate with the outside world. That’s right your phone bars drop to “No Service” and you’re stuck in a pit of despair debating which kitchen utensil is the best deal with no connection with the outside world.
In this instance, yesterday, I decided to hop on the IKEA free WIFI which I have to admit was a nice addition to their luxuries, which includes free coffee, tea, and low cost meatballs. Signing onto the Wifi I was presented a few decisions as you can see in the screenshot to the left.
What stuck out to me was the idea of signing in with an “IKEA Family Card”. This is the “Stop & Shop Card” or rather free savings card Ikea gives out to it’s customers. I’ve noticed in the past that I rarely save on furniture but their already low priced meatballs tend to drop in price when I hand over the card.
The importance of this decision
Why would you want to sign in with your IKEA Family Card? Well it’s probably pretty convenient for you if you already have one. You type in a few numbers and you’re in.
Actually it’s quite inconvenient if you’re not currently a Family Card member and if you have to dig it out of you’re wife’s purse it’s not all that easy either. That being said I am fascinated to know how IKEA will use this information. This is a unique opportunity for IKEA to tie past purchases with current needs.
I imagine one of the main reasons I want to be on wifi despite being in a No Service pit of despair is that I want to look up some IKEA products and compare what I’ve seen online to what’s in font of me.
No matter the reason IKEA has created an opportunity to not only sell to you in the physical world but to tie it to an beautifully personal experience. If they want to be magicians in this space they can also tie it to which router you’re currently connected to and have a better understanding of where you are in the store.
Imagine the opportunities to increase their reach to you if you are standing in the workspace section looking at chairs for you new desk. You go online to see the chair you were looking at on their website because you can’t quite find what you were looking for. Then in that moment IKEA delivers you an uniquely blended experience of in-real-life tangible items tied to your phone and what you’re looking at in your screen to sell you on the chair you’ve been wanting for your office.
Here’s the thing. I have no idea if IKEA is doing this, or just tracking searches, or just trying to better understand their users. For all I know they thought’d it be easy to have you sign in with your family card and that’s the extent of it.
Just imagine the opportunities. Comment below!