Why d-tail ♥ IKEA
When mentioning to friends about starting a furniture company, the immediate response more often than not was “you mean like IKEA?”. That consistent reaction alone is testament to the amazing presence that IKEA (pronounced “ee-kay-uh”) have in the furniture market. If the furniture market wasn’t so expansive, one could envisage IKEA becoming synonymous with the word ‘furniture’ - just as Hoover is to vacuum cleaner and Google is to search engine.
Here at d-tail, we ♥ several aspects about the IKEA brand, namely the: 1) accessibility of on-trend furniture to the mass-market, 2) innovation through new products, collaborations and technology, and 3) consistency of brand / products globally. Allow us to expand on these a little:
1) Accessibility of On-Trend Furniture to the Mass-Market - The demographics of the furniture buying market can be sliced & diced in numerous ways, but whichever way, the majority of people rank affordability highest in their purchasing criteria. People understandably want the biggest bang for their buck, and IKEA have successfully positioned themselves as the furniture company to deliver on that. Key to IKEA keeping the cost for the consumer down is production on a massive scale, i.e. the stack em high, sell em cheap model. Because IKEA have the capability to procure materials / components in such vast quantities, they are able to pass the cost savings onto the consumer. Additionally, they supply furniture flat-packed - therefore passing the cost and time to assemble on to the consumer. Supplying flat-packed also saves on shipping costs too (as there is less bulk).
2) Innovation through New Products, Collaborations and Technology - IKEA are constantly expanding their portfolio by way of introducing on-trend products, as well as new colours and textures - all with Scandinavian coolness, And thus they are constantly fulfilling and widening their consumer demographic, from youngsters wanting new gadgets for their bedroom, young people with a pay-packet and a new found flat to furnish, through to homeowners of any age who want to change things up a bit. By collaborating with tech companies, IKEA are able to expand their portfolio beyond the staple diet of just furniture, e.g. smart lights, blinds, Wi-Fi speakers etc. We also tip our hat to IKEA for the way they have embraced technology to provide the consumer with an immersive buying experience, just check out the augmented reality feature in their app. for an appreciation of this.
3) Consistency of Brand / Products Globally - One of the hardest things to do in any business, is to scale-up a product / service whilst delivering consistent levels of quality. The bigger and faster one grows, the more difficult it becomes to exercise consistent levels of quality assurance - especially when expanding into new geographies with new products. Kudos to IKEA for cracking this with such a large global footprint of stores and with such a diverse portfolio of products.
Returning to the start of this story, my immediate reaction to the comparison of d-tail with IKEA is to explain the difference between the two companies’ approach to furniture…on the one hand you have a globally recognised brand that is great for all of the qualities mentioned above, and on the other you have a boutique brand that offers highly customisable furniture that is individually made to last a lifetime. Two very different approaches I’m sure you’ll agree.
The fact is, there is space for everyone in the furniture market. Our respective companies fulfil the needs of different markets, and that is a healthy thing. I understand this principle first-hand. Why? Because I furnished a temporary apartment abroad (part of a 2-year work assignment) with IKEA products. I did this because cost ranked highest on the buying criteria, more so than individualism and longevity (as it wasn’t going to be shipped home at the end of the tenure).
And so when ever anyone mentions IKEA to me, my response is always the same:“I ♥ IKEA, but I ♥ d-tail more”.
