I always forget how painful it is to assemble a piece of IKEA furniture.
Luckily… I’m reminded of it every couple of years or so via a new bookcase or sofa.
People often marvel at how IKEA can offer low prices because of their 1) flat-pack designs, and 2) efficient shipping.
However, I think IKEA’s real secret sauce is convincing their customers to do the hardest part of the job, and simultaneously making them feel good about it.
My bet is an IKEA sofa is just as expensive as a traditional sofa once you take into account the customer’s labour.
The magic question, for IKEA and for business models, is: who’s doing the work?