Saturday, July 15, 2006
No Longer a Virgin
Yep, I'm no longer a virgin. That is, I'm no longer a virgin according to the colorful terminology that IKEA home decorating stores use for those who have never visited them. I made my first trip to IKEA today.
Their decorating tastes may not be a perfect match with mine. But I was thoroughly impressed with their customer-centric shopping experience. In fact, I feel that the way they laid out the entire shopping experience is a lesson from which marketers both online and offline can learn.
For those of you who have never been to IKEA, shopping there is different than you're used to. Although it's possible to go directly to the department you want, the store is set up to lead you on a winding path through every department to get from entrance to checkout.
Aware that most newcomers won't be used to this, the entrance is set up with lots of maps, directions, and explanations. And, in case all that isn't enough to get you past wondering whether this place really is for you, you see their humorous display of reasons why it's "OK to be an IKEA virgin."
Their humor is disarming. Their attitude is infectuous. Combined with the complete instructions to help you navigate this new experience, the humor turns any skepticism into a feeling of adventure.
The overall impression you get from the entrance is that you have stumbled into some great and fun secret that non-IKEA shoppers don't know. You feel like you've joined a community of adventurous souls.
The way they take you from skeptical visitor to member of a special community is a great lesson in how powerful personality can be in building credibility. They imbue their store with a kicky, fun-loving personality that disarms your skepticism. And, in doing so, they essentially convince you to set your expectations aside and let them guide your where THEY want you to go.
This is way different from the persona that most new business owners strive for. Most new business owners try to give their business a cold, sterile, professional voice that holds customers at arm's length. IKEA's ability to win trust with personality should remind us that our most powerful weapon in winning our customers' trust is in letting our own personalities shine through.
A word of warning, though. The success of their personality is not in them being fun-loving and irreverent. It's in being genuine. You don't want to copy them and think that that personality will ensure that you will connect with customers. The best personality to use is your own.
And even that will not guarantee that you connect with everyone. My wife, for example, never bought into the IKEA experience and has no interest in going back. IKEA's personality didn't connect with her.
Similarly, your personality will not connect with every visitor to your business. That's OK. Connecting with some is better than copying someone else's style badly and connecting with no one. The ones that your personality connects with are the ones you want to connect with. They're the ones who are worth more than just one sale to you. They're the ones who have the potential to become loyal customers who come back to you again and again.
IKEA's unique style can teach us business owners a lot about value of giving our businesses personality. There were other lessons, as well, but I'll get into them next time I write.
Jeff
Yep, I'm no longer a virgin. That is, I'm no longer a virgin according to the colorful terminology that IKEA home decorating stores use for those who have never visited them. I made my first trip to IKEA today.
Their decorating tastes may not be a perfect match with mine. But I was thoroughly impressed with their customer-centric shopping experience. In fact, I feel that the way they laid out the entire shopping experience is a lesson from which marketers both online and offline can learn.
For those of you who have never been to IKEA, shopping there is different than you're used to. Although it's possible to go directly to the department you want, the store is set up to lead you on a winding path through every department to get from entrance to checkout.
Aware that most newcomers won't be used to this, the entrance is set up with lots of maps, directions, and explanations. And, in case all that isn't enough to get you past wondering whether this place really is for you, you see their humorous display of reasons why it's "OK to be an IKEA virgin."
Their humor is disarming. Their attitude is infectuous. Combined with the complete instructions to help you navigate this new experience, the humor turns any skepticism into a feeling of adventure.
The overall impression you get from the entrance is that you have stumbled into some great and fun secret that non-IKEA shoppers don't know. You feel like you've joined a community of adventurous souls.
The way they take you from skeptical visitor to member of a special community is a great lesson in how powerful personality can be in building credibility. They imbue their store with a kicky, fun-loving personality that disarms your skepticism. And, in doing so, they essentially convince you to set your expectations aside and let them guide your where THEY want you to go.
This is way different from the persona that most new business owners strive for. Most new business owners try to give their business a cold, sterile, professional voice that holds customers at arm's length. IKEA's ability to win trust with personality should remind us that our most powerful weapon in winning our customers' trust is in letting our own personalities shine through.
A word of warning, though. The success of their personality is not in them being fun-loving and irreverent. It's in being genuine. You don't want to copy them and think that that personality will ensure that you will connect with customers. The best personality to use is your own.
And even that will not guarantee that you connect with everyone. My wife, for example, never bought into the IKEA experience and has no interest in going back. IKEA's personality didn't connect with her.
Similarly, your personality will not connect with every visitor to your business. That's OK. Connecting with some is better than copying someone else's style badly and connecting with no one. The ones that your personality connects with are the ones you want to connect with. They're the ones who are worth more than just one sale to you. They're the ones who have the potential to become loyal customers who come back to you again and again.
IKEA's unique style can teach us business owners a lot about value of giving our businesses personality. There were other lessons, as well, but I'll get into them next time I write.
Jeff
Comments:
Post a Comment
© 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Jeff Baas, One Stop Web Support
