IKEA China is like no other in the world

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IKEA China is like no other in the world. People just lay down and sleep in the beds. I’ve seen people do photo shoots. I see people breastfeeding their babies. It’s like a home away from home.

But if I lay down and tried to sleep in an IKEA overseas...a store manager would come to me and ask me to leave! Overseas people would see sleeping in a showcase bed as something inappropriate and not good store conduct. But not in China.

IKEA tried that in the beginning but then they just gave up and instead adapted to the local culture because they wanted to have a good relationship with their potential customers in china. Plus...if it’s comfortable...why wouldn’t you buy it? Why wouldn’t you recommend it to your friend? It was actually a very smart move for IKEA and has made the people love this brand.

It’s funny how my western mind tells me what’s right and wrong, only because that’s the way society does it overseas and I accept it blindly! Why shouldn’t customers sleep in a store? Who’s to say (except the store manager) that it would damage their image to have a granny snoring on the couch? Who’s to say that it would block another customer from viewing the product? No one but my conditioned mind. If I’m in a foreign land I must wash my mind of my own culture and learn from the locals. When in Rome...do as the Romans!

The cultural gap between people is so wide, we must be very vigilant not to impose our “way” on another persons or another country. Instead we must look with fresh eyes and see WHAT IS WORKING. When we see, hey this is what the customer wants—give it to them! Make them love you. They will love and embrace you as a brand.

I think it’s pretty incredible how IKEA has made their store a home away from home. And my sore feet were really glad to rest up in a chair at a desk that could be my new desk in my home with my next roommate!

What do you think?