Why a visit to Ikea is like playing a video game — and just as addictive

YOU came in for just one thing. So why do you keep walking out of Ikea with all these things you never knew you needed?

ANY visitor to an Ikea store knows the feeling.

You went in knowing exactly what you wanted. Now you’ve smashed a serve of the meatballs, and you’re on a one-way-trip, stuck on what feels like the world’s longest route to get there.

You resign yourself to the trip, grab the trolley you swore you wouldn’t need, and wind up at the counter wondering again how you’ve filled it.

We all know it’s part of Ikea’s grand plan to take you through the whole store — but why do so few people opt for a shortcut — aside from the fact it takes a bit of savvy (and a few previous visits) to find them?

Because Ikea’s sneaky store layout relies on a combination of mystery, and the knowledge humans have a herd mentality.

The old Pac Man computer game has echoes of Ikea. Picture: Supplied

It knows most shoppers stuck on a clearly-posted one-way-shopping train will go with the flow, not against the herd, especially if there are surprises around every corner.

The added genius is that Ikea walks a customer past its whole catalogue of things you never knew you needed. It also knows you’re likely to grab that impulse purchase when you see it, rather than risk another circuit, or try going against the flow to go back to it later.

You grab it, because what if it’s gone when you decide you want it later?

It’s like a game of hide and seek — and around each “corner” or doorway, you enter a new level.

It’s the same premise that makes video games so addictive — progress to the next level (winning) — or take a shortcut to get to your ultimate prize first — but who knows what you might have missed.

Before you know it, it’s game over, credit card. And on to “flat pack” level “genius”.

Originally published as Why a visit to Ikea is like playing a video game — and just as addictive