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IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

ikeamuseum.com

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Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#61

Post by makeitdouble »

112233 wrote: post #55

A bit OT, but why is ikea internet store (any country) designed to be so unusable? Lists of available components hidden in pdfs tucked in obscure menu, no way to find compatible components, search flooded with tens of thousands of "combinations" — I mean, they obviously know what they are doing. What is the goal of making it such way?

I'm probably part of that problem.

While I don't shop that much at Ikea, I still remember their product lines, will sift through the dozens of combinations and PDFs, and take notes while looking at the building instructions to see what could be done with a product.

Most of us will choose Ikea for the flexibility, and will happily do some amount of research anyway.

Until reading your comment it didn't hit me that the site was so different from other brands, like Apple for instance. And I sure don't enjoy Apple's site. But then Ikea shops aren't traditional shops either, if sifting through pages of products isn't your thing, walking through sinuous paths all around the shop won't be either.

It's a fundamentally different public.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#62

Post by gertlex »

112233 wrote: post #55

A bit OT, but why is ikea internet store (any country) designed to be so unusable? Lists of available components hidden in pdfs tucked in obscure menu, no way to find compatible components, search flooded with tens of thousands of "combinations" — I mean, they obviously know what they are doing. What is the goal of making it such way?

The 'Acquired' podcast episode on Ikea speculates that their "buy in person" was historically a cost advantage (especially over pre-assembled furniture that cost $$$ to deliver), as they didn't have to pay shipping/delivery. In the modern era of "expect free shipping as long as some minimum amount is spent", online sold and delivered sales have less profit margin, and one could imagine an intentional business decision to try and keep the in-person experience the "preferred" one for customers.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#63

Post by bonoboTP »

ruszki wrote: post #36
galfarragem wrote: post #28

I'd happily pay for the traditional physical IKEA yearly catalog. I suspect that if they sold it in-store for a few euros (€2?) just to cover printing costs, many people would buy it. It's more than a product list, it’s a cultural artifact, offering a window into the aesthetics, values, and lifestyle of its time. I still keep their old catalogs, and I’m not alone.

It was one if not the most effective advertisement which I’ve encountered in my life. We got it freely every year with post, and I dreamed as a kid to have such houses and flats which could be seen in them. The brand stuck me so well, that it’s my go to furniture store, since I moved out from my parents. I wanted to read it again last year to have some ideas for my new flat, and I was devastated when I’ve figured out…

I remember paging through the IKEA catalog and OTTO clothing catalog at my grandparents house in the summer. We were bored. I think this is just nostalgia. Today even if there was a print version, it wouldn't mean the same to people as it did back then. There's so much more stuff competing for your attention online all the time.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#64

Post by makeitdouble »

silvestrov wrote: post #59
112233 wrote: post #55

A bit OT, but why is ikea internet store (any country) designed to be so unusable? Lists of available components hidden in pdfs tucked in obscure menu, no way to find compatible components, search flooded with tens of thousands of "combinations" — I mean, they obviously know what they are doing. What is the goal of making it such way?

Also: why can't they show all sizes of a product jusst like when choosing t-shirt size on a normal shop? e.g. this dresser is available in many sizes but you wouldn't know from the product page: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/storklinta-3-drawer-chest-white... At best you can then search for "STORKLINTA" but the result list has the other sizes mixed with all sorts of other products such as beds: https://www.ikea.com/us…

Not to explain away Ikea's byzantine system, a difference in size usually comes with a difference in use and environment.

While a T-shirt has the same purpose in S M or L, a table isn't the same if it's lower smaller than 50cm or longer than 1.5m, or lower than 60cm or higher than 70cm. In a standard shop you'd call that a night stand, or a coffee table, or a kids' table or living room's low table etc.

If you think of it as shopping for an environment (same as half of the in-shop experience: they'll show you full rooms where you can see products fit together) it makes sense. Somewhat.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#65

Post by makeitdouble »

Reason077 wrote: post #60
112233 wrote: post #55

A bit OT, but why is ikea internet store (any country) designed to be so unusable? Lists of available components hidden in pdfs tucked in obscure menu, no way to find compatible components, search flooded with tens of thousands of "combinations" — I mean, they obviously know what they are doing. What is the goal of making it such way?

IKEA likes to find ways to get you into their physical stores because they know you’re going to end up buying more than just the items you came for. So they have a website that sort of teases you, but isn’t actually good enough to replace the physical stores. You’ll start on the website, but get frustrated with it and eventually just drive over to IKEA to find the items you want. And you’ll also come home with some c…

Also to note, shipping prices are egregious compared to the product prices. In most cases shipping a single product will cost 2 or 3 times more than the product price.

They made efforts during COVID so they're obviously aware of the issue, and I'm sure they al see it as lost opportunity, but probably still don't want to eat the cost or go full Amazon and have their own centers.

TBH as a customer I'm fine with keeping in-store price low instead of subsiding the online store.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#66

Post by lavezza »

I was interested in when computers started showing up. I flipped through some years quickly. I see a terminal on page 158 in 1984 ('84:158). What looks like an 8-bit computer at '85:103 and a Mac at '86:190. Anyone see something earlier?

This could be a game. When was the first flat screen TV? When was the first CD rack? When was the first microwave?

There is a record player at '20:156. Did record players go away and then come back?

There are at least two typewriters in 2020 ('20:56 and '20:61). I wouldn't have expected typewriters in a 2020 catalog. Maybe that's a Swedish thing? Are typewriters still common in Sweden?

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#67

Post by Alupis »

degrews wrote: post #56
freddie_mercury wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And behind the scenes, work on the next catalogue had already begun – a process lasting several months and involving planning, construction of interiors, photography and filming, all led by catalogue manager Mia Olsson Tunér. It is naive to assume printing costs are the only costs involved. I feel comfortable assuming IKEA had a better understanding of the economic fundamentals of the catalogue than HN commenters.

No one is assuming printing costs are the only costs to produce the catalogue. The point of pricing the catalogue at printing costs is to cover the marginal cost of offering the catalogue for sale. The fixed costs of producing the calendar are incurred either way.

A company I worked for stopped doing physical catalogs too - after having done so for a very long time. The cost to produce the catalog was insane, and had quite a bit of dedicated staff working on it full-time. Making a catalog is a specialized skillset, and has little overlap with the business' core competencies, such as website administration.

Over time, the revenue attributed with the physical catalog declined year over year. People said they wanted the catalog, but it didn't translate into attributable sales. The ones that did order from the catalog were often the smallest, insignificant orders the company took in. The website and online advertising are where customers gravitated towards, and remain today.

The amount of people that actually want a physical catalog, even for IKEA, I would wager pales in comparison to the amonut of people that want to browse the catalog on their phone or tablet. Pricing changes, stock comes and goes, products get discontinued, colors/materials are changed, etc. The website is always up-to-date, the physical catalog... is not.

When I read comments like yours, I interpret them as people wanting nastolgic items more than marketing materials or ordering guides. The costs for the company are just too high to produce those anymore; well over $2 per catalog someone up-thread mentioned - we're talking more like $10-$20+ these days (not accounting for anything except print costs) for a full-color, glossy/professional catalog with hundreds of pages.

I have serious doubts IKEA printing catalogs today would garner any new business. They would give away (or perhaps sell) some copies to existing, long-time customers with a fond memory of the brand and their catalogs - and I'm afraid that's it.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#68

Post by bobthepanda »

lavezza wrote: post #66

I was interested in when computers started showing up. I flipped through some years quickly. I see a terminal on page 158 in 1984 ('84:158). What looks like an 8-bit computer at '85:103 and a Mac at '86:190. Anyone see something earlier? This could be a game. When was the first flat screen TV? When was the first CD rack? When was the first microwave? There is a record player at '20:156. Did record players go away and…

One thing to note is that the setting of a furniture catalog is meant to establish emotional connection to a setting which could cause you buy furniture.

Midcentury stuff like record players came back into vogue in the 2010s and 2020s; a typewriter would be one extension of such a retro fashion. Even today a vinyl is a common item in the merch shops of modern artists and bands. https://a.co/d/9FFBuEF

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#69

Post by pessimizer »

The thing that has always driven me crazy about these catalogs is that I have an Ikea product that for the life of me I've never been able to find any reference to. So much so that I wouldn't even trust my memory if I didn't have an unopened set from 2002. It's called the GRILLBY, is a design by Gillis Lundgren, and it's a wire mesh wall mount kit for TRYGGVE shelves with hooks screwed into them.

I thought they looked like the bees knees when I saw them in the store, and the price must have been right because I bought a ton of them. I've been able to cover my walls with shelving ever since, but they must have come from the twilight zone. I've always wondered if the price was right because they were being discontinued and cleared out, but I can't find out when they were continued in the first place.

I'd be happy to hear if anyone has ever heard of anything like that.

Re: IKEA Catalogs 1951-2021

#70

Post by tokioyoyo »

atombender wrote: post #43
ahartmetz wrote: post #18

Crazy how few of their decades old designs look "wrong" today. Their combination of high quality design, low price, and (depending on price...) workable to good build quality is pretty unique.

Mind you, a lot of their designs are cheap knock-offs of contemporary designs. * The POÄNG chair is a copy of Alvar Aalto's 406. * Nakamura's earlier POEM copied both the 406 and a chair by Bruno Mathsson. * FROSTA (now discontinued) is a copy of Aalto's Stool 60. * KROMVIK copied Bruno Mathsson's Ulla bed frame. * BORE copied Mathsson's Karin chair. And so on. Ironically, some of these also have become classics of t…

Personally, I support any sort of cheap knock-offs as long as they more-or-less last for some time. "Alvar Aalto's 406"'s price is JP¥304,200 from what I quickly found. Most expensive POÄNG is ¥16,990. Almost 20x cheaper. Increasing QoL for average people who can't afford expensive things is actually good.

Yes, I understand the whole "copying isn't innovation" part of the argument, but it is for the greater good.

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