coffee at ikea restaurant is not bad. but i doubt not many local chinese buy items there. although people would love to visit the store, most of them go there to get ideas how to decorate their homes, as for furnitures, they could buy same style ones from local manufacturers with prices as low as 10% of ikea’s.
believe me, ikea still didn’t reach the break-even point in china. ikea target high-end customers but later find this group is too small and many of them don’t regard ikea as their option, so they want to re-target so-called chinese middle class, this is why they lower the list prices again and again.
seems we will have a chinese 7-7 festival at Feb 14 next year
I don’t think Ikea has any problem attracting middle class customers. A lot of people in the store are just there to look around, to see all the people and excitement or to view the interior design, but most of the people are there to buy and Ikea has products at such a varied price range that almost anyone who goes can afford something. I think many middle class like the diy nature of Ikea, but they also like the ease of it…
I don’t know, Bingfeng. Seemed like a hell of a lot of people were buying stuff when I was there. Have you been there lately? Their stuff is really pretty cheap (and not just because I am a “rich American”).
On Dec 16, 2004 9:17 AM, Anonymous said:
The phenomenon is no different than it is in the United States, where the consumer just wants everything that everyone else has. It’s an addiction. Haven’t you seen ‘Fight Club’?
On Dec 16, 2004 1:14 PM, mumbles said:
it’s a little more complicated than that, considering the leaps and bounds made by the chinese economy, the rapidly increasing disposable wealth of the growing middle class, and the fact that communism is inherently anti-capitalism (even though this has become a complete joke over the last couple of decades). this is far too new to have become an addiction—this is much more about new wealth, status and a very stark, growing change in society.
On Dec 16, 2004 1:27 PM, Tox said:
When you want to sound psuedo intelligent w/out knowing WTF you’re talking about, reference “Fight Club”.
On Dec 17, 2004 2:06 AM, Anonymous said:
Tox sure took that comment way too seriously. It was meant to be arbitrary and funny. I also enjoyed how he made no reference to the Ikea topic but chose instead to hop online to rag on people. Maybe to make up for the size of his two-inch, um, keyboard.
On Dec 20, 2004 5:19 AM, Gorky Zygotic Mynci said:
Oy how nice there is an Ikea in Shanghai, there ia not one Ikea in the entire state of Florida.
WHY WHY WHY
No Christmas, that is true. BUt, how come there are all those Santas with the red cheeks all over Shanghai?
On Jan 13, 2005 4:05 AM, anon said:
I love IKEA with a passion. I go there for a fix of salad, a small ocean of coffee, to daydream over the office furniture, and buy something cheap and colourful that I have no pragmatic need for. It could be “fight-club” related, but I haven’t been beating myself up lately so hopefully not. Regarding Christmas, I was greeted however by a guy with a closed gate wanting to see my passport, on my annual ten minute trip to church.
12 Comments
merry spring festival and happy new year, dan!
coffee at ikea restaurant is not bad. but i doubt not many local chinese buy items there. although people would love to visit the store, most of them go there to get ideas how to decorate their homes, as for furnitures, they could buy same style ones from local manufacturers with prices as low as 10% of ikea’s.
believe me, ikea still didn’t reach the break-even point in china. ikea target high-end customers but later find this group is too small and many of them don’t regard ikea as their option, so they want to re-target so-called chinese middle class, this is why they lower the list prices again and again.
seems we will have a chinese 7-7 festival at Feb 14 next year
I don’t think Ikea has any problem attracting middle class customers. A lot of people in the store are just there to look around, to see all the people and excitement or to view the interior design, but most of the people are there to buy and Ikea has products at such a varied price range that almost anyone who goes can afford something. I think many middle class like the diy nature of Ikea, but they also like the ease of it…
I don’t know, Bingfeng. Seemed like a hell of a lot of people were buying stuff when I was there. Have you been there lately? Their stuff is really pretty cheap (and not just because I am a “rich American”).
The phenomenon is no different than it is in the United States, where the consumer just wants everything that everyone else has. It’s an addiction. Haven’t you seen ‘Fight Club’?
it’s a little more complicated than that, considering the leaps and bounds made by the chinese economy, the rapidly increasing disposable wealth of the growing middle class, and the fact that communism is inherently anti-capitalism (even though this has become a complete joke over the last couple of decades). this is far too new to have become an addiction—this is much more about new wealth, status and a very stark, growing change in society.
When you want to sound psuedo intelligent w/out knowing WTF you’re talking about, reference “Fight Club”.
Tox sure took that comment way too seriously. It was meant to be arbitrary and funny. I also enjoyed how he made no reference to the Ikea topic but chose instead to hop online to rag on people. Maybe to make up for the size of his two-inch, um, keyboard.
Oy how nice there is an Ikea in Shanghai, there ia not one Ikea in the entire state of Florida.
WHY WHY WHY
Doesn’t seem like China Daily received the “no Christmas” memo. Here is a story from today’s paper:
We are dreaming of a White Christmas!
dan,
ask this guy on how to prevent spams:
http://www.metanoiac.com/
No Christmas, that is true. BUt, how come there are all those Santas with the red cheeks all over Shanghai?
I love IKEA with a passion. I go there for a fix of salad, a small ocean of coffee, to daydream over the office furniture, and buy something cheap and colourful that I have no pragmatic need for. It could be “fight-club” related, but I haven’t been beating myself up lately so hopefully not. Regarding Christmas, I was greeted however by a guy with a closed gate wanting to see my passport, on my annual ten minute trip to church.