Too old for IKEA: Study shows your age dictates where you go furniture shopping

Tuesday, 24 January 2017

If IKEA ever hits New Zealand shores, will you be too old to shop there?

A new survey suggests you might be.

US data company, Earnest, looked at the spending habits of 43,000 customers in lifestyle stores, and calculated the peak age when most respondents reported shopping at the Swedish megastore.

According to the data, the peak, or most common age, of IKEA shoppers is 24.

**READ MORE:

* Ikea NZ Facebook page set up: Is it finally coming to NZ?

* Ikea, Aldi & Zara: Big brands keeping Kiwis waiting**

However, there was a small glimmer of hope for those pushing 25.

IKEA remains popular throughout the late 20s and early 30s, but drops after age 34.

'We may as well call the 10-year period spanning the mid-20s and mid-30s the 'IKEA decade',' Earnest said in its report.

This means by the time you turn 35, you are very likely to leave the IKEA showrooms behind, in favour of a new homeware store.

Perhaps Bed, Bath and Beyond, with a peak age of 31.

'Not only is IKEA popular among young adults, it is the only retailer with a peak customer age below 30,' it said.

'People in their 30s are more likely to shop stores that specialise in housewares and home accessories like Bed Bath & Beyond and Williams-Sonoma - perhaps because their IKEA furniture is still serving them well.

'The oldest customers in our dataset prefer to do it themselves.'