Proof Staging Works? Ever Been To IKEA?

I still run into people today who are doubtful that staging could help them sell. People who look at the monthly cost of staging, and can’t see what it is they are paying for. Or people who understand what staging is, but not how it works.

Now, my normal preface when I go into these sorts of talks, every home is different, every person is a unique case (that’s why we like to do a walk through first and get acquainted, and figure out the perfect plan for you). But for all those out there who wonder if staging really works, I’d like to ask: ever been in an IKEA?

For those who really have never been in an IKEA – it is a multi-billion dollar international company that sells furniture. And one of iKEA’s primary marketing strategies is staging.

Whether it is there mobile show rooms (staged rooms driven around town), staging metros  and other public spaces, virtual staging , or (their most common) in store showrooms, in which entire home layouts are created and staged. IKEA stages – and they stage to sell.

Of course there is a logistical difference in the way one stages to sell furniture, vs. how one uses furniture to stage and sell a home, but the reasoning behind it is the same.

In a recent study that Ikea did on their female market, they made a statement, that I think universally applies: ““It’s not kitchen cabinets that matter; it’s how they make a cooking session with the kids go smoother. It’s not the sofa that counts, it’s the pleasure of relaxing together after a long day. Furniture is a means to an end.”

Staging helps your potential buyer visualize. Instead of a warehouse of furniture, they see individual items and how they would fit into their lives. Just as a staged home lets a buyer visualize not just how their furniture would fill the space, but how their lives and dreams would flourish in their new home.