How IKEA Showrooms Can Help You Sell Real Estate

What’s the reason that IKEA, the furniture big box store, sells over $30 billion worth of products annually? Price is certainly part of the equation, but there are lots of lower cost furniture stores. That maze they trap you in for hours at a time? Yep, that’s part of it. But IKEA’s biggest differentiator?

The rooms.

IKEA’s warehouses on average contain almost 50 room set ups – interiors where they don’t just place the furniture but create an entire room, from flooring to lighting to décor. When a prospective buyer steps into each room re-creation, they are enveloped in a new world, one that is fully immersive and allows them to see – or not see (let’s face it, not every room style is to every buyer’s taste) – themselves living in this designer space. Buyers make an emotional connection to the room and accordingly the IKEA products in it.

 


 
The same goes for real estate. Sure, curb appeal is a big part of selling a home. And an attractive exterior is vital for commercial real estate projects. But people don’t live on the outside looking in.

People live indoors.

Ultimately it is the interior where families congregate, or office staff work or retail customers shop. All other factors are important but interiors sell.

That’s why 3D rendered interior images work. Rather than actually staging a space in one style, 3D digital images allow you to show off in photo-realistic high definition a range of design styles or configurations for a given space.

 


 
A classic and very successful technique is to stage a home or space to show clients how they might utilize it. But staging can be expensive if you need to market to property over a longer period of time. 3D renders allow you to stage the space virtually, with no furniture rental costs, and even supply multiple variations of each room. CRE professional are particularly excited by this, because it enables them to showcase a multipurpose space for a variety of commercial, retail, food service or corporate applications, depending on a client’s needs, without having to re-stage for each case.

Many real estate developers are also including their interior images in software and apps that enable clients to explore different interior options. Like the customers who explore different rooms in IKEA, these clients have the opportunity to investigate different options until they find one that feels right for them, but still staying within the framework of the property you are offering.

 


 
Instead of leaving the canvas blank, 3D images that show the interior don’t just leaving the client’s thought process to chance. Rather, like IKEA showrooms, they drive the thoughts process, helping clients see themselves in your space. The added benefit for you, is just like IKEA’s rooms or even developer show homes, 3D rendered images can also drive upgrades and options by showcasing them in your various spaces, driving not only sales but more profitable sales for both developer and client.