IKEA effect: definition, examples and how to use it in marketing

The IKEA effect, also known as "the power of DIY", rests on a human quirk: what we have built ourselves is worth more to us. Our own effort creates a relationship with the product that goes beyond the material. For your marketing, this means that customers who take part become more attached. This article is part of our series 10 psychological effects in marketing.

What is the IKEA effect?

The IKEA effect describes how people value things they have personally invested time and effort in far more highly than equivalent finished things. It was studied by the researchers Michael Norton, Daniel Mochon and Dan Ariely, whose paper was published in 2012 under the title "The IKEA effect: When labor leads to love". Participants who had assembled something themselves were willing to pay more for it than for the same item ready-made.

One condition matters here: the effect occurs when the work succeeds. Anyone who fails does not value their half-finished work more highly.

The IKEA example

Who could embody the effect better than the Swedish furniture retailer? Buy it, take it home, build it yourself: IKEA has created a whole culture around doing it yourself. The shelf you screwed together yourself is not just any shelf, it is yours.

The IKEA effect in marketing

Beyond flat packs and Allen keys, the principle works the same way: let your customers get hands-on.

1. Co-creation: Involve customers in development through surveys, votes or questionnaires. Anyone who helped decide wants the result too.
2. Configurators and quizzes: A quiz that finds the right solution, or a configurator that puts together a personal set. The result feels like your own choice.
3. Personalisation: A T-shirt with your own design, a skincare set for your own skin type. A standard product becomes something personal.
4. Virtual try-on: Trying on, placing and testing in the browser or in the app. The person is already working with the product before they own it.

How we use the IKEA effect in ads

At ad.boutique, we translate the IKEA effect into creatives and funnels:

• Show the moment of taking part: Screen recordings of the configurator, hands putting a set together, people unpacking their personalised product. Viewers want to try it themselves.
• A quiz as the entry point: Instead of going straight to the product, the ad leads to a short series of questions. At the end comes a recommendation that feels like your own choice. How this works together in the shop is explained in online shop marketing strategy.
• Keep the task small: Few steps, a clear choice, an immediately visible result. Long forms destroy the effect.

Limits

Taking part costs customers time. If the effort is too high or the result unclear, they drop off. The IKEA effect is a reason to involve customers, not an excuse for complicated processes.