The IKEA store has announced the end date for the sale of its products. After August 15, ordering on the site will end. Yet the past month has not been easy for many shoppers.
Following IKEA’s withdrawal from Russia and its offer to keep online purchases, buying IKEA items shifted from a routine errand for residents of large cities to a test of patience. People queued online for long periods, fought with carts that crashed, and faced repeated stockouts at pickup points while the site glitched or items ran out.
Emotions ran high as well.
“When sales started at IKEA, work in my department stopped,” recalls Lyudmila, an accountant from Moscow. “Everyone crowded around the site and cheered when it loaded. A colleague turned into an IKEA superfan, filling her cart with everything from vegetable peelers to cutting boards to scented candles. “I’ll get you a vegetable peeler in the online store,” I told him. “No, you won’t!” she replied.
Fans of the Swedish brand even admit a sense of frenzy now and then.
“When IKEA announced it was leaving, it felt like a favorite toy was taken away. I stayed up the night of July 5 to watch for online sales. I kept at it for about a week before ordering anything. Then, as if in a daze, I ordered almost everything in sight until my salary took a hit. I stocked up on bed linens, towels, plates. I was upset when a pillow ran out. Now I have two sharks,” explains Tatyana from Moscow.
How IKEA captivated Russians
Why does IKEA hold such sway in Russia? Ekaterina Khvorostova, Marketing Director at Mr.Doors, says it comes down to a combination of lifestyle and affordability. The Swedish company was among the first to offer more than individual goods—it’s a complete home-living philosophy that resonated with many shoppers.
“We saw beautiful catalogs with ready-made solutions. People could not easily find missing pieces of furniture and decor elsewhere,” she notes. IKEA’s success also aligned with Russia’s early-2000s economic upswing, when many could invest in a richer home life and explore global living trends.
Another factor is IKEA’s family focus. A store visit became a weekend activity with something for everyone—shopping, coffee, and even meatballs. Natalya Shcherbakova of ANCOR emphasizes that IKEA’s marketing investments created strong brand loyalty, inviting people to explore fully at the store, measure items, take them home, and assemble them themselves. The brand emphasized ready-made designs that customers could envision in their spaces, making the shopping experience tactile and inviting.
Distance from the city center and thoughtful marketplace design also supported the marketing aim of turning casual trips into pleasant experiences, including cafes with signature menus and meatballs. The loyalty system evolved over the years and adapted to local markets, yet the core values remained: easy returns, high-profile sales, and a sense of belonging and reliability.
According to Yulia Lapshina of the PR agency Talk Agency, beyond the basics, ongoing brand-audience communication amplified the public’s response. “Systematic marketing and PR messages spread across popular channels, from regular social posts to large-format campaigns. The communications preserved care, comfort, reliability, simplicity, and trust that IKEA would be there to help,” she explains.
Experts note that IKEA’s exit from the Russian market felt dramatic and left room for new players to step in, though gaining trust and loyalty will need time.
What psychologists observe
Psychologist Oksana Kozyreva explains that the excitement around IKEA’s departure stems from multiple influences. The final reaction is not just an information wave—people discuss, worry, and debate online. The departure invites questions about personal need for control and meaning, and whether this change signals a loss.
Instincts also play a role: knowing the familiar option may vanish creates a sense of urgency to act now. When a brand is present but distant, its products can become more valuable in the mind. Owning something from IKEA can appear as a signal of resilience and stability in uncertain times.
Another psychologist, Lana Volokhova, notes that the online rush around IKEA triggers a sense of missing out. The search to acquire a mattress, a mirror, or a unique piece becomes a small game of chance that some engage in for adrenaline and a sense of control amid stress.
Kozyreva adds that for many fans, leaving a beloved brand feels like parting with a familiar life rhythm. Loyalty often acts as a buffer, providing a source of comfort and routine in the face of change. For some, the need to stabilize and reclaim a sense of home drives the attachment to IKEA products.
Volokhova also highlights that long queues online reflect deeper memories of scarcity, especially for those who recall past shortages. The fear of losing a reliable source can become a powerful emotional driver, creating a mix of nostalgia and urgency to replace what’s familiar.
There is another angle: the IKEA craze can resemble a form of entertainment or a game of chance. People share stories of snagging a mattress or a shark in the online panic and envy those who get lucky. The phenomenon can be seen as channeling anxiety into playful exploration or a high-stakes hunt.
Kozyreva urges shoppers to consider what needs they are fulfilling. Are emotions tied to escape, quick pleasure, or the comfort of steadiness? Understanding this helps explain why the brand remains so deeply embedded in daily life.
Will designers move on?
Architect Yevgeny Koblov notes that designers often viewed IKEA with skepticism, yet the brand reshaped mass-market furniture by introducing universal shapes and practical design. It did not reinvent the wheel, but it popularized accessible, well-packaged home solutions that reached a wide audience.
While IKEA’s furniture sometimes limited more experimental design, it offered reliable, affordable options that many could afford in installments, a point highlighted by designer Victoria Pashinskaya of PV Design Studio. She observes that IKEA’s price range sits in the middle of the market, and quality remains solid. Many Russians owned items from IKEA, reflecting its accessibility and convenience for individuals and businesses alike.
Still, designers note that high-end projects rarely hinge on IKEA products. The departure is unlikely to derail most professionals, and many anticipate new brands filling the space, perhaps with a stronger local focus. The shared sentiment remains: a well-loved brand may leave, but space for fresh ideas persists, and the design community keeps adapting with or without IKEA in the market.