IKEA Marketing Strategies: Crafting Success from Flat Packs to Global Fame

Are you trying to build your dream home? ?

There are multiple essentials and one dream that it takes for someone to build their dream home. The destination to be if you want to build your dream home would be, drumroll … ?

IKEA! ?

IKEA serves the functional needs of young adults and home builders who are looking for easy-to-assemble quality furniture and essentials with an exceptional in-store experience. ✔️

IKEA’s marketing strategies include some of the most solid and actionable marketing strategies that serve and serves preferential furniture needs and great value ⭐

Do you want to know how they became the committed number one place for home furnishing solutions?

A combination of great marketing and brand positioning with historical campaigns. 

Let’s take a close look at the brand’s original and authentic marketing report card. ?

But first, some brand history ?

IKEA’s History in Short

IKEA, which was founded in 1943, operates in more than 50 markets and has more than 400 stores! A large part of their customer base – about 70% is based in Europe. ?

They are a Swedish multinational multi-industry company based out of the Netherlands. They have been the world’s largest retailer of furniture since 2008. 

Ingvar Kamprad started the brand, and the name IKEA is derived from an acronym that makes the founders’ initials – IKEA. 

Primarily, they deal in ready-to-assemble furniture, home decor, accessories, and other home services. 

QUICK TRIVIA ?: IKEA is responsible for approximately 1% of the world’s commercial product wood consumption. ?

Marketing strategies of IKEA ➕

About 2.1 billion people visited the IKEA website in 2015-206. Can you imagine how much this number has gone up? ?

The 17-year-old founder who founded IKEA as a mail-order sales business became the largest furniture seller in the world. ?

IKEA has some of the most iconic logos, campaigns, and companies in the most recent history. But how did they reach this stupendous growth? ?

Let’s take a look at the marketing strategies they employed. ?️

Creative and consistent brand ?

IKEA has maintained a consistent brand theme that is true to who they are and maintains their creativity. Their brand colors keep up with Sweden’s national colors, and they own rich meatballs that are present in all IKEA store cafeterias. 

This gives IKEA a brand identity beyond just its furniture and thus is a primary pillar of its marketing strategy. 

Affordability and sustainable ethos ?

Customization and the ability to have a choice when it comes to mixing and matching is a great marketing strategy. 

Effectively combining a great engagement and customer success strategy mixed with marketing ensured the long-term success of the brand. 

Reusability options of shopping bags and great furniture options with a great guarantee that are built for life are some sustainability commitments that reflect great marketing foundations.

 

Sponsorships ?

IKEA is known to sponsor digital partnerships with brands and influencers. Content marketing is a great way through which IKEA boosts its marketing strategy. They include social media and digital campaigns that bring in commitment to media demographics. 

They have tailored series campaigns like Easy To Assemble, which talk about furniture product demos in the digital space. Influencer collaborations reeled in organic audiences who largely reeled in excellent customers. 

In-store experience ?️

IKEA has a great personal touch attached to their experience stores where the lighting matches a great ambiance that feeds into how the customers experience the store. 

The store also provides an exceptional customer experience where any questions are answered. A great store experience and customer service encourage prospective customers into loyal and sticky consumers. 

Website Marketing ?

IKEA operates its sales largely on the website and an optimal mobile application. They have a great user experience and user interface, as well as optimal efficiency and speed on digital platforms. 

One of the best options available on these platforms includes a 3d modeling envisioner. Here IKEA is allowed to upsell its items to those who want to revamp and design their dream home.

IKEA’s SEO strategy ?

Search Engine Optimisation is one of the most result-driven marketing strategies that is textbook. 

Since they are primarily on the website, organic visibility of the website helps drive relevant searches to their website. Taking a look at their product catalog is an important way of driving relevant organic ranking. 

This helped them move their advertisements to the top of pages on Google through specific keywords. 

Social Media Marketing ?

IKEA has a large presence on many social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. They have a great presence on these websites, clocking over 30 million likes and a great number of subscribers and 1 million followers on Instagram. 

Digital is the way to go currently, and with IKEA’s online workshops, redirection to different posts, and product hunts, IKEA has mastered its social media and content strategy. 

Here are some of IKEA’s bestseller products to support the marketing strategies in place. 

Top Products of IKEA ?

Wood Furniture

Furnishing is what brings out the beauty of any home, and that is exactly the case with Ikea as well. Their wooden furniture, which comes in colors like eggshell white and the typical brown, are must-haves at any house. 

Desks and study tables

Desks and study tables are other essential pieces that need to be at your dream home! Whether it is doing a little studying or working, get a great desk and get productive!

Lamps and room essentials

Lighting can transform the entire look and ambiance of the house, and IKEA’s lamps and room essentials do exactly this. With a choice between warm and cool lighting, you can transform the look of your space with their premium lighting choices. 

Ergonomic workspace essentials 

It isn’t just enough if you transform your work or study space with desks and lighting. Ergonomic chairs to ensure your posture is in great health and you are most productive are IKEA’s specialty. 

IKEA sofas 

If you want statement sofas that add a great modern and classy look to your living room, IKEA is where you should shop. They provide great options for sofas and couches with a diverse color and material product line. 

IKEA organizers 

This IKEA product is known for the essential and efficient organization of all the products you have and want to sort out for easy access. IKEA organizers are the choice. 

IKEA plants and pots

Nothing like some great plants and pots of potted plants you can adorn around your spaces to give them a terrestrial feeling. IKEA delivers even in this aspect, giving you a great option to shop for exactly these. 

IKEA Rugs

IKEA is also largely known for its product portfolio when it comes to rugs. From some essential pattern rugs to favorite winter picks – want to buy a great rug? IKEA is the destination. 

IKEA Master Bedroom must-haves

Some bedroom essentials are side tables, coffee tables, and organizers. If you want your room and house to look like it’s straight out of a catalog, room essentials are to be bought from IKEA. 

IKEA Bookshelves and bookcases

A great house means a great bookshelf and case. This makes your house look all settled and also may initiate some bookworm conversation! IKEA is a master when it comes to these primary bookshelves and cases as well. 

IKEA Marketing Mix 4P Analysis

Product ?️

IKEA product is the main focus of their marketing. Not only do they deal in furnishings but also other primary dealings which you must have at home. Apart from this, they have diverse offerings when it comes to sofas, desks, and plants as well to top it off. 

This makes them the preferred destination for anything home related. With the European minimalist style and aesthetics, their product is their primary marketing strategy. 

Place ?️

Place and geographical location are other important aspects of IKEA marketing. They are present in multiple locations over the globe. This allows them to have a very efficient global supply chain system and a presence in multiple countries. 

E-commerce and long-format stores are two important pillars of IKEA’s place marketing strategies. 

Price ?

IKEA is a cost leader and a major key player in the furnishing market. They offer value and self-building options at an affordable price using cost-saving measures. They have achieved economies of scale successfully. This allows them to price at a low rate while still making great profits. 

They also focus on value-based pricing. Though the products are affordable, they are of premium quality and have a refined look. This is the ideology at IKEA.

Promotion ?

IKEA’s primary source of promotion is advertising. They use traditional as well as digital channels to advertise and reel in an organic audience for their products. These ads focus on the affordability, quality, and distinct brand symbol and philosophy of IKEA. 

Cataloging and in-store promotions are also channels that IKEA uses to market itself. Special deals, discounts, walk-in events, sponsorship, and partnerships are some ways they increase their brand identity through promotional and PR campaigning. 

IKEA’s Top Campaigns

IKEA BLAVINGAD 

This campaign was to introduce a new collection inspired by the beings in the ocean and targeted the children’s audience specifically. 

With products that were easy to own and great visuals – these products engaged with the idea of marine life and positioned themselves as must-haves in the kids’ rooms. A new launch from IKEA’s side was an attempt to appeal to a new segment. 

Free cot

This particular campaign gained a lot of traction from the public. 

It was a newspaper coupon that went out in newspapers and promised a free cot to those babies conceived on Valentine’s Day. Customers got a cot if they presented proof of birth on November 14th. 

Quite an unconventional campaign, right?

Link- Ikea Valentine’s – Free cot for babies born 9 months from today | Famous Campaigns 

BookBook

The IKEA catalog is one of the most post-modern books. 

Quick fact ?: about 200 million copies translated in 25+ languages are printed of the IKEA catalog ?

In such crazy contexts, IKEA made a spoof off of an Apple ad mentioning that their catalog is always full of batteries, of the best resolution, and is in!

Measuring Tape Catalog

In an attempt to upgrade their catalogs, IKEA rolled out a measuring tape campaign, where the reader of the catalog would become the builder of furnishing solutions by the time they reached the end of the catalog!

These catalogs were tailored for the different IKEA shoppers and were a bespoke attempt to appeal to the reader and their specific choices. 

Link- IKEA | The Most Helpful Measuring Tape in the World | The One Club

Key takeaway ?

IKEA is the world’s major furnishing and home solutions provider. From Sweden to Singapore, you can find IKEA almost everywhere.

A lot of the success is attributed to their great brand image and solid marketing strategies, which we took a look at. 

Do you want to build your dream space? IKEA thinks you can kill at that with the help of their great products and organic marketing, and quality!

FAQs IKEA Marketing Strategies

Where did the name IKEA originate from?

IKEA was named after the initials of the founder, the village where he grew up, and the village nearby his, all based in Sweden

How does IKEA uniquely position itself?

Through its recognizable brand positioning, value proposition, affordable pricing, and a clear commitment to product excellence and market success, IKEA has very effectively positioned itself as a unique and great brand. 

How did IKEA sustain its growth over time?

IKEA’s product, pricing, and promotional strategies all sustain long-term growth for the brand. They are known for being actionable in multiple aspects of home furnishing and the basics of home decor. And rightly so

Reference:

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/this-is-ikea/about-us/our-heritage-pubde78e100

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/this-is-ikea/about-us/our-heritage-pubad29a981

https://thestrategystory.com/blog/ikea-marketing-mix-4ps/

https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/services/17066-ikea.html

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