English name: IKEA

Number of employees:104,000 (2006)

Promotion slogan: Life begins at home.

Introduction to IKEA, the most important local company in the world [2] IKEA was established in Sweden on 1943. "Creating a better daily life for most people" is the direction that IKEA has been striving for since its establishment. The IKEA brand has always been committed to improving people's quality of life, and adheres to the business purpose of "providing as many customers as possible with household items with reasonable prices, excellent design, complete functions and low prices".

While providing all kinds of beautiful and practical household items that ordinary people can afford, IKEA strives to build a business model centered on customers and social interests, and is committed to environmental protection and social responsibility. Today, IKEA Sweden has become the largest furniture and household goods merchant in the world, and its sales mainly include about 65,438+00,000 products such as chair/sofa series, office supplies, bedroom series, kitchen series, lighting series, textiles, cookware series, home storage series and children's products series.

At present, IKEA [1] has 240 shopping malls in 34 countries and regions around the world, including 8 in Chinese mainland, which are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Dalian and Shenyang. Ikea's purchasing mode is global, and it has established 16 purchasing trade zones around the world, including three in Chinese mainland, namely South China, Central China and North China. At present, the purchase volume of IKEA in China has accounted for 65,438+08% of the total, ranking first among IKEA purchasing countries. According to the plan, by 20 10, there will be 10 retail malls in China, and the required storage capacity will be expanded from the current 654.38+10,000 cubic meters to more than 300,000 cubic meters. China has become IKEA's largest purchasing market and one of the most important business growth spaces, and plays an important role in IKEA's global strategy.

Ikea's purchasing model

IKEA's purchasing model is global. IKEA products are purchased from the trading area, distributed to 26 distribution centers around the world, and then distributed to IKEA stores around the world. Ikea's purchasing concept and supplier evaluation mainly include four aspects: continuous price improvement; Strict supply performance/service level; Good quality and healthy products; Environmental protection and social responsibility (hereinafter referred to as Iway- Ike Away purchasing household products IKEA's requirements for purchasing household products are IKEA's policies on environmental protection, working conditions, child labor and forest resources for suppliers).

IKEA has set up 46 trade representative offices in the 16 procurement trade zone in 32 countries around the world. The staff of the Trade Representative Office evaluates suppliers according to IKEA's best purchasing concept, coordinates the relationship between headquarters and suppliers, implements product purchasing plans, monitors product quality, and pays attention to suppliers' environmental protection, social security system and safe working conditions. Today, IKEA has about 1300 suppliers in 53 countries around the world. On June 30th, 2008, 65438+February 30th, 2008, in the "2008 World Brand Value Laboratory Annual Award" selection activity organized by the world's authoritative brand value research institutions, IKEA won the "China's Most Competitive Brand List" award for its good brand impression and brand vitality, and won wide acclaim from consumers. [Edit this paragraph] Brand Religion of IKEA In order to emphasize the democratic idea of alliance between employees and customers, 1976, kamprad wrote The Belief of a Furniture Dealer, which became the Bible of IKEA. He reiterated this point time and again; Part of creating a better life for most people includes breaking the restrictions of status and tradition and becoming a freer person. To do this, we must be different. Even in the 1990s, when IKEA accelerated its global development, it tried to maintain its original corporate culture. Kamprad said directly: IKEA has always adhered to its important tradition, because this is not Swedish culture, but company culture. Otherwise, employees in other countries will not feel that they belong to IKEA. In addition to bringing simple, beautiful and reasonably priced products to the global market, IKEA also spreads the Nordic spirit of equality and freedom to all places. For young people, IKEA is more lethal than the practicality of products. No one can ignore such a general trend: everyone is eager to be the protagonist and dominator.

Brand religion

In terms of brand strategy, IKEA is also doing the opposite. In September 2005, in the list of the best brands in the world jointly published by Businessweek and Interbrand, IKEA ranked 42nd, with a brand value of $7,865,438+$700 million. Prior to this, IKEA has been ranked among the top 50 best brands in the world for three consecutive years. Incredibly, IKEA rarely invests in advertising.

In fact, the real core of IKEA brand is to make customers become brand communicators, not rigid advertisements. Just like a British media comment on IKEA: it is not just a shop, it is a religion; Not selling furniture, but building dreams for you. Ikea knows the way of word-of-mouth communication, which seems primitive and clumsy, but it is efficient and perfect. Ikea is the church of this brand religion. The 223 IKEA stores all over the world are churches that walk everywhere. IKEA employees are the clergy of this brand religion. After systematic training and value edification, they convey a set of life attitude and value style to the parishioners, who enter IKEA for more than 300 million customers every year.

In order to make more customers become brand communicators of IKEA, an important strategy of IKEA is to sell dreams instead of products. In order to do this, IKEA not only provides extensive, beautifully designed, practical and low-priced products, but also combines products with public welfare undertakings. About 10 years ago, IKEA Group began to participate in environmental protection issues in a planned way, involving materials and products, forests, suppliers, transportation, shopping mall environment and so on. Now, IKEA is the first to pass forest certification, which is a popular international eco-environmental certification, including forest management certification and chain of custody audit of production and marketing. Ikea even said that it would not ignore social phenomena such as child labor, racial discrimination and the use of illegal wood from primitive natural forests.

For a long time, the main force that IKEA relies on to spread its brand is the IKEA Catalogue. Many people compare it to printing more books than bibles. In fact, its communication effect is comparable to that of the Bible. This booklet, which was born in 195 1, has obvious mail order characteristics. However, kamprad gradually turned it into a sermon manual for a new life. These catalogues not only list the photos and prices of the products, but also fully display the features of IKEA products from the aspects of functionality and aesthetics through the careful design of designers, from which customers can find inspiration and practical solutions for home layout. At the beginning of September every year, at the beginning of the new fiscal year, IKEA will distribute beautifully made catalogues to consumers free of charge. In 2005, IKEA Catalogue * * was published in 25 languages, with1600,000 copies, totaling 52 versions.

Ikea also has a unique strategy, adopting the brand of integrated brand model, that is, having brand, design and sales channels. In terms of product brands, IKEA divides the company's more than 20,000 products into three series: IKEA office, home storage and children's IKEA. With the strong support of IKEA brand, more than 20,000 products have established their own brands. From Sandomon sofa to EXPEDIT bookcase; From FAKTUM cabinet to MOMENT dining table; Champagne glasses as small as a dollar, JULEN. low price

Low price is the cornerstone of IKEA's ideals, business ideas and concepts. The basic idea behind all IKEA products is that everyone can buy all kinds of beautiful and practical household items at low prices. We constantly strive to make everything better, simpler, more efficient and always more cost-effective.

Swedish tradition

Swedish design method is also the basis of IKEA product range. So far, the IKEA product range has been developed in Sweden. Through the choice of colors and materials, although the IKEA product line is not the most popular, it is modern, practical and still beautiful. It is a people-oriented product suitable for children and represents a fresh and healthy Swedish lifestyle. These methods are closely related to the origin of IKEA in Smolan, southern Sweden, where people are famous for their diligence, frugality and full use of limited resources.

IKEA is developing steadily and rapidly. In 60 years, it has grown to 65,438+080 chain stores in 43 countries, with more than 70,000 employees. In fiscal year 2003, IKEA achieved sales revenue of 1 1 billion euros, and its net profit exceeded1/billion euros, making it the largest household goods retailer in the world.

Ikea's marketing strategy is a highlight of its management, and there are many places worth learning. Through the study of its marketing strategy, many aspects of its management can be connected in series.

1. IKEA's product strategy.

1, accurate product market positioning

IKEA's business philosophy is "to provide all kinds of beautiful and practical household items that ordinary people can afford".

From the beginning, IKEA decided to be on the side of "most" consumers of household products. This means that IKEA must meet the needs of people with different needs, tastes, dreams, pursuits and financial resources, and hope to improve their home conditions and create a better daily life. In view of this market positioning, IKEA products are positioned as "low price, exquisite and durable" household products.

In developed countries such as Europe and America, IKEA has positioned itself as a supplier of mass home products. Because of its cheap price, new style and good service, it is welcomed by the majority of low-income families.

However, after arriving in China, the market positioning has been adjusted to a certain extent, because: although the market in China is extensive, the general consumption level is low, the competition of the original low-priced furniture manufacturers is close to saturation, and there are few foreign high-priced furniture in the market. So IKEA turned its attention to the relatively wealthy class in big cities. IKEA's market positioning in China is "white-collar workers who want to buy high-end goods but can't afford high prices". This positioning is very clever and accurate, and has achieved good results for the following reasons:

As a global brand, IKEA has satisfied the psychology of white-collar workers in China.

Every corner of IKEA stores and business philosophy is full of exotic cultures;

Ikea furniture is characterized by customers' self-assembly, free large-scale publicity publications and free purchase.

These have attracted the attention of many intellectuals and white-collar workers, and the excellent product quality has also attracted more new customers and stabilized regular customers.

IKEA's product positioning and brand promotion are so successful in China that many white-collar workers in China regard "eating McDonald's, drinking Starbucks coffee and using IKEA furniture" as a fashion.

From 65438 to 0997, IKEA began to highlight children's demand for household items, because children also have great demand for household items, and the competition in this field is not fierce. In order to design products that are more suitable for children's needs, IKEA cooperates with two teams of experts to develop products. Child psychologists and children's game professors help IKEA design and develop products aimed at cultivating children's sports ability and creativity. At the same time, IKEA uses children to help it choose the winning products.

There are children's play areas in the IKEA exhibition hall, children's model rooms and children's food in the restaurant, which are loved by children and make them more willing to visit IKEA.

2. The product has a unique style and is beneficial to sales.

The products sold by IKEA are all designed by IKEA independently, and the product styles are different. IKEA emphasizes the unique style of "simplicity, naturalness, freshness and excellent design".

IKEA originated from Sweden (a forest country) in northern Europe, and its "simple, fresh and natural" product style also inherited the Nordic style. Both nature and home occupy an important position in people's lives. In fact, Swedish home style perfectly reproduces nature: full of sunshine and fresh breath, but not artificial.

The style of IKEA home products is the condensation of Swedish home design culture, which has a long history: 19 At the end of the year, artists Carl and Karin Larsen combined the classical style with Swedish folk customs, and they created a model of Swedish home design, which has been passed down to this day; In 1950s, with the development of modernism and pragmatism in Sweden. Today, what we see in IKEA products is: modern but not fashionable, very practical and novel, focusing on people-oriented, reflecting the ancient tradition of Swedish home in many ways.

Walk into the IKEA store and taste it carefully. Ikea's home products can be displayed from single items or from the whole home; From Robin's bed, bisk's desk to Bonger's cup, everything is simple, natural, primitive, well-designed, beautiful and practical. Compared with other manufacturers' household products, IKEA gives people the impression that it is a collection of the above advantages, and the above advantages are IKEA! This style of IKEA can really touch the hearts of most consumers and arouse people's desire to buy.

This style of IKEA runs through the whole process of product design, production, display and sales. In order to carry out this style and hope that its own brand and patented products can eventually cover the whole world, IKEA has always insisted on designing all its own products and owning its own patents. Every year, more than 65,438+000 designers work around the clock to ensure "all products and all patents".

In addition, IKEA's simple and natural product style also helps to form another advantage of IKEA, that is, low price, which we analyze in IKEA's price strategy.

3. The product design is exquisite and durable.

IKEA has always emphasized exquisite design, practicality and durability.

Of course, it is not difficult to simply design beautifully, but it is very difficult to achieve exquisiteness, practicality and high quality at the same time on the basis of low price.

IKEA has a large number of excellent designers to ensure the design of IKEA home products. They are not only experienced, but also able to work closely with experienced manufacturers to find ways to make full use of raw materials; At the same time, they are also familiar with how to produce low-cost furniture, while still maintaining the original design creativity.

The design of IKEA is novel and practical. For example, IKEA's "four seasons quilt" is a combination of three quilts, one is a warm and comfortable summer quilt, and the other is a moderately warm spring and autumn quilt. You can also put the two layers together, which is a quilt that keeps warm in winter. This design of IKEA is really original: before I saw this design of IKEA, who would have thought that it could be designed with quilts?

Another example is the MTP bookcase. This bookcase was designed by Marian Grabinski, consultant and designer of IKEA 1963. This kind of bookcase is modern and classic, beautiful and practical, which has brought huge profits to IKEA. It is a model of IKEA design and has attracted many manufacturers to imitate it for many years.

The durability of IKEA household products is also a major feature: for example, sofas can be squeezed by pressure for hundreds of thousands of times, and the doors of cabinets can be opened and closed for decades.

Of course, it takes a lot of efforts to make products exquisite and durable, from product design to material selection to technological process, but IKEA has done it.

4, a wide range of products

IKEA has a wide range of products, and IKEA * * * has more than 10000 products for customers to choose from. Basically, customers of any taste can buy the household products they need at IKEA.

The "wide range" of IKEA product range has the following meanings:

The first is a wide range of functions. Customers don't have to come back to different specialty stores to buy household items. At IKEA, you can find everything from living room furniture, toys, frying pans to tableware. From office furniture to green plants, in a word-all practical household items can be found at IKEA, and customers don't have to go from store to store.

Secondly, the range of styles is wide. People with different tastes can find what they like here. But IKEA's products are not all-inclusive, and IKEA has no products that are too extreme or exaggerated. IKEA provides the products needed to create a comfortable home environment.

In addition, through proper coordination, multiple functions and styles can be realized at the same time. No matter which style customers like, there will be an armchair with a bookcase, a bookcase with a new folding table and a new folding table with an armchair. So IKEA's "wide range" has multiple meanings.

Second, the low price strategy (price)

IKEA's business philosophy is "to provide all kinds of beautiful and practical household items that ordinary people can afford". This determines that IKEA should keep the price low on the basis of pursuing beautiful and practical products. In fact, IKEA has done the same: IKEA has always emphasized the low price strategy.

Third, the unique style of "store display" channel strategy (place)

1, self-built store control channel

2. Successfully make IKEA store a symbol of lifestyle.

Fourth, Promotion strategy (promotion)

Marketing strategy of catalogue display

Catalogue display is an important part of IKEA's promotion strategy, which greatly promotes IKEA's product sales. 195 1 year, IKEA released the first catalogue. Since then, every year at the beginning of September and the beginning of the new fiscal year, IKEA has to distribute beautifully made catalogues to consumers free of charge.

At present, IKEA has seven shopping malls in Chinese mainland: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shenzhen and Dalian. The new store in Dalian opened on February 19. [Edit this paragraph] IKEA in China IKEA has seven branches in Chinese mainland, which are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Nanjing and Dalian. On July 27th, 2009, with the signing of the contract between IKEA and Yinzhou District Government of Ningbo, the eighth branch of IKEA will open in Ningbo. The initial investment of the project is estimated to be 90 million US dollars, the first phase of land acquisition is about 80 mu, and the construction area is100000 square meters. The foundation laying ceremony will be held at the end of the year.

What is the secret of IKEA? Many people believe that the success of IKEA lies in its creation of a special shopping experience, such as store layout, no sales staff, Swedish food and furniture assembled by customers themselves. But these are only superficial phenomena, and a crucial factor is that it sells good and cheap goods. This is its weapon to conquer the market. Compared with competitors, the furniture prices sold by IKEA are 30% to 50% lower on average. At the same time, continue to reduce prices. On the contrary, the prices of many furniture retail companies tend to rise over time.

IKEA's slogan is: "Valuable low price." Its goal is not to make the price of the product too high, but not to make customers feel that its goods are cheap. To do this, reducing costs has become the only way. In fact, cost reduction runs through the whole process of IKEA products, from product conception, design, production to transportation and marketing, Ingvar always thinks about the word cost.

To this end, he once said: "Waste of resources is a fatal mistake of IKEA. A target plan without cost accounting is never acceptable. "

To this end, Ingvar is constantly saving and constantly taking new measures to reduce costs.