Basic information was founded in 1943

English name: IKEA

Number of employees: 114,111 (2116)

Promotion slogan: Life, starting from home

Introduction to IKEA, the most important local company in the world [2] was founded in Sweden in 1943. The IKEA brand has always been linked with improving people's quality of life and adhering to the business purpose of "providing as many customers as possible with affordable, well-designed, fully functional and low-priced household items".

while providing a wide range of beautiful and practical household items that ordinary people can afford, IKEA strives to create a business mode centered on customer and social interests, and is committed to environmental protection and social responsibility. Today, IKEA Sweden has become the world's largest furniture and household goods merchant, and its sales mainly include about 11,111 products such as chair/sofa series, office supplies, bedroom series, kitchen series, lighting series, textiles, cookware series, house storage series and children's products series.

At present, IKEA [1] has 241 shopping malls in 34 countries and regions around the world, including 8 in Chinese mainland, in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Dalian and Shenyang. Ikea's purchasing mode is global, and it has set up 16 purchasing trade areas 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 18% of the total, ranking first among IKEA purchasing countries. According to the plan, by the year 2111, there will be 11 retail stores in China, and the required storage capacity will be expanded from the current million cubic meters to more than 311,111 cubic meters. China has become IKEA's largest purchasing market and one of the most important spaces for business growth, and plays an important role in IKEA's global strategy.

IKEA's purchasing mode

IKEA's purchasing mode is global. IKEA's products are purchased from Trading Area, delivered to 26 distribution centers around the world and then delivered to IKEA's shopping malls 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-the Ike Away of Purchasing Home Furnishing Products-IKEA's requirements for purchasing household products, which is IKEA's policy on environmental protection, working conditions, child labor and forest resources for suppliers).

IKEA has set up 46 trade representative offices in 32 countries in 16 procurement trade zones around the world. The staff of the Trade Representative Office evaluates suppliers according to IKEA's best purchasing concept, coordinates 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 1,311 suppliers in 53 countries around the world. On February 31th, 2118, in the "2118 World Brand Value Lab Annual Award" selection activity organized by the world authoritative brand value research institute, IKEA won the "China Most Competitive Brand List" award with its good brand impression and brand vitality, and won widespread praise from consumers. [Edit this paragraph] Brand Religion of IKEA In order to emphasize the democratic concept of alliance with customers for employees, in 1976, kamprad wrote "The Belief of a Furniture Dealer", which became the Bible of IKEA. He reiterated it again and again; Part of creating a better life for most people involves breaking the limitations of status and tradition and becoming a freer person. To do this, we have to be different. Even in the 1991s, when IKEA stepped up 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, compared with the practicality of products, IKEA is more lethal, and 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 2115, on the list of the best brands in the world jointly launched by Businessweek and Interbrand, IKEA ranked 42nd, with a brand value of 7.817 billion US dollars. Before that, IKEA had been ranked among the top 51 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 store, it is a religion; It's not selling furniture, it's building a dream for you. Ikea is well versed in word-of-mouth communication, and it seems primitive and clumsy, but in fact it is efficient and perfect. IKEA is the church of this brand religion. The 223 IKEA shopping malls around the world are churches that walk everywhere. The employees of IKEA 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 311 million customers every year.

In order to make more customers become brand evangelists 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 marries products with public welfare undertakings. About 11 years ago, IKEA Group began to participate in environmental protection 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 virgin 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 the Bible. In fact, its communication effect is comparable to the Bible. This booklet, which was born in 1951, has obvious mail order characteristics. However, kamprad gradually transformed it into a sermon manual for a new life. These catalogues not only list the photos and prices of products, but also comprehensively show the characteristics of IKEA products from the aspects of functionality and aesthetics through careful design by designers, from which customers can find inspiration and practical solutions for home layout. At the beginning of September every year, at the beginning of its new fiscal year, IKEA will distribute beautifully made catalogues to consumers free of charge. In 2115, IKEA Catalogue * * * issued 61 million copies in 25 languages and 52 versions.

IKEA also has a unique strategy, which is to adopt an integrated brand model, that is, to own brands, design and sales channels. In terms of product brands, IKEA divides the company's more than 21,111 products into three series: IKEA office, family storage and children's IKEA. With the strong support of IKEA brand, more than 21,111 products have established their own brands. From SANDOMON sofa to EXPEDIT bookcase; From FAKTUM cabinets to MOMENT dining tables; As small as a one-dollar champagne glass 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 low prices will make all kinds of beautiful and practical household items available to everyone. 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. Up to now, the IKEA product range has been developed in Sweden. Through the choice of colors and materials, although the IKEA product series is not the most popular, it is modern, practical and still beautiful. It is a people-oriented and child-friendly product, representing 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 making the best use of their limited resources.

IKEA has developed steadily and rapidly. In 61 years, it has grown to 181 chain stores in 43 countries around the world, employing more than 71,111 employees. In fiscal year 2113, IKEA achieved sales revenue of 11 billion euros and net profit of over 1 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 a wide range of beautiful and practical household items that ordinary people can afford".

from its early days, IKEA decided to stand with the "majority" of household goods consumers. This means that IKEA has to meet the needs of people who have many different needs, tastes, dreams, pursuits and financial resources, and at the same time want 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 household product provider for the public. Because of its cheap price, new style and good service, it is welcomed by the majority of low-and middle-income families.

However, after arriving in China, the market positioning has been adjusted to some 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 few foreign high-priced furniture in the market are interested. 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 p>IKEA stores and business philosophy are full of foreign cultures;

IKEA furniture is characterized by customers' self-assembly, giving away large promotional publications for free, and free purchase.

These have attracted the attention of many intellectuals and white-collar workers. Coupled with the excellent product quality, IKEA has stabilized its regular repeat customers while attracting more new 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.

in p>1997, IKEA began to focus on 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 has cooperated with two teams of experts to develop products. Child psychologists and professors of children's games help IKEA design and develop products aimed at cultivating children's sports ability and creativity. At the same time, IKEA uses children to help itself to select the winning products.

In the IKEA showroom, there are children's play areas, children's model rooms and children's food in the dining room, all of which are loved by children and make them more willing to visit IKEA.

2, the product style is unique, which is beneficial to sales

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

IKEA originated from Nordic Sweden (a forest country), and its product style of "simplicity, freshness and naturalness" also inherits 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 also unpretentious.

the style of IKEA household products is the condensation of the cultural history of Swedish home design, which has a long history: at the end of 19, artists Carl and Karin Larsson combined classical style with Swedish folk style, and they created a model of Swedish home design, which has been passed down to this day; In 1951s, with the development of modernism and pragmatism in Sweden. Today, what we see in IKEA products are: 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 savor carefully. IKEA's home products are displayed from single products or from the whole home; From Robin's bed, bisk's table to Bonger's cup, everything is simple, natural, original, well-designed and beautiful and practical. Compared with other manufacturers' household products, IKEA gives people the impression that IKEA is a collection of the above advantages, and the above advantages are IKEA! And 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 finally cover the whole world, IKEA has always insisted on designing all its products by itself and owning its patents. Every year, more than 111 designers work around the clock to ensure "all products and all patents".

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

3. Exquisite design and durability

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 exquisite, practical 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 household 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.

IKEA designs are original 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, that is, a warm winter quilt. This design of IKEA is really original: before seeing this design of IKEA, who would have thought that it could be designed with quilts?

another example is the MTP bookcase.