IKEA Operations Strategy

1. How is the IKEA operations design different from that of most furniture retail operations?

IKEA's mission is to offer a wide range of home furnishing items of good design and function, excellent quality and durability, at prices so low that the majority of people can afford to buy them (IKEA 1994). Founder Ingvar Kamprad's innovative strategy was to design functional furniture that was easy and inexpensive to build, receive it disassembled at stores, and display it on the showroom floor with detailed explanation tickets, making sales person assistance unnecessary.

IKEA customers typically spend more time in the store - as compared to the time they usually spend in rival furniture retailers. IKEA distinguishes itself from the rest of the competitors with the way it organizes its stores. Shopping in IKEA is an experience. IKEA stores double as warehouses. They are built for browsing - the furniture was laid out and showcased in the stores as it would be in a home setting. Shoppe...