IKEA, Sweden’s Jewel

IKEA’s demonstration rooms are bright, stylish and colorful. They show off the furniture, and are filled with knickknacks, picture frames and inventive lighting—all of it designed to give the shopper a feeling of home and comfort.

From here, you enter the furniture showrooms where all of the pieces are individually displayed in various sizes and colors. Throughout the store are desks where customers can make notes on their free notepads using their free pencils after measuring furniture with their free tape measures.

Once you’ve made your selections, you’re directed to the precise aisle and section of the warehouse where you can pick up your purchases. Of course, anything can be delivered, but with IKEA’s extraordinary design of flat-packed and stackable furniture and fixtures, you can drive it all home and get instant gratification.

The Catalogs

IKEA’s main catalog is an 8˝ x 9-3/4˝, full-color, 340-page book. Its main purpose is to drive traffic to the retail store, but at the same time it contains a rudimentary but serviceable order form with an invitation to phone or fax an order toll free. “Please include your phone number,” it requests. “A representative will call back to confirm your total price including tax and shipping.”

The catalog is produced by IKEA’s Älmhult, Sweden, internal agency in 42 editions in 24 languages. These are distributed in 32 countries to 110 million consumers. For the 2003 catalog, the agency will create four main versions globally—for Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific markets (including Australia) and a fourth version for “external franchisees” such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Greece, the Spanish Islands and Iceland.

Creative is done in Älmhult; film is completed in Sweden and Denmark; and catalogs are printed at a number of locations. The North American edition is printed in Kentucky by Quebecor World.