IKEA's channel strategy is absolutely direct selling. In order to ensure the maintenance of product prices, sales records, patent rights and the control of the whole sales system, IKEA has always refused to wholesale its products, and has not provided any "for-profit" services to bulk group customers, fully protecting the brand image of IKEA products and the stability of the price system.
Reverse control strategy of production enterprises. For the vast majority of retailers, the manufacturer brand is the mainstream, and the middleman brand can only be a useful supplement. So is Wal-Mart, the largest enterprise in the world, with only a few own brands. This actually means that only the channels of the furniture industry are controlled, but the rights and interests of brands cannot be controlled.
However, IKEA is not satisfied with just controlling the channels of household products, but hopes that its own brand and its patented products will eventually cover the whole world. Based on this concept, IKEA has always insisted on designing all its products and owning their patents. Every year, many designers work for IKEA to ensure "all products and all patents".
Sales advantages of IKEA:
1. By optimizing the whole value chain, establishing long-term cooperative relations with suppliers, and investing in high automation and mass production, IKEA can control costs and provide various beautiful and practical products that the general public can afford.
2. IKEA products are clearly priced, and shopping routes are planned in an orderly manner. Customers can not only visit each area according to the given route, but also choose shortcuts to reach specific destinations. There will be no shopping guide's promotion in the whole process, which will have the least interference to customers' purchasing process, avoid irrational consumption caused by situational factors, create a satisfactory experience and enhance customers' stickiness.