challenging the status quo
Anybody can make a good-quality product for a high price, or a poor-quality product for a low price. But to make good products at low prices, you need to develop methods that are both cost-efficient and innovative.
The following are just a few examples of how 'thinking outside the box' has resulted in surprising outcomes.
read more about our low prices
read more about our responsibility
We think creatively to make innovative, affordable products.
we design the price tag first
The LAMPAN is created from the fundamental idea that it is possible to combine extreme low price, beautiful design and high quality. With low price in mind our designers began by reviewing the whole production process, for example materials used, logistics, labour and transport costs. The outcome was a new successful packing where the lampshade could be used as a bucket for the lamp foot.
we see things differently
One IKEA product developer decided to use a door as a tabletop when he toured a door factory that used board-on-frame construction - a layering of sheets of wood over a honeycomb core that gives a strong, lightweight structure with a minimal wood content. This type of construction is cost-effective and environmentally friendly and is used today in IKEA products such as the LACK table from 1980.
flat packing saves shipping cost
Our flat packs and our customers' willingness to assemble products themselves, enable us to reduce labour, shipping and storage costs. IKEA designs furniture so that it can be packed unassembled. Ultimately, this means that we are able to offer our customers products at low prices.
our responsibility
At the IKEA Group, we believe that taking responsibility for people and the environment is a prerequisite for doing good business. IKEA works actively to reduce our impact on climate change and IKEA products must be produced under acceptable working conditions at suppliers that take responsibility for the environment.