Development of sales culture for IKEA

LAB Learning™ is an effective method for developing a sales culture. Through testing various promotional behaviours, and engaging in continuous measurement and reflection, both management and employees can find out for themselves what actually works.

Popularity is paradoxically a challenge for IKEA. Their customer base is so large that many customers may find a visit to the store stressful. Therefore, the employees have a formidable challenge in ensuring everyone has a positive experience.

IKEA LAB was tailored to IKEA’s unique situation. We turned the store into a large social experiment and let the employees take on the role of researchers. This resulted in a renewed and effective sales culture that the employees own.

The measurements showed impressive results. During the pilot at IKEA Furuset, sales increased significantly compared to the other locations. With their researcher hats on and measuring instruments in hand, the staff was able to improve the customers’ experience reporting twice as quickly as the neighboring location.

Method/instrument: Mixed learning, reflection book, train the trainer, method bank, quantitative method, audience testing.