Shoe racks outside: Inside IKEA's 'Scandi-Indian' marketing strategy

IKEA India is turning a page. In a move to deepen its roots, the Swedish brand is shifting its narrative to feel more local, more relatable, and more "Indian". Through a series of recent communications, the brand has signalled a departure from purely global storytelling toward a "fresh outlook" that mirrors the cultural and societal shifts happening across the country.

Nivedeeta Moirangthem, country communication manager, and Adosh Sharma, country commercial manager, IKEA India, share insights into the brand's evolving strategy, from the nuances of space-crunched living to the 100-year roadmap for the Indian market.

The cultural pivot

For a brand born in Sweden, the challenge is maintaining its identity while fitting into an Indian home.

"IKEA is a global company, a Swedish company. But we have always maintained the fact that we would continue to understand life at home wherever we are," explains Nivedeeta Moirangthem. "Even for India, we are not going to be telling only global stories."

While 95% of the range remains the same from Sweden to the UK, it is the remaining 5% and the way products are used that define the Indian experience.

"We call it the locally relevant range. Like the roti maker, the tawa (pan), the belan (rolling pin), and the pressure cooker, which we try and develop because we use them in our Indian kitchens," says Moirangthem.

She highlights a specific cultural nuance: "I have a very famous example of how in some countries, the shoe rack is in the bedroom. But for Indians, the shoe rack is outside the home. We take off our shoes before we enter the house. But the shoe rack is a shoe rack... Where you place it in your home could be different."

The storytelling is also shifting toward a "bolder step" to reflect social shifts. "The young people, people who are hustling to get a good career, to make it in life. People with different life preferences: how do we make them more acceptable? How do we become a part of that journey as well?" she adds, defining a new target audience.

Ad spends and betting on Mumbai traffic

IKEA’s media mix is evolving to match Indian urban habits. "It’s a mix. Of course, TV is still quite important for India," Moirangthem notes. "But we also invest in online and digital a lot more today. Social, digital, traditional and electronic."

In specific markets like Mumbai, the brand relies heavily on Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising for a very practical reason: "In Mumbai, we spend a lot of time getting stuck in traffic. But in other cities as well... we’ll continue to evaluate what works for us. But it's also a lot of influencer engagement that we do nowadays."

Premiumisation versus accessibility

While many brands believe that consumers are now chasing a "premium" tag, Adosh Sharma clarifies that for IKEA, the goal is "value for money".

"I would term it as value for money. I think everyone is trying to look for more value for what they buy," Sharma says.

"We believe in what we call democratic design, where it is not just the price. It is form, function, sustainability, affordability and price that come together."

This approach allows the brand to cater to a massive spectrum. "I can sell a chair which is Rs 1,000 to a chair that is being sold at Rs 40,000 to a different segment of the customer."

According to the company’s recent press release, IKEA intends to reach the "many people" through an omnichannel approach, a claim supported by Sharma’s data: "Today, circa 30% of our sales come from online. And the balance then comes from the physical channels."

Beyond the broader strategy, certain IKEA icons are emerging as runaway favourites in the Indian market.

Adosh Sharma notes that wardrobes have seen a significant surge in the last year as consumers seek maximum utility for space-crunched homes, often offering double the storage capacity of traditional market alternatives.

This is joined by "hot cake" sellers like the versatile Raskog trolley, used across kitchens, bathrooms, and offices.

The IKEA classics, Billy Bookcase, the Gambleby and the Ektorp sofas are also very popular. From everyday essentials like the Oftast glassware range to large-scale furniture, these products represent a shift in Indian consumer behaviour from viewing furniture as a mere utility to a lifestyle choice.

Is quick commerce next?

On the topic of entering the quick commerce space formally, Sharma adds, "We watch the quick commerce space very closely, and we're not closed to it. We are exploring ways of how we can get to it. We don't like to do things half-heartedly. We’ll go the whole nine yards if we do." While the furniture industry typically operates on long lead times, IKEA currently maintains a "day plus one" delivery standard.

Sharma views the concept of "quick" delivery through a historical lens, suggesting IKEA pioneered the spirit of the trend decades ago. "If you go back in history, it was in the 1950s that we opened the first store. And I think quick commerce came then in the form of instant gratification," he explains.

By introducing the self-serve, flat-pack model, IKEA allowed customers to bypass traditional delivery wait times entirely, enabling them to pick up a product, take it home, and assemble it the same day. "So I think we've been pretty much the pioneers of what you call quick commerce," Sharma notes.

The future

Sharma explains the different roles of their store formats: "If you are looking for a fun day out for the whole family in Mumbai, please go to the Navi Mumbai store... If you're looking for a daily interaction with the stores, with the brand, please come to the smaller city stores."

Addressing reports regarding revenue and profitability, Sharma remains focused on the long term. "Our global CEO, Mr Jesper Brodin, said, we are in India for the next 100 years. We are in for the long run. We are not a very strictly profit-driven company. We are on a mission to make a better everyday life."

Sharma concludes that the brand's journey is on track: "You need to invest for expansion. What we are trying very humbly to do is bring in a brand that provides actual, genuine solution to people to make their lives better."