Casos de estudio / IKEA Business

Digital strategyProductB2B experienceServic design

IKEA Business

From catalogue to project platform: turning a B2B section into a professional digital experience

A conceptual redesign of a B2B digital experience that keeps IKEA’s recognisable DNA, while reorganising products, services, sectors and expert support into a clearer platform built around professional projects.

Type
Conceptual case study
Scope
B2B experience · Product · Service design · Digital strategy
Focus
Digital strategy · Web architecture · UX narrative · Conversion
Year
2026
Client
IKEA Business · Unsolicited conceptual case study

This case study is an independent conceptual exercise and is not affiliated with, commissioned by or validated by IKEA. There is no commercial relationship, collaboration or official assignment from IKEA or its teams. The objective is to explore opportunities in digital strategy, B2B experience, service architecture and web design using publicly available information about IKEA Business as a starting point.

The goal was not to separate IKEA Business from IKEA, but to give it a professional layer of its own: clearer, more project-oriented and more useful for people making business decisions.

That was the strategic decision behind the whole exercise.

Why this project exists

IKEA Business already starts from a powerful position: a globally recognised brand, a broad product range, dedicated services and a proposition designed for companies that need to furnish or transform professional spaces.

The opportunity is not a lack of offer. It is the way that offer is structured.

When a company arrives on a B2B page, it does not behave exactly like a private consumer. It is not only looking for inspiration. It is trying to answer more operational questions:

Which solution fits my type of business?
Who supports me through the process?
Can I request a proposal?
Is there planning, design, logistics and installation?
Can I manage purchases as a company?
Can I repeat orders, invite my team or centralise invoices?

The conceptual opportunity was to reorganise the experience so that a professional visitor could understand the full value of IKEA Business faster.

The challenge

The main challenge was to balance two forces.

On one hand, IKEA has a very strong visual identity. Moving too far away from it would be a mistake, because the brand already communicates trust, familiarity, accessibility and scale.

On the other hand, a B2B experience cannot feel exactly like a general ecommerce experience. A professional user needs more structure, a clearer process, stronger sector-based guidance and a greater sense of support.

The challenge, then, was to design an experience that still felt unmistakably IKEA, but could be read as a professional solutions platform for businesses.

Not a store with a B2B label.
Not a promotional landing page.
Not an inspiration gallery without a decision architecture.

A homepage that helps users understand, choose, trust and move forward.

Brand interpretation

The strategic reading was that IKEA Business does not need to reinvent the brand. It needs to change the angle from which the offer is presented.

The current experience already contains many valuable elements: inspiration by space, services, the IKEA Business Network, planning, advice, delivery, assembly, products and business benefits.

But these elements become stronger when they are reorganised through a more professional narrative.

Not: “we have products for your business ”, but: “we help you create, equip and launch a space that works for your business.”

That shift may seem small, but it changes the whole experience.

The homepage stops revolving around the catalogue and starts revolving around the project. The product is still there, but it no longer leads the conversation. The space, the service, the process and the outcome do.

The strategic decision

The proposal was built around one central idea: IKEA Business as a professional layer within the IKEA ecosystem. Not a disconnected sub-brand, nor a completely separate website, nor a premium aesthetic that betrays IKEA’s accessible DNA. A dedicated layer for professionals, with stronger hierarchy, greater clarity and a clearer orientation towards real business decisions. In the proposed concept, this becomes a homepage with::
  • A more direct and strategic hero section.
  • Navigation built around solutions, sectors and services.
  • A primary call to action focused on requesting a proposal.
  • An initial trust block with planning, design, delivery, assembly and business account benefits.
  • A clear entry point by project type.
  • A stronger service architecture.
  • Inspirational cases that feel closer to business proof.
  • An IKEA Business Network section presented as an operational advantage.
  • A simple four-step process.
  • A final section designed to start a commercial conversation.
THE CONCEPTUAL LINE

01 · A hero that feels less ecommerce and more project-led

The first screen needed to make one thing clear: IKEA Business is not just a product section. It can be presented as a full service for transforming professional spaces. That is why the hero is built around the message: “spaces that help your business grow”. It is more B2B than “ideas for your business” or “products for your company”. It speaks about growth, function and outcome. It does not only sell furniture. It sells a space that works for the business. The hero combines:
  • A strategic message.
  • A professional space image.
  • Primary CTA: “Request a proposal”.
  • Secondary CTA: “Talk to a specialist”.
  • A trust block with planning, design, delivery, assembly and business account features.
The intention is for the user to understand, from the first screen, that they can start a project rather than simply browse a catalogue.

02 · Sectors that accelerate identification

The homepage proposes a clear entry point by project type: offices, hospitality, retail, residential projects, coworking.

This structure helps each visitor find their context faster. Furnishing a flexible office is not the same as renovating hotel rooms, designing a shop or equipping a coworking space.

The goal is to reduce the feeling of “IKEA has many things” and replace it with a more useful reading: “IKEA understands my type of space”.

03 · Services as value architecture

One of the strongest assets of IKEA Business is its service layer: planning, design, delivery, assembly, project management and expert guidance.

In the proposal, these services move up in the hierarchy.

They do not appear as secondary links, but as a clear architecture of support: free planning, interior design, project management, delivery and assembly, financing.

This changes the user’s perception. IKEA stops feeling only like a furniture supplier and starts feeling like an operational partner that can help solve spaces from beginning to end.

04 · Inspiration turned into evidence

Inspiration is very IKEA. But in B2B, inspiration needs an extra layer of credibility. That is why the proposal includes a section titled: “Real projects, real results.” With case-style cards such as:
    • A tech company in Madrid.
    • A boutique hotel in Barcelona.
    • A concept store in Valencia.
The aim is not just to show beautiful spaces. It is to show concrete applications, sectors, square metres, services involved and outcomes. The intention is to turn inspiration into something more actionable: “this could look like my project”.

05 · La IKEA Business Network as a tool, not just a club

The IKEA Business Network already exists as a benefits programme for companies, with advantages such as exclusive offers, purchase history, team access and business account features.

In this proposal, the Network is not presented only as a promotion or discount club, but as a management tool for businesses.

The message shifts from: “join and get benefits” to “centralise purchases, manage your team, access business conditions and work more efficiently.”

This makes the IKEA Business Network feel more useful for purchasing managers, administrators, operations teams and business owners.

06 · Product present, but not dominant

The product remains essential. IKEA is IKEA.

But in this proposal, product does not dominate the page from the beginning. It appears after the context has been established: sectors, services, projects and business benefits.

The “Products and systems for professionals” section works as support, not as the main axis of the experience.

This keeps the commercial purpose intact without reducing the B2B experience to a catalogue.

03 · A clearer process to reduce friction

Many companies do not move forward if they do not understand what happens next.

That is why the proposal includes a simple process: tell us about your project, we design with you, we coordinate the order, we deliver and install.

For a professional user, this kind of clarity matters. They need to know who will support them, what steps are involved and what they can expect after clicking.

A clearer process reduces uncertainty and makes the next action feel easier.

Ecosystem architecture

A central hub that organises sectors, services, content, products and business benefits around one main idea: helping professional users move from need to project.

What changes with this proposal?

Antes
  • An experience closely linked to the general IKEA ecosystem.
  • A strong emphasis on inspiration, products and links.
  • Services are present, but not always positioned as the core value proposition.
  • The IKEA Business Network is mainly perceived as a benefits club.
  • Professional users have to interpret the journey themselves.
Después
  • A homepage built around professional projects.
  • A clearer separation between the B2C and B2B experience.
  • Services become the main value architecture.
  • Sectors help users identify themselves faster.
  • Inspirational cases work as contextual proof.
  • The IKEA Business Network is presented as an operational tool.
  • The path from need to installation becomes clearer.

Key decisions

01
Keep IKEA’s DNA
The proposal does not try to make IKEA look more premium or distance it from its own identity. It keeps the white space, blue, yellow, simplicity, accessibility, bright interiors and functional language. The innovation is in the structure, not in disguising the brand.
02
Change the primary CTA
The main CTA becomes: “request a proposal.” This frames the experience in a more professional way. It does not only push the user to shop or browse; it invites them to start a project conversation.
03
Give more weight to services and process
Planning, design, project management, delivery and assembly appear before product. Because in B2B, the service can be just as important as the furniture.
04
Organise the entry point by sector
Navigation by business type allows users to identify themselves faster and reach more relevant solutions sooner.
05
Turn inspiration into evidence
Inspirational cases help the user move from “that looks nice” to “this could work for my business.”
06
Reposition the Network as a professional account
The IKEA Business Network gains more value when it is understood as a management system, not just a discount programme.
06
Design for the decision-maker, not only the inspiration seeker
The proposal draws a clearer distinction between users who arrive looking for ideas and users who need to make a business decision: purchasing managers, business owners, interior designers, office managers, operations teams or project leads.

The strategic decision

Digital positioning strategy
Turning a B2B section inside a global brand into an experience with its own logic, without breaking away from the parent identity.
Information architecture
Reordering content, services and benefits so that professional users understand sooner what they can do and how to get started.
User experience
Designing a clearer journey from the initial need to the request for a proposal or contact with a specialist.
Commercial narrative
Moving from product-and-inspiration-led communication to a narrative built around projects, spaces, outcomes and expert support.
Conceptual design
Creating a visual proposal that remains coherent with IKEA, while feeling more professional, modular and decision-oriented.
B2B conversion system
Transforming an informational page into a journey designed to generate business opportunities: from sector identification to proposal request, specialist contact or IKEA Business Network membership.
Clarity for complex offers
Simplifying an offer made up of many elements — products, services, benefits, sectors, inspiration, logistics and business account features — so that professional users quickly understand what they need, what they can activate and what the next step is.
Let’s talk

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