IKEA is a global retail powerhouse, with 456 stores across 61 markets that generated over €41.3 billion in sales in 2021 alone. The Swedish home furnishings giant sells a staggering 12,000 different products, from bookcases to meatballs. But perhaps even more staggering than IKEA‘s sales figures is the number of bizarre and unpronounceable product names those 12,000 items bear.
From SKRUVSTA to SPRUTT to BOLMEN, browsing the IKEA catalog can feel like stepping into an alternate dimension where up is down, cats is dogs, and furniture is named by randomly combining Scrabble tiles. But for all the mockery IKEA‘s product names generate, retail experts say the unique naming strategy is a stroke of branding genius that other companies could learn from.
"IKEA‘s product names are one of the most distinctive things about the brand and a huge part of what makes the shopping experience there so memorable compared to other furniture or big box stores," said Kelly Goetsch, Chief Product Officer at commercetools and author of ‘Composable Commerce.‘ "Even if you don‘t know what a GRÖNLID is, you‘ll definitely remember that IKEA is the place that sells GRÖNLID sofas."
According to Goetsch, IKEA‘s non-traditional product naming is a master class in using language to drive buzz and differentiate the brand. While most retailers still take a boringly literal approach to naming products—"Brown Couch", "White Bookshelf", "Gray Rug"—IKEA aims to transform every SKU into a mini-story that sticks in customers‘ minds.
"Each name evokes curiosity about its meaning and where it came from, kind of like how people speculate about the meaning of abstract paintings," said Goetsch. "It makes you perceive the product as being more original and special, not just another generic piece of mass-produced furniture. And when the name makes you laugh or scratch your head, even better—that‘s memorable."
Marlene Faver, Commercial Director at IKEA UK, said the tongue-twisting names are actually the result of a very structured naming system. "Founder Ingvar Kamprad came up with a naming system where each category of products would be named after a specific type of Swedish word," Faver told Retail Week. "Chairs and sofas are named after Swedish places. Beds and wardrobes have Norwegian place names. Bookcases are named after occupations or boys‘ names."
So while the individual names seem nonsensical, each fits into a bigger naming taxonomy that helps IKEA keep track of its massive product catalog. "We have a database called ‘Namnbanken‘ which contains over 15,000 words that we can choose from," said Faver. "It allows us to be consistent in our naming while also being creative. The naming system is a great way for us to pay homage to our Swedish heritage."
Some of the funniest examples of IKEA‘s patented naming madness include:
Sofas & Chairs
- PÄRUP sofa
- POÄNG armchair
- YPPERLIG sofa
- JÄRVFJÄLLET office chair
- VEDBO armchair
- KOARP armchair
- BUSKBO armchair
Tables & Desks
- GREBBESTAD table
- SKOGSTA bench
- NORDEN sideboard
- TINGBY side table
- ARKELSTORP desk
- LINNMON table
Bookcases & Media Furniture
- LOMMARP cabinet
- HEMNES bookcase
- HAVSTA storage combo
- FJÄLKINGE shelving unit
- BAGGBÖLE cabinet
- BESTÅ storage
Beds & Mattresses
- KNARREVIK nightstand
- SLATTUM bed frame
- MALM ottoman bed
- SONGESAND bed with storage
- HAUGA upholstered bed
- UTÅKER stackable bed
- HÖVÅG mattress
Textiles
- INGABRITTA throw
- HILLEBORG curtains
- SÅNGLÄRKA duvet cover
- STJÄRNRAMS rug
- KRAKRIS bag
Kitchenware
- OFTAST plate
- HEMMAFEST mug
- BAKTANKE colander
- UPPHETTA coffee maker
- VÄLFYLLD whisk
- SLUKBUSKE dish towel
IKEA even extends the naming fun to its annual catalog, which has a print run of over 200 million copies making it the most widely distributed publication in the world. Recent editions have featured whole spreads devoted to explaining the etymologies of popular product names.
For example, the 2021 catalog reveals that the JÄRVFJÄLLET office chair was named after a Swedish mountain range, while the VEDBO armchair comes from the name of a tiny village with a population of just 50 people. The cutesy BJÖRKSNÄS bedroom set? It‘s named after the Swedish word for birch wood. Suddenly these products have an interesting backstory beyond just being "Office Chair 3B" or "Armchair 7A".
Experts say attaching miniature narratives to products is an increasingly popular marketing tactic for driving social media engagement and word-of-mouth. A 2019 study by Kantar found that products with descriptive, story-driven names generated 12.4% more positive online mentions than generically-named equivalents.
"In the age of Instagram and TikTok, you need your product to be highly visual and highly sharable, and an unusual name is a great way to achieve that," said Goetsch. "It provides fodder for social media posts and gets people talking about your brand."
Indeed, IKEA‘s product names have spawned a subgenre of memes, tweets, and listicles poking affectionate fun at the company‘s naming choices. A typical example:
Friend: Where‘d you get your new desk?
Me: IKEA. It‘s the FÖRHÖJA.
Friend: Bless you!
These social media posts generate invaluable free publicity for IKEA and introduce the brand to new audiences who might not otherwise engage with home furnishings marketing.
Still, adopting non-traditional product names is not without risks, experts caution. Names that are too difficult to spell or remember can backfire. Customers may get frustrated if they can‘t find the specific product they‘re looking for because they don‘t know how to search for it. Retail employees may struggle to locate products in inventory systems. And names that sound offensive or inappropriate in other languages can cause backlash (as when IKEA had to rename its "FARTFULL" children‘s workbench).
"There‘s a fine line between a quirky-good product name and a confusing, alienating one," said Goetsch. "Most retailers are better off keeping it simple, but simple doesn‘t have to mean boring. Even straightforward names can tell mini-stories with the right descriptive words—‘Rustic Farmhouse Table‘ or ‘Vintage Aviator Chair‘. Anything that sparks customers‘ imaginations."
For IKEA, of course, imagination-sparking has never been an issue. With thousands more wacky product names undoubtedly in the pipeline—the 2022 catalog sneak peeks the KRÖSAMOS curtain, LÅRSKULDRA pillow, BRUNBÄR pillow, and ULRIKSHULT lamp—it‘s a good bet that IKEA‘s naming adventures have only just begun. Tack så mycket, IKEA! Never change.
Sources
- IKEA fiscal year 2021 sales report
- Interview with IKEA Commercial Director Marlene Faver, Retail Week, May 2021
- "The Power of Non-Traditional Product Names", Kantar Retail IQ Research Study, August 2019
- Interview with commercetools Chief Product Officer Kelly Goetsch, February 2022
