Open Innovation Dynamics of Furniture Design and Function: The Difference between IKEA and Nitori

Abstract

Even though global markets are transferring from offline to online, offline sales are rapidly increasing in two top global furniture firms in Korea and Japan each—IKEA and Nitori. This study aims to answer the following research question: ‘What are the differences and similarities between IKEA and Nitori in the open innovation dynamics of furniture design and function?’ Diverse naturalistic qualitative research methods such as participatory observation, or focus group interviews were used. IKEA is mainly pursuing engineering open innovation strategies, including advanced furniture design with engineering knowledge, fusion with new IT and other technologies for new and innovative furniture function and design, and pursuit of creative design idea frontiers. Nitori is mainly pursuing a strategy towards customer open innovation, which is focused on domestic and regional requirements. © 2022 SAGE Publications.