Ikea, Lowe’s Target Business Customers with Enhanced Loyalty Programs and Services

Major retailers are increasingly rolling out the red carpet to draw in small business customers: Ikea has launched a new loyalty program for SMBs called the Ikea Business Network, and Lowe’s is enhancing its business loyalty program with a suite of new mobile tools for business owners. Earlier this year, Walmart rolled out an ecommerce platform aimed at meeting the needs of SMBs.

Ikea’s new Business Network loyalty program is available for free to businesses of all sizes. Perks for member companies and their employees include:

• Access to Ikea Family (the company’s consumer loyalty program) benefits, including 5% savings on eligible in-store purchases, select discounted delivery, seasonal promotions and receipt tracking;
• The opportunity to utilize Ikea’s newly launched Interior Design Service;
• A range of member discounts for all company employees on automobiles, food and dining, insurance, travel, tickets, health and fitness, electronics and more through BenefitHub;
• An online training program that focuses on three categories — spaces, people and business — with videos ranging from five to 30 minutes and new videos added on an ongoing basis; and
• A free coffee or tea at every visit to the Ikea Swedish Restaurant.

“The Ikea Business Network goes beyond product savings and gives access to inspiring design solutions, a range of employee benefits and useful trainings that we hope will serve as a resource for small businesses and enable them to be successful,” said Nicole King, Ikea U.S. Customer Engagement and Loyalty Manager in a statement.

Lowe’s, which launched its MVPs Pro Rewards and Partnership Program in February 2022, has expanded the offering to include a new suite of time-saving tools for professionals, now available on the retailer’s website and mobile app. The MVPs Business Tools aim to simplify the resupply process with:

• Online quotes — instead of going in-store or calling to get a quote, pros can now build and update order quotes online within minutes, with pricing guaranteed for seven days;
• A volume savings program — Silver Tier and above MVPs Pro Rewards members will be able to unlock savings on eligible orders of $1,500 or more;
• Buy it again functionality that enables easy reordering of frequently purchased items, with the ability to sort previous orders by frequency, recency and price of purchase; and
• A centralized page to view purchases and track deliveries.

“We know that for pros, time is money. As demands on their time increase, new technologies like the MVPs Business Tools help Pros be more efficient and stay focused on their business,” said Tony Hurst, SVP of Pro and Services at Lowe’s in a statement. “These enhanced digital features replicate our fast and simple in-store shopping experience so pros can manage their orders from anywhere, whether that’s on the job site, at home or out of town.”