What if your classroom assignment took you to one of the world's most recognized retail stores, not as a shopper, but as a marketing consultant? That's exactly what students in the Master of Business and Science (MBS) degree course "Market Assessment and Analysis for Business and Science" experience through one of its most distinctive assignments: an IKEA field trip that brings marketing theory to life.
This course centers on consumer behavior, market research, and strategic analysis. Rather than keeping those concepts confined to the four walls of a classroom, instructor Mark Burgess designed a capstone experience that sends students into the field, quite literally.
"I wanted them to move beyond the classroom and see these concepts come alive in a real-world setting," said Burgess.
Experiential Learning throughout the Course
IKEA is a masterclass in customer experience. With over 494 stores worldwide and EUR 44.6 billion in total retail sales in the financial year 2025, IKEA welcomed 915 million visitors to its stores that year alone. From the moment you walk in, every detail is intentional: the store layout, the room displays, the pricing strategy, and the cafeteria at the end. For most visitors, these details fade into the background. For MBS students, they become the subject of analysis.
Students explore the store as a living case study, observing everything from store layout and guided customer pathways to product placement, consumer behavior, buying and branding decisions. They then assess IKEA's market positioning, analyze how psychology shapes the retail experience, and develop data-informed recommendations to enhance IKEA's customer experience and marketing approach.
Burgess chose IKEA deliberately.
"IKEA is one of the world's best examples of a customer-centric brand," he said. "Every aspect of the business, from store layout to product design to pricing, reflects a deep understanding of customer needs."
He also pointed to the company's continued evolution as one of the factors that make it a compelling case study.
"[IKEA] is actively exploring AI, personalization, and next-generation customer engagement. This makes it a relevant case study for future marketers."
A recent example is IKEA Kreativ, an AI-powered digital design experience that allows customers to create lifelike 3D replicas of their own spaces and visualize IKEA products in their homes before purchasing.
Some students document their visits through short videos, capturing customer experience, branding, and store design in real time.
"These videos encourage students to think like both marketers and content creators while bringing their insights to life," said Burgess.
Connection to Workforce Trends
The skills students build through this assignment, observation, analysis, and strategic thinking, are exactly what today's employers are looking for. Professionals who can translate real-world observations into actionable business insights, and who understand how design, data, and customer behavior intersect, are in growing demand across industries.
Burgess sees this directly in how the assignment shapes students' thinking.
"Instead of viewing IKEA as shoppers, they learn to evaluate it as marketing consultants," he said. "Students assess customer experience touchpoints, brand consistency, store design, merchandising decisions, and the effectiveness of the overall customer journey. They learn how a company's purpose and strategy are translated into actual customer experiences."
The broader takeaway, he said, is a skill that travels far beyond any single brand: "the ability to connect marketing theory with business reality."
Student Takeaways
For their final project, students compile their observations, analyses, and recommendations into a cohesive deliverable that demonstrates their ability to think strategically about a real brand. This video, created by MBS students Sanjana Suresh, Rebecca Lin, Laila Daghastani, and Preethi Devarapalli, is just one example of the excellent projects students create by the end of the semester.
The IKEA field trip is a carefully designed learning experience that reflects what the MBS program does across the board: connect academic rigor with real-world application. It also serves as a way for students to work in teams, connect with each other outside the classroom, and try some of IKEA's famous Swedish meatballs.
"Experiential learning is about creating opportunities where knowledge moves from theory into practice," said Burgess.
For students, the impact is significant.
"One of my favorite moments from these field trips is hearing students compare notes over Swedish meatballs in the IKEA cafeteria after completing their observations," Burgess shared. "What starts as a fun experience often turns into rich discussions about branding, customer behavior, store design, and strategy."
Some of the best learning happens outside the classroom. Everyday environments, when viewed through the right lens, are full of lessons waiting to be uncovered.
Read more about the fall 2025 visit to IKEA.