Saudi Arabia’s IKEA Alsulaiman has launched Step Buy Step, its largest wellness-led in-store initiative to date, created in collaboration with FP7 McCANN, turning one of the brand’s most relatable truths into a purposeful customer experience.
Launching on World Health Day 2026, the campaign taps into a wider national movement in Saudi Arabia to make everyday life more active, healthier and more rewarding.
Known globally for its vast showrooms and famously maze-like layout, IKEA has long been the subject of a familiar cultural meme: no one ever really “quickly pops into” the store.
What begins as a simple shopping trip often turns into an extended walk filled with unexpected turns, extra laps, and inspired detours. With Step Buy Step, IKEA Alsulaiman is embracing that behaviour and giving it new meaning.
Designed specifically for IKEA Family members in Saudi Arabia, the campaign introduces a simple mechanic. At the entrance of participating stores, visitors receive a special BRÄSLET step-counting bracelet to wear throughout their visit.
As they move through the showroom, their steps are tracked, and those who reach 4,000 steps before checkout unlock a 10 per cent discount on their final purchase.
The activation will take place across Jeddah, Madina, Riyadh and Dhahran, with the campaign rolled out across out-of-home static screens, digital and social media channels.
Commenting on the campaign, Rami Rihani, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Alsulaiman Group said, “At IKEA, we are always looking for meaningful ways to connect with people’s everyday lives. With Step Buy Step, we took a behaviour already synonymous with the IKEA experience and turned it into something more purposeful – one that encourages movement, rewards exploration and reflects the growing focus on healthier lifestyles in Saudi Arabia.”
Rihani added, “It is a simple idea, but one that shows how even the most familiar parts of our customer journey can create value in new and meaningful ways, while rewarding our IKEA Family members.”
The campaign launches at a time when active living is becoming an increasingly visible part of life in the Kingdom. Under Vision 2030, “Quality of Life Programme” – Saudi Arabia has continued to invest in healthier, more active communities through initiatives that encourage walking, sport and better quality of life.
In line with that ambition, Step Buy Step reflects IKEA Alsulaiman’s own contribution to the movement – encouraging customers to walk more and rewarding them for doing so. By turning its in-store journey into something more purposeful, IKEA creates a retail experience that supports wellbeing in a way only the brand can.With Saudi residents previously reported to average around 3,800 steps a day – among the lowest daily step counts globally in widely cited research – IKEA Alsulaiman saw an opportunity to reframe its in-store footprint as more than a retail environment.
Rather than resisting the long-standing joke about getting lost inside IKEA, the campaign reframes it as something positive. Every extra turn, every additional lap, and every pause for inspiration now contributes to a more rewarding outcome, for both customers and the brand.
Federico Fanti, Regional Chief Creative Officer, FP7 McCANN MENAT, said, “What makes this idea powerful is that it starts with the truth. People already joke about the IKEA maze : the wandering, the unexpected detours, the extra steps. So, we wanted to spin it to something positive. We turned it into a wellness mindset.”
Fanti added, “Step Buy Step transforms a social gripe into a smart, feel-good call to move more, turning every aisle into a small win for Saudi consumers and a meaningful boost for the brand. It rewards movement, reframes the experience, and adds purpose to the path. Because at IKEA, the longer the walk, the better the outcome.”
By linking wellness to value, Step Buy Step turns a familiar shopping behaviour into a simple but effective driver of change. It encourages customers to move more, engage more deeply with the IKEA experience, and supports the Kingdom’s wider ambition to build a more active, health-conscious society. In doing so, IKEA Alsulaiman transforms a well-known brand truth into something genuinely useful.
CREDITS:
Client: IKEA
– Rami Rihani Group Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
– Ebba Ourfali Marketing Manager
– Raneem Kayal Social Media Leader
– Haadi Farooqi Performance Marketing Leader
– Payaswini Prasad Marketing Specialist
– Rafal Flamban Social Media Specialist
– Mohammad Abbas Group Loyalty & Customer Engagement Manager
– Lian Bahaddad Customer Engagement Specialist
Creative agency: FP7 McCANN MENAT
FP7 McCANN Dubai
Regional Chief Creative Officer: Federico Fanti
Executive Creative Officer: Nayaab Rais
Group Creative Director: Jonathan Cruz
Associate Creative Director: Diego Fernandez-Cid
Associate Creative Director: Francesco Negri
Associate Creative Director: Manar M Abdulla
Senior Copywriter: Wesley Jon
Senior Art Director: Roy Sebastian
Senior Arabic Copywriter: Shaza Yousef
FP7 McCANN Riyadh
Executive Creative Director: Saadi Alkouatli
PR
Senior PR Manager: Roksar Kamal
Senior Executive PR: Ann Maria, MCN
Business Leadership
CEO: Tarek Miknas, FP7 McCann Dubai
Managing Director: Tarek Ali Ahmad, FP7 McCann Dubai
Group Account Director: Bachir Zouein, FP7 McCann Dubai
Associate Account Director: Caline Haddad, FP7 McCann Dubai
Creative Excellence
Global Chief Creative Officer: Andrés Ordóñez, McCANN
EVP, Global Creative Partner: Danilo Boer, McCANN
SVP, Global Executive Creative Producer: John Bleeden
Creative Excellence Manager – Alice Reindlova – McCANN
Corporate PR Specialist – Corina Nica – McCANN
Production
Motion Designer: Kaue Akimoto, FP7 McCann Dubai
Senior Motion Graphic Editor: Rana Alabiad, FP7 McCann Dubai
Influencer team – MCN
Manager – Influencer Relations: Gaelle ElChidiac
Operations Executive – Influencer Marketing: Ibrahim Klink
