The elements of the IKEA model, as recognized today, were developed through a process of trial and error. After the Kungens Kurva store burned down in 1970, the manager, Hans Ax, was given the flexibility to incorporate all the learning from the previous five years into the new design of the store. The store at Kungens Kurva was the first example of all the elements of the IKEA model.

The playroom for children by the entrance was included to make shopping easier for parents. The long, winding path through room displays was designed to showcase the furniture in real environments and to encourage customers to take a journey through the store. Flat-pack furniture was introduced to make it easier for customers to transport their purchases. Self-service was implemented to reduce costs and make shopping more efficient. Fewer items that needed to be ordered were included to reduce the time it took to get products to customers. The restaurant was self-service and designed so that customers could easily clear up after themselves, thereby saving money on the cleaning staff required.

The opening hours were also designed to suit customers and workers alike. Opening at 11am and closing at 7pm meant that the morning rush hour was over before the store opened. Customers could shop after they finished work for the day. For part-time IKEA workers, the hours were more flexible and worked around their other commitments.

Although the company had moved away from the original mail order, which was more costly to process than bringing people to the store, IKEA continued with the catalogue. Catalogues were produced and distributed throughout the locality of each store as well as being available in the store. They served to tempt customers, who then would be taken on a journey through different set-piece room displays featuring bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms, each at different price points and sizes, so customers could see how furniture would look in real environments.

The concept of the IKEA store became a fixed predetermined design that future stores would have to follow. It stipulated, for example, that living room interiors would be immediately located after the entrance, just as there would be a shop after the check-out selling Swedish food delicacies. If store managers wished to alter any part of the concept, they would have to ask permission.

In conclusion, the elements of the IKEA model were developed through a process of trial and error, with each element designed to make shopping easier, more efficient, and more cost-effective. The concept of the IKEA store became a fixed predetermined design that future stores would have to follow, with store managers required to ask permission if they wished to alter any part of the concept.