The structure behind Rugvista’s scaling success
Written by Emma Viström, October 2025

Rugvista’s localisation strategy combines regional relevance with customer segmentation

Swedish Rugvista might sell rugs, but its international success is built on something more foundational: structure. From market clustering and localisation to in-house tech and media buying, the 20-year-old e-commerce company has developed a highly strategic and refreshingly pragmatic approach to scaling across Europe and beyond.

Owning the vertical

When Ulrika Klinkert, Chief Marketing Officer, joined Rugvista seven years ago, the company was already active in many countries, but with a basic setup and fragmented tools. Since then, Rugvista has made deliberate choices: consolidating under one brand, focusing deeply on the rug niche, and taking full control of the customer experience and operations.
 
“We decided to own our vertical,” Ulrika explains. “That means tech, marketing, customer service – all in-house.” While many outsource for speed, Rugvista believes owning core functions is key to quality, responsiveness and long-term learning.


Clustering by behaviour, not borders

With over 50 markets tested, Rugvista has learned to focus where it matters. “Doing everything for everyone is hard,” Ulrika says.

So instead of organising by geography or language, they group countries into three tiers – key, mid-tier and low – based on market size, customer behaviour and strategic potential.

Key priority markets get full localisation in all touch points, while mid- and low-tier markets get a lighter set-up where we constantly test and learn.

The fundamental difference from other companies: language is not driving the grouping of countries.

This behavioural lens shapes more than just market structure. Danes and Dutch customers tend to be highly discount-driven, while visually driven shoppers show similar shopping habits, regardless of whether the location is France or Italy. Grouping markets by how people buy allows Rugvista to reuse assets, simplify operations, and prioritise what drives results.

The same thinking applies to the customer experience. As an important complement to designing strategies by country, Rugvista focuses on customer types.

“We have a segment we call the ‘corporate connoisseur’ – someone who knows a lot about rugs and is willing to pay for quality,” says Ulrika. “That customer is the same whether they are in France, the UK or Germany.”

The same goes for bargain hunters. Building the on-site journey around personas, not borders, helps the team stay focused. Expansion is treated as a process, not a race.

“We start with a startup phase – small volumes, learning, testing – before scaling and eventually maturing,” Ulrika explains. “But it is not always linear. Some markets plateau, others jump ahead.”

Still, even structure has its limits. After a brief attempt in Korea, Rugvista pulled back. “We localised the site like we had in Japan, which worked well,” Ulrika says. “But we did not fine-tune for Korea, and it did not take off.” The key difference, she reflects, was people: “We now believe markets like that need more tailored input from someone who knows the market.”

That experience reinforced a key lesson: even with the best setup, you need to be willing to kill your darlings.


From testing to traction

That mindset also shapes how the company approaches marketing. Rugvista always begins with performance marketing – testing low-funnel tactics to see what resonates. If the market shows potential, brand-building comes next.

Branding has sometimes proven more effective in smaller, less competitive markets than in the larger ones they initially expected to prioritise. “It’s easier to become a market leader in small markets,” Ulrika explains. That is why they carefully balance performance and brand – scaling only what works.

Testing is core to Rugvista’s approach. Before making major changes, they benchmark results across multiple regions to separate their impact from external factors.

“Test, test, test,” Ulrika stresses. “That’s how we learn.” But it is not just about having data – it is about knowing what to do with it. “Many companies have lots of data,” she says. “But data without knowledge is useless.”

At Rugvista, that means connecting insights across products, teams, and countries to truly understand the business.

Control what matters most

Testing does not end internally – Rugvista also applies a careful, structured approach when working with external partners. Development and media buying are handled in-house – a deliberate choice to maintain speed and control.

For areas like payments and logistics, where external systems are necessary, Ulrika shares one key piece of advice: trust your gut and set high standards.

“Big or small, know who you’re dealing with,” she says. “Not all industry ‘best practices’ fit every context, so trust yourself and your data.”

At the heart of what Rugvista controls is the website. “Site, site, site,” as Ulrika puts it. “The key to us is conversion rate. Of course, it differs by market and channel, but we can always improve. We want people to get what they want – not down-sell themselves – and be happy with it.”

That is why Rugvista has invested heavily in a new tech platform that offers more flexibility across content, SEO and inspiration – all aimed at helping customers find the right rug, in the right size, with minimal friction.

Even with consistent systems, not everything can be standardised. Some details are deeply local – and they matter. “In Japan, people care if a rug is not perfectly square,” Ulrika notes. It is a small but vivid example of how cultural nuances shape everything from product expectations to customer satisfaction.

Above all, Ulrika believes e-commerce is a continuous process.

“You are never done. You start over every day. You are only as good as your last result – so keep going.”

Three things I wish I had known before going abroad

Each brand featured in Succeed Abroad – The Magazine shared three lessons they wish they had known before expanding abroad. Here are the three that stood out most to Ulrika Klinkert:

• Growth happens in stages
  Start small – test, learn, adapt. Then scale. Some markets leap forward, others plateau. Flexibility matters more than speed.
• Stopping can be smart
  Not every market or initiative succeeds. Deciding when to exit is a sign of strength, not failure.
• Choose partners carefully
  Build your core strengths internally first. Know exactly what you need before involving external partners – and only choose those who truly match your goals.