Ikea has announced plans to trial the use of third party sites to sell its furniture, as the retailer pushes for a greater online presence.
Torbjörn Lööf, head of brand and strategy at Ikea‘s owner Inter Ikea Group, said on Wednesday that they plan to start testing the concept in 2018.
Although Lööf was keen not to reveal which websites could be used, it is thought marketplaces like Amazon and Alibaba could soon be selling the iconic flatpack furniture.
“On digital platforms, we only sell our products through our own website, and there we also see that the competitive landscape is changing,” Lööf said.
“I leave unsaid on which (platforms), but we will test and pilot, to see ‘what does this mean, what does digital shopping look like in future and what do digital shopping centres mean?’.
“There is a rapid change in the market where much of what we have learned and what we know of is changing radically.
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“We have one great advantage and that is that we design, produce and distribute our own unique range.”
This announcement comes amid a large-scale restructure, and a trial of smaller more urban stores.
Last year Ikea Group‘s online sales grew by nearly a third, but still accounted for just £1.08 billion out of £26.42 billion total sales.
“There is a rapid change in the market where much of what we have learned and what we know of is changing radically.
“We have one great advantage and that is that we design, produce and distribute our own unique range.”
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