Ikea embraces remote interior design as AI transforms sales tactics

Ikea is training up its call centre workers to become interior design advisers as the Swedish furniture giant looks to offer more home improvement services and hand run-of-the-mill customer queries to an artificial intelligence bot called Billie.

Back in April, the retailer expanded its interior design services to the UK and United States, after previous launches in parts of Europe, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere.

In the UK, customers pay £25 pounds for a 45-60 minute interior design advice video call and suggested product list, and can pay £125 pounds for three workspace design consultations, a floorplan and 3D visuals.

Ikea owner Ingka says it has trained 8,500 call centre workers as interior design advisers since 2021, while Billie – launched the same year with a name inspired by IKEA’s Billy bookcase range – has handled 47% of customers’ queries to call centres over the past two years.

Ingka Group global people and culture manager Ulrika Biesert told Reuters: “We’re committed to strengthening co-workers’ employability in Ingka, through lifelong learning and development and reskilling, and to accelerate the creation of new jobs,”

Asked if the increased use of AI was likely to lead to a reduction in headcount at the company, Biesert said: “That’s not what we’re seeing right now”.