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The world’s largest furniture retailer is boosting its innovative efforts to appeal to the online shopper.
This year, IKEA has opened more click-and-collect stores than traditional locations, shifting the company’s strategic expansion plans. The Swedish retailer opened its first click-and-collect store in March 2015 and has since opened 22 locations—19 of which launched within the past 12 months.
The logic behind the click-and-collect concept is simple—as customers move online, the buy online and pick up in store trend has become increasingly popular, especially with large purchases. These pickup points allow customers to collect purchases closer to where they live—the stores are typically a smaller format and resemble more of a showroom, carrying less inventory and offering various amenities like cafés.
IKEA's e-commerce sales account for 4% of its overall revenue, up from 3% the previous year, the Wall Street Journal reports. “This is part of the total conversion of IKEA from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to a multichannel retail with the stores at the heart,” IKEA CEO Peter Agnefjall said. [WSJ]
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