Ikea will start selling furniture through third-party websites next year as it tries to find new ways to reach customers in the digital age.
Kaisa Lyckdal, spokeswoman for the Swedish home furnishing giant, says the aim is to start a trial in 2018 but that “no decisions are made regarding what platforms/markets will be in the pilot.”
Lyckdal said Tuesday in an email to The Associated Press that Ikea would further develop its online sales strategy “over the coming years.”
Ikea’s main focus “remains of course with our existing sales channels,” including its own websites and stores.
The group says 2.3 billion people globally visited Ikea sites in 2017. Founded in Sweden and headquartered fiscally in Leiden, the Netherlands, Ikea has more than 400 stores in 49 countries.
(AP)