Ikea yet to go online, but you can get goods on Amazon

NEW DELHI: Swedish retailer Ikea has not yet started its e-commerce business in India but some of its products have already surfaced on online marketplaces such as Amazon India. In a bid to cash in on the craze for Ikea’s furniture, independent sellers are buying several products, including chairs, stools, saucepan sets in bulk from Ikea’s only store in Hyderabad and sending them to buyers across the country through Amazon’s online marketplace.

“We will operate large and small format stores as well as introduce a number of digital meeting places. We are building up our online strategy and plan to launch e-commerce in Mumbai during 2019, followed by other cities,” said an Ikea India spokesperson. She said the company has not inked a contract with Amazon India for online sales. “Currently, Ikea India is selling products in India through its first store in Hyderabad that opened in August and not engaged with any other online market place,” she added.

Ikea expects its Indian online sales to be significantly higher than anywhere else in the world. Globally, it is 10% or around $3.8 billion of its overall sales. The Swedish home furnishing giant plans to open its second store in Mumbai next year, followed by Bengaluru. Currently, consumers can browse through Ikea’s entire product portfolio on its Indian website and can add products to a wish list. But they cannot yet order.

“There is definitely some excitement about Ikea in India and not everybody can travel to Hyderabad to buy the products,” said Arvind Singhal, founder of retail consultancy Technopak. “Therefore a bunch of entrepreneurial Indians may have found a way to cash in on the craze by shipping lightweight items to Ikea fans across the country.”