Furniture on fingers: Swedish omnichannel home furnishings store IKEA has launched e-commerce deliveries across 62 districts in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, as part of an expansion resonating with demand from these regions.

Over 7,500 home furnishing products which are sustainable and affordable will be available for order on the IKEA app, website as well as their “Shop by Phone” assistance service.

Susanne Pulverer, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA India said the brand has received customer support over the last five years from these regions, and the expansion to thousands of pincodes will make IKEA more accessible to them. 

“We see great potential in e-commerce...we will leverage the distribution capabilities of our existing physical stores in these states to fulfil the demand from online channels,” she added.

Apart from exploring IKEA's app and website to browse options and avail discounts via services like New Lower Prices and IKEA Family member, customers can also avail services like kitchen and living room planning, interior design services and personal shopper from their homes.

As of now, 72 per cent of customer orders in the existing markets are fulfilled via Electrical Vehicles. The expansion for IKEA also opens channels for building further capacities in its supply chain, and making it more sustainable.

The company expects online demand to surge in the coming years, Pulverer told PTI.

"It (online sales) is around 25 per cent of our total turnover. We believe there is potential for further growth both in terms of market share and overall sales," she said.

Even as online sales will grow, the company said it will never surpass those from the physical channels.

  The motive for introducing an omnichannel business for a touch-and-feel category like furniture stems from the challenges of people having less time and the importance of convenience in their purchasing decisions, she added.