Ikea brings merchandise to life on Roblox gaming website

At a Glance:

• Ikea launches pilot program on Roblox‘s Welcome to Bloxburg sport
• Players can unlock and use Ikea merchandise in a digital house simulation
• Pilot goals to evaluate digital engagement and design usability

HIGH POINT — Describing its newest initiative as one the place “gaming meets lifestyle,” Ikea is leveraging the Roblox gaming platform to introduce its merchandise to a brand new viewers.

The Welcome to Bloxburg digital expertise is a life-simulation sport on the Roblox platform the place gamers construct and design houses. Roblox is taken into account by many as one of the crucial fashionable gaming platforms on this planet with tens of millions of month-to-month customers across the globe.

The pilot program, launched in Sweden and Australia, explores how Ikea merchandise will be skilled in interactive digital environments, officers famous. It has been designed as a small-scale take a look at to guage buyer engagement and learnings and to reinforce the digital expertise for Roblox customers.

“This pilot is very much about learning and exploring,” mentioned Parag Parekh, chief digital officer at Ikea Retail (Ingka Group). “We’re using it to better understand how digital environments can enrich the Ikea experience while continuing to stay true to our values and what customers expect from us.”

Visitors within the Welcome to Bloxburg world will acknowledge a few of Ikea’s buyer favorites together with the Stockholm couch, the Elsystem rug and Blahaj, a well-liked shark stuffed animal. Beginning on January 22 and operating by way of Feb. 5, Bloxburg avid gamers will be capable to unlock the merchandise on the in-game Ikea pop-up within the Fancy Furniture Store. The gadgets may also be accessible within the product library, and officers mentioned the Ikea crew will “assess design translation, usability and customer engagement in a digital setting.” Ikea prospects in Australia and Sweden may also be capable to unlock further gadgets by scanning QR codes hidden across the firm’s shops.

‘’We’re delighted to carry a few of our most cherished Ikea merchandise into this digital house. With curiosity, we’re trying ahead to seeing the house furnishing concepts individuals create, and the way our merchandise really feel at house of their digital lives,” mentioned Sara Vestberg, house furnishing course chief at Ikea Retail (Ingka Group).

Officials famous that learnings from the pilots in Sweden and Australia will assist the crew assess future digital initiatives with an emphasis on “prioritizing trust, safety and relevance” for its prospects. Ingka Group is the biggest Ikea retailer representing 87% of Ikea retail gross sales and owns and operates Ikea gross sales channels below franchise agreements with Inter Ikea Systems B.V. It has three enterprise areas: Ikea Retail, Ingka Investments and Ingka Centres.