IKEA has launched its own platform for trading used furniture, writes the Financial Times. On the Ikea Preowned platform, buyers can enter product information, images, and a selling price on the platform, while the IKEA database, managed by artificial intelligence, will help enter images and parameters. The buyer receives the furniture directly from the seller, who has two payment options – real money or an IKEA voucher with a 15% bonus. Currently, you can list your product for free, but it is possible that over time you will have to pay for this service. However, they promise that this will be a symbolic fee. By the end of the year, the platform will be available in test mode for residents of Madrid and Oslo. If the project is successful, it will be expanded to other countries, said Jesper Brodin, head of IKEA management company Ingka. It is worth noting that IKEA has previously sold its furniture on various platforms, such as Alibaba Tmall in China, but the Preowned platform marks the company's entry into the second-hand goods market. "It's been a dream for some time," Brodin emphasized. "We are at a stage of development where we can do more modern things. The company is developing in a digital direction." The new platform is just one example of the changes that have taken place in the company in recent years: IKEA has "gone beyond" major cities, offering products online, and is also opening stores in other formats, such as product planning and ordering points. Incidentally, the point opened on April 11, 2024 in Liepaja. This is the first smaller IKEA format in Latvia. About 100 different products can be purchased on site, and all the company's services available in Latvia are also available in Liepaja.
