IKEA Offers Customers An Alternative To Black Friday

During a limited period from November 25, Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, will offer customers a discount on products in the As-Is section of the store, an area which all year round offers customer returns, secondhand, or ex-display products at a lower price than buying new. The offer will be available across Ingka Group markets and builds on previous campaigns which have raised awareness on prolonging the life of products and supporting customers to give products they no longer need a second chance.

During the activation period there will be two options for markets to activate the offer*. Customers can receive a general discount on products in the As-Is section of their local IKEA store, or – when buying As-Is products – they will receive a discount voucher that can be saved and used for a later date. Since launching its Buy Back & Resell service and its first campaign offer in 2020, Ingka Group has seen over one million items of furniture brought back to its stores to prolong the product life.

“We are constantly exploring new ways to offer lower prices to our customers, and this limited offer will also give customers a chance to help prolong the life of a product and give it a second life. Today, around 10% of the global second-hand home furnishing market is made up of IKEA products," says Tolga Öncü, Ingka Retail Manager (COO), Ingka Group.

“We continue to see an increase in the resale rate of the furniture sold from our As-Is areas and last year over 36 million products were resold. Affordability and sustainability remain our cornerstones going forward – and that also means that we want to make our products and services available to more of the many people,” he says.

The ‘As-Is’ part of IKEA stores offer a variety of products at an even more affordable price than buying new. These products can include customer returns, discontinued, second-hand or ex-display products. The area also provides tips, information and inspiration on how customers can prolong the life of IKEA products. The area continues to be expanded online, and this service is now available for 278 stores in 24 countries.

“This offer gives us another unique opportunity to support customers in giving IKEA products a second chance and more importantly keep resources in use for longer. With our size and reach we have millions of interactions with consumers all over the world and initiatives like this provide an opportunity to raise awareness and provide knowledge on our services and platforms. This can support customers to actively participate in circular actions and behaviours,” says Karen Pflug, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ingka Group.

Ingka Group continues to explore solutions how to ‘Keep good things going’ and reach its ambition to transition towards a circular business by using products and materials at their highest value for as long as possible through reuse, repair and recycling. This includes services like Buy Back & Resell, offering As-Is products in stores and online, providing free assembly parts, and making circular investments like RetourMatras, which recycles mattresses into materials for new mattresses.

In September IKEA Retail markets in Norway and Spain began to test a new second-hand marketplace in the cities of Madrid and Oslo, to help customers connect, buy, and sell preowned IKEA items with each other.

The suggested activation period for IKEA Retail markets is from 25 November to 2 December with exact dates set by each IKEA Retail market who run the campaign.

*During activation period, each IKEA Retail market will decide which of the two offers to activate: Option 1: A percentage off discount offer for the As-Is section of the IKEA store for a limited time activation – (recommended 1 week activation from 25 November). Option 2: Customers that buy As-Is products for a minimum sum, will be offered a voucher with a percentage of Euros off, to be used for a next visit (within 30-60 days – decided by each market).

Source : Ingka Group

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