5 Major IKEA Changes Coming to Stores, and How They’ll Affect You
IKEA, the Swedish home goods store everyone knows and loves for its affordable furniture, decor, and yummy meatballs, is in the middle of a major transformation. Whether you’re a longtime shopper or planning your first Billy bookcase purchase, you’ll likely notice some big changes at the retailer this year—which happens to be the brand’s 40th anniversary here in the U.S.
From new store formats and upgraded tech to sustainability initiatives and easier payment options, here are the biggest IKEA changes happening right now that you should know—and how they’ll impact your next home makeover.
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1
New Smaller Store Formats Are Coming Near You
Gone are the days when your only IKEA option was a giant warehouse 45 minutes away. The company is now launching smaller-format stores called “Plan & Order Points,” designed for urban and suburban areas.
These compact shops focus on services like design consultations and online order pickups.
“While customers will not find the entire IKEA product range on-site, the small store format offers the most relevant range of products and provides digital access to everything that IKEA offers,” a spokesperson told The Hill.
There are currently 17 Plan & Order Points across the U.S. New locations have already opened in Cherry Hill, PA; Hunt Valley, MD; Beaverton, OR; Scottsdale, AZ; and in California cities including Santa Monica, Colma, and Thousand Oaks, according to Omni Talk.
2
You’ll Get a More Personalized, High-Tech Experience
IKEA is also going digital in a big way. The brand’s IKEA Place app uses augmented reality to let you “see” furniture in your space before you buy—cutting down on bad buys and returns, according to Renascence.io.
More upgrades are on the way, too. IKEA is experimenting with artificial intelligence, virtual reality shopping, and smarter personalization tools to help recommend products that suit your space, taste, and budget.
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3
Your Old IKEA Furniture May Be Worth Money
As part of its goal to become a fully circular business by 2030, IKEA is expanding its “Buy Back & Resell” program. In participating stores, you can now return gently used IKEA furniture for store credit, giving your old Malm dresser a second life and reducing waste.
IKEA is also redesigning products with recycled and renewable materials—including a new recyclable fiberboard—and switching to bio-based adhesives to reduce environmental impact.
4
Sustainability at the Store Level, Too
Beyond the products themselves, IKEA is investing in sustainability behind the scenes. That includes more electric delivery vehicles, EV chargers at select stores, and revamped “As-Is” sections featuring more return-eligible items.
It’s all part of IKEA’s push to meet the growing consumer demand for eco-conscious shopping—without raising prices.
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5
New Ways to Save and Pay
IKEA is also rethinking how it rewards loyalty. Instead of limited in-store deals, its new “Loyalty Club” approach focuses on lowering everyday prices across hundreds of items.
You can also now buy now, pay later with Afterpay, according to Retail Touch Points. This makes it easier for many shoppers to afford big-ticket purchases like sofas and kitchen cabinetry with more flexible payments.