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A persons hands holding an iPad which is running an AR furniture-placement app.

Published 07 June 2017 • Inter IKEA newsroom

New collaboration between IKEA and Apple

We are happy to announce an upcoming effort in the area of augmented reality (AR). IKEA is looking at the possibility to further explore the use of AR as a tool for home furnishing, which brings IKEA closer to the homes of the many people - all through iPhone and iPad, no matter where they are.

Once iOS 11 becomes available later this fall, IKEA customers will get an app that is useful, fun and easy to use. An app that helps IKEA customers to visualise what IKEA products will look like in their own homes, before buying the products.

“This technology makes it easier to make buying decisions in your own home, get inspired and try many different products, styles and colours in real-life settings with the swipe of your finger. I think that augmented reality and virtual reality will be a total game changer for retail in the same way as the internet. Only this time, it will be much faster, and accessible to billions of customers using iPhone and iPad”, says Michael Valdsgaard, Leader Digital Transformation at Inter IKEA Systems.

Apple’s advanced technology allowed IKEA to gain speed in the development of new innovative tools for our customers. We want to continue to build on the positive experience of augmented reality that we have gained through the IKEA Catalogue app “Place in your room”. Apple’s hardware and software platforms provide the stability needed to create a great AR experience. And their new platform available with iOS 11, ARKit, has solved critical technical hurdles that help make AR a more accessible tool for real-life decision making.

The collaboration was presented at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference on 5 June 2017 and at the IKEA Democratic Design Days on 7 June. The new augmented reality app will be available in fall 2017.

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About IKEA

IKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. There are several companies with different owners, working under the IKEA Brand, all sharing the same vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943.

About the IKEA franchise system

The IKEA retail business is operated through a franchise system with franchisees that are authorised to market and sell the IKEA product range within specified geographical territories. Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the owner of the IKEA Concept and worldwide IKEA franchisor, who also assigns different IKEA companies to develop the product range, supply products and deliver communication solutions. Today, 12 different groups of companies have the right to own and operate IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V.

About Inter IKEA Group

Inter IKEA Group includes Inter IKEA Systems B.V., IKEA of Sweden AB, IKEA Supply AG and IKEA Industry AB related businesses. Inter IKEA Holding B.V. is the holding company for the Inter IKEA Group.

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