Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has rolled out an iPhone application that lets consumers browse the company’s collection and find in-store items.
The IKEA iPhone app is available for free download from Apple’s App Store. The app points to the growing need from retailers to enhance the in-store shopping experience with mobile features such as in-store mapping and inventory.
“There are great use cases to support a limited or no-commerce experience for a bricks-and-mortar retailer,” said Blake Sirach, vice president of design at Willow Tree Apps, Charlottesville, VA.
“For example, shoppers that like to plan prior to visiting a retail location can use an app like this to initiate dialogue with salespeople,” he said.
“A shopper can simply create a list of items prior to visiting, and a salesperson can walk them through each item, ideally increasing sales conversions as a result of the mobile planning process.”