Furniture retailer, Ikea, is launching online shopping and click & collect in North Queensland during April this year.

The retailer is currently conducting home visits to gain insights into the local area ahead of the launch of its click and collect service, which will be available from local pickup points located in Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.

According to Ikea, the home visits will help target the local demographic with tailored product ranges.

“We’re very excited to soon bring click and collect to North Queensland, which will provide access for more Queenslanders to a wide range of affordable, quality home furnishing products,” said Michael Donath, multichannel manager for Ikea Australia.

“The area already has a great appetite for an Ikea presence with an existing customer base of those willing to travel to Brisbane in order to make a purchase.”

In November last year, Donath told Inside Retail that Ikea wants 10 per cent of total sales to eventually come from its e-commerce operations, as part of a wider growth strategy that’s seen the company double its Australian store footprint from four to eight over the last few years.

The global retailer has learnt from expanding into the online space in the UK eight years ago, and is now positioning itself to offer an agile platform that can respond to changing consumers, including mobile.

Despite only functioning as a catalogue, Donath said the company’s website pulls in 40 million visits per year – 50 per cent of which come from mobile.

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