IKEA has finally opened its new concept store at JEM, making it the first IKEA store in the west of Singapore, as well as Southeast Asia’s first small-store concept. Opening its doors to the public on 29 April with a brand new store layout, more digital shopping experiences and lots of exciting opening specials, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect.
A brand new layout
We’re all used to the classic two-floor IKEA layout: furniture on top, decor at the bottom. This small-store concept presents things a little differently. Instead of spanning two large floors, the store at JEM takes up three whole floors of the mall, each one dedicated to different areas of the house: living and dining on the bottom, bedroom and bathroom in the middle and the kitchen at the top. While each floor is smaller than what we may be used to, the extra level more than makes up for it.
In fact, despite being called a small-store concept, the new IKEA branch packs a punch with over 6,500 square metres of space and over 12 realistic room settings to explore, alongside 16 vignettes and 2 homes depicting various living situations in Singapore. Over 2,500 furnishings are available at the store for direct purchase, while the rest can be scanned for convenient home delivery.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an IKEA store without the famous IKEA Restaurant, Bistro and Swedish Food Market, which are located alongside the kitchen on the top floor.
One-stop kiosks
Image courtesy of IKEA
For a more seamless shopping experience, the new IKEA store incorporates a total of eight handy mobile kiosks with built-in access to the IKEA website, Family sign-up and a quick feedback system. You can also use them to find your way around all three floors and easily check out pricing by scanning items around the store.
Cashless check-outs, faster queues
The first of IKEA’s entirely cashless stores, the JEM branch comes with a unique self-checkout area on each floor, with dedicated monitors to help you locate the fastest queue. The information on the displays spans the entire store, so you’ll be able to quickly join the queue on another level if yours is too crowded.
Interactive kids’ play area
Image courtesy of IKEA
While the best part of the IKEA Restaurant is undoubtedly the Swedish meatballs, the new store has another highlight in this area: an interactive digital wall to keep the kids (and even adults) occupied. It makes use of motion sensors and interactive media content to allow customers to colour in various images by waving their hands and legs.
Click & collect at the IKEA Restaurant
For selected food items, you’ll now be able to click and collect to skip the queues at the IKEA Restaurant. This allows you to order food before arriving at the restaurant so you can grab a seat straightaway or get some takeaway on the way out. Once the order is ready, you’ll receive an alert on your phone to pick up your food at a designated counter. Easy peasy!
Beam projection while shopping
Image courtesy of IKEA
For those furnishings with hidden perks and benefits, IKEA figured out an ingenious way to let you know instantly what each piece of furniture can do. A static beam is projected onto selected beds, sofas and wardrobes, revealing unknown mechanisms and secret storage space.
Mobile counters and tech-savvy staff
Each level of the new IKEA store is fitted out with a Planning Station to visualise your favourite furnishings, alongside 19 other digital tablet stands. You can use these independently to view IKEA’s range of products and plan out your purchase, but for those of us who are not quite so tech-savvy, the staff are equipped and willing to help with a mobile system on hand.
Opening specials galore
Image courtesy of IKEA
What would an opening day be without some special events and offers? For the new store’s opening day, you’ll be able to win a $200 gift card with the newest IKEA catalogue, receive a KLAMBY bag if you’re one of the first 500 customers, enter a draw for 100,000 IKEA Family points, get $3,000 worth of furniture vouchers when you book a home renovation with Livspace, and redeem some exciting food offers. Head over to the new store on 29 April to find out more!
