Ikea appoints Agency.com for online CRM

by Ed Kemp, Marketing 28-Jun-06, 07:00

LONDON - Ikea has hired digital specialist Agency.com to handle its online customer relationship marketing and in-store digital business.

The agency has been tasked with driving brand loyalty and bringing in new customers. Its appointment comes as Ikea plans to open 10 small-format stores in the UK to increase footfall by 10m over the next year.

The Swedish brand recently launched in-store plasma screens, for which Agency.com will develop a digital strategy to boost interest in special offers.

Agency.com, which picked up the account following a competitive pitch, has also been briefed to launch an eCRM and e-commerce programme. This will be given a soft-launch later this year with a full roll-out in 2007.

The retailer is set to launch its first fully transactional website in the UK in the next 18 months.

Other CRM activity over the past year has included plans to introduce a quarterly magazine, Ikea Family Live, to the UK market. The title is already available in nine other European countries, where it is distributed to loyalty scheme members.

Earlier this year, the company launched Ikea Live, an in-store radio station, in 14 of its outlets.

The station, which is run by Immedia Broadcasting, was introduced in January following a trial period of several months. Content, which is broadcast from Immedia's studios, comprises news, music and information on offers.

Ikea, which began trading in the UK almost 20 years ago, is also set to refit its warehouses to devote more space to restaurants and cafés, which it hopes will improve the shopping experience.

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