Ikea's Wim Blaauw talks major digital transformation push
Ikea is currently undergoing the biggest digital transformation in its almost 80-year history.
“We are realistic. We know that the first thing that springs to mind are “big blue boxes” when people think of us, and not technology or digital innovation,” says co-Chief Digital Officer Wim Blaauw.
“When I joined the digital organisation two years ago (the digital transformation push) is what attracted me.”
“The challenges and the opportunity to bring the same Ikea magic that our customers experience in-store to every interaction they have with us. We put people at the heart of everything we do – designing customer and co-worker experiences that are inclusive, equitable and diverse.”
In terms of the next five years, Blaauw wants Ikea to keep its “friendly rebel spirit, and the vision of wanting to do the right thing for the many people and for the planet we all call home”.
He comments: “We commit to only using data and technology as a force of good and will have exciting news coming around this in the near future.”
Ikea Kreativ, meanwhile, recently launched in the US market.
This is an AI powered experience enabling customers to create lifelike room designs.
It “combines decades of Ikea life at home expertise with the latest developments in spatial computing, machine learning and 3D mixed reality technologies”.
“If that’s not magic I don’t know what is. I look forward to this being rolled out in more markets, and further exploring the opportunities of marrying our life at home knowledge with technology,” says Blaauw.
Memorable moments
Today marks 20 years for Blaauw at Ikea.
“We are most probably in one of the most challenging periods the world has faced, from the war in Ukraine, to climate change, to the lasting impacts that Covid-19 have had on society and businesses. Where I feel hopeful is that I can already see that it is bringing us even closer,” he says.
“To link back to something (Ikea founder) Ingvar Kamprad said, and I’m paraphrasing here, but if we can strive to make every day just a little bit better, then we are creating positive impact.”
Looking at highlights over the years, his time as deputy CEO for UK & Ireland was “special for many different reasons. It was my first real experience leading a big transformation, and from a personal experience moving with my wife and young kids to a new country was a story with many successes and great fun along the way.”
He adds: “When I worked in group customer fulfilment we had both a cost and customer satisfaction challenge.”
“We looked into our processes, ways of working and organisation design. We became much more market led with clear responsibilities for operations and development and we turned it around.”
