Ikea pilots virtual product experience in Welcome to Bloxburg on Roblox platform

Ikea has kicked off a pilot of a new digital experience on Welcome to Bloxburg, a game on the Roblox platform where players build and design homes. 

Running in Sweden and Australia, the aim is to explore how the retailer’s products can be experienced in interactive digital environments. It is designed as a small scale test to evaluate customer engagement and learnings.

“This pilot is very much about learning and exploring. We’re using it to better understand how digital environments can enrich the Ikea experience, while continuing to stay true to our values and what customers expect from us,” says Parag Parekh, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at Ikea Retail (Ingka Group).

The pilot features a limited assortment of well known Ikea products, including the STOCKHOLM sofa, the ELSYSTEM rug and the BLÅHAJ shark, selected to explore different use cases in a virtual environment.

From 22nd January to 5th February, these products will be available to unlock in Bloxburg, at the in-game Ikea pop-up in the Fancy Furniture Store, or from the product library, helping Ikea teams assess design translation, usability, and customer engagement in a digital setting. Visitors to Ikea stores in Australia and Sweden will also be able to unlock a few extra items by scanning QR codes hidden around the store. 

‘’We’re delighted to bring some of our most loved products into this digital space. With curiosity, we’re looking forward to seeing the home furnishing ideas people create, and how our products feel at home in their digital lives,” says Sara Vestberg, Home Furnishing Direction Leader at Ikea Retail (Ingka Group). 

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Digital retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.