IKEA is opening a world of furnishing possibilities to millions of Android users around the world, allowing more people to see how a great piece of furniture might amp up their space. IKEA Place lets users confidently experiment, experience and “place” 3-D representations of more than 3,200 IKEA products into their space to ensure that they are just the right size and design. From sofas and lighting to beds and wardrobes. IKEA Place is now available on Android for all ARCore compatible devices.
“When we first launched IKEA Place, we gave our customers the opportunity to ‘try before you buy’ for the first time since IKEA was established. Customers truly appreciate that and we are now helping them to create a better life at home using our AR technology. Today’s release is about bringing the ease of IKEA Place to over 100 million Android devices”, says Michael Valdsgaard, Leader Digital Transformation at Inter IKEA Systems.
Visual search
The latest release has a range of new features, including Visual Search powered by Grokstyle. This allows people to take a picture with their phone of any furniture they see, and then find similar or matching IKEA products through the app, ready for purchase.
“Barriers between the digital and physical world are disappearing fast. To keep pace with that change, we focus on opening up new ways for people to access IKEA, wherever they are”, Michael continues.
Play the furnishing game
To coincide with the launch of the IKEA Place app on Android, IKEA has teamed up with lifestyle blogger Caroline Solomon (@lowcheekbones) to explore the potentially relationship-saving service IKEA Place provides.
The app makes it fun and easy for couples, families and friends to reach common ground on design choices.
Matchers Keepers is a gameshow series, hosted by Caroline, where couples and flatmates team up and find out how well their tastes really match. The premise for the game is simple, and easy to play at home. Contestants use the IKEA Place app to pick and place a variety of furniture items over a series of three rounds. Teams score a win by picking out matching items and placing them in the same spot in their room.
It is simple to play Matchers Keepers at home, with friends, or at family get-togethers:
1. Download IKEA Place onto your phone and the phone of your partner.
2. Select a space that's in need of some home furnishing.
3. Put thirty seconds on a clock, then begin!
4. Search for and Place what you think looks best in the space.
5. Time's up! Share what you've selected with your partner.
6. If it’s a match, keep your partner! If it’s not a match, keep your partner and talk about what you have placed. Then play the game again!
