6 things to look out for when the new 3-storey IKEA at Jem opens on Apr 29
A Click & Collect service at the restaurant and cashless check-outs with queue display are some of the innovative solutions in place at IKEA's newest store to make shopping for home furnishing – and enjoying those meatballs – more convenient.
It may be IKEA Singapore’s smallest store (to date) when it comes to size, but IKEA Jurong aims to be the biggest outlet in terms of new experiences and ideas.
IKEA officially opens its third Singapore store in Jem mall on Thursday (Apr 29), making it Southeast Asia’s first small-store concept. It is also the Swedish home furnishing giant’s first outlet in the west of Singapore, following outlets in Alexandra and Tampines.
Spanning over 6,500 sq m across three levels in Jem mall, this new outlet takes over the space previously occupied by Robinsons. Boasting three entrances and three exits, each level at IKEA Jurong is organised according to the room of the home: Level 2 is “Living Room”, Level 3 is “Bedroom” while Level 4 is “Kitchen” along with the IKEA food hall and restaurant.
Unlike the other two outlets, there is no main “Market Hall” in IKEA Jurong. Instead, each level offers a mix of furniture and accessories that you can conveniently pick up for purchase immediately.
It also offers furnishing inspiration from 12 room settings, 16 vignettes (free-standing inspiration areas which only shows a part of the room) and two homes that depict real-life living situations in Singapore.
For those who are counting, IKEA Tampines is roughly six times bigger than IKEA Jurong. But what it lacks in square footage, it aims to make up for in an enhanced and more convenient shopping experience with all-new digital solutions in-store.
Jaap Doornbos, IKEA's retail director for Singapore and Vietnam, told CNA Lifestyle that this new three-storey outlet is “a small store with big ambitions”.
“This small-store concept means we have a different way of merchandising the goods, (we also) offer cashless payments, click and collect food via an app, all of which we believe will work more efficiently for the customer," said Doornbos. "And this means we have more time for our staff to actually help customers with home furnishing questions.”
Here are six brand new things to look out for at IKEA Jurong:
CLICK & COLLECT SERVICE (FOR IKEA RESTAURANT)
Good news for fans of Swedish meatballs and fried chicken wings who hate to queue. IKEA Jurong’s brand new Click & Collect ordering service (for selected food items) will allow customers to order food before arriving at the restaurant or for takeaways. Once the order is ready, the customer will be alerted to pick up their food at its designated counter. This service will be available when the store opens on Apr 29.
INTERACTIVE PLAY PROJECTION FOR CHILDREN
A perfect answer to entertain kids and kids-at-heart alike during these COVID-19 times, IKEA Jurong boasts a digital interactive wall located in the restaurant at Level 4. Making use of motion sensors and interactive media content, this wall allows customers to colour pictures by waving their hands and legs.
ONE-STOP KIOSK
This 5-in-1 solution will support customers’ shopping experience by allowing them to access a host of platforms such as the IKEA Family sign-up and the IKEA website. Customers can also use the kiosk to find their way around the store and to check for the price of items by scanning its barcode. Eight of these kiosks will be scattered all over the three levels of IKEA Jurong.
ROVING STAFF WITH MOBILE SYSTEMS TO ASSIST CUSTOMERS
Like the other IKEA outlets, there will be one Planning Station at each level. However the big difference here is that IKEA Jurong will have staff, called co-workers in IKEA-speak, roving around the store with a tablet in hand to assist anyone with questions. There will be six such co-workers on every level and they are all multi-skilled to assist customers across all their needs regardless of department.
If you don't want to speak to anyone, there are also 19 digital stands that house a tablet that showcases the range of products and that work as a tool for customers to envision the various configurations of their furniture choice.
CASHLESS CHECK-OUTS WITH QUEUE DISPLAY
IKEA Jurong is the brand’s first cashless store and each of the three floors will have its own check-out area. This is to help customers avoid long queues at any particular check-out area, with digital information screens that show the number of people in the queue at every level’s check-out.
Special exceptions will be made for older IKEA customers not familiar with digital payments who come only with cash. In such cases, they may approach the information counter for help.
BEAM PROJECTION
This static digital solution is helpful in highlighting the hidden benefits of the selected piece of furniture. Customers can learn about the product without assistance from co-workers. Ten of these beam projections will be used in the bedroom, sofa and wardrobe areas.
To commemorate the opening of the new outlet, you can enjoy several promotions including a free KLAMBY bag for 500 people on opening day Apr 29 at 10am. This is limited to one bag per customer, on a first-come-first-served basis and while stocks last.
There are also food promotions at all three outlets, including your chance to grab IKEA’s gooey chocolate cake for just S$0.50 (usual price S$2) for dine-in on Apr 29 only while stocks last.
And don't miss your chance to get your hands on the last ever copy of IKEA's iconic catalogue before it goes digital. IKEA will be going around Singapore to distribute the last run of the 2021 IKEA catalogue – with an added bonus. Just pick up a copy, spot the unique eight-digit number at the back of the yellow band and you stand a chance to win a S$200 IKEA gift card. There'll be five winners in total and the winning digits will be announced on IKEA.sg/Jurong on May 31.
IKEA Jurong is at Jem shopping mall at 50 Jurong Gateway Road, #02-12/13/14, #03-15/16/17 & #04-20/21/22, Singapore 608549. It opens daily from 10am to 10pm.
