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Dive Brief:
Ikea in January will debut over 20 new smart products compatible with Matter, the universal smart home standard that allows devices from different brands to work together, the company announced Wednesday.
The home retailer will also focus on sound products, launching its Nattbad Bluetooth speaker in July and its Blomprakt speaker in October.
Ikea is also launching a collaboration with Swedish designer Tekla Severin that combines technology with personal style, “in a way that invites more personality into home electronics,” the company said in a release.
Dive Insight:
With its upcoming smart home product range, Ikea is looking to offer shoppers affordable, user-friendly technology.
“The aim is not to add technology for its own sake, but to make products that adapt to people and their everyday challenges, while making homes more supportive and adaptable for everyday life,” the company said in an announcement.
Using the Matter system, Ikea’s products will become brand-compatible. A smart home hub, like the company’s Dirigera, is required to add Matter-enabled products to a home setup.
“Until now, smart home technology hasn’t been easy enough to use for most people, or affordable enough for many to consider,” David Granath, range manager at Ikea of Sweden, said in a statement. “Bringing Matter to our products means we are taking a big step in the right direction, offering compatibility across brands, and lowering the threshold for people to get started. Our goal is to make the smart home easy to use, easy to understand, and within reach for the many.”
The retailer will announce additional updates about its smart home product assortment and collaborations leading up to January.
Ikea’s smart home rollout marks its continued investment in the category. In 2017, the company expanded the availability of its smart lighting system. Two years later, the company established its Ikea Home smart business unit, an entity tasked with developing its smart home offerings.
Meanwhile, other retailers have ventured into the smart home space. Last October, Ashley partnered with Samsung to launch the Connected Home Experience using Samsung SmartThings software. Ashley created vignettes at its flagship store in Brentwood, Tennessee, featuring over 200 Samsung and SmartThings-compatible devices to demonstrate to shoppers how the technology can fit within their living spaces.
Beyond expanding its tech device lineup, Ikea is growing its store footprint. The company this year announced plans to open eight new stores, including specially formatted locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Oregon.
In recent years, the retailer has made an effort to cut prices on hundreds of products and reintroduced its New Lower Price initiative, which offers discounts on Ikea products at U.S. stores and online.