gory,” Kavitha Rao, India’s chief commercial officer. “It’s not about capturing at the market share but growing the market itself. There’s space for a lot more players,” she added. The multinational conglomerate wants a bigger share in India’s $40 billion-worth ‘home and living’ pie – a complex market which is fragmented and dominated by unorganised smaller outlets. Challenges and solutions Known for its minimalistic aesthetics, Ikea is the world’s largest furniture retailer and operates in over 50 countries. Yet, India is a tough nut to crack for any retailer. Here, bespoke furniture is handed over to generations and antique pieces hold a symbolic status in households. In many customs, cots and other homewares are gifted to newlyweds. Presently, the international furniture giant has two prominent stores in the southern city of Hyderabad and on the outskirts of the financial capital Mumbai. Two others for Bangalore and Delhi are in the pipeline. Ikea’s online platform offers shopping in seven cities. It plans to unveil as many as 30 stores in the next seven years. “There are 49 cities in India with more than a million people. So, this will take a lifetime for us and we’re in a step-by-step approach. First, we will look at megacities and then large cities,” said Rao. No Indian city is similar to another. Mumbai is different from Hyderabad is different from Bangalore from a consumer’s standpoint, she explained. So are the requirements and solutions. “Homes in Hyderabad are much larger and in Mumbai are smaller. If you visit the Ikea stores in Mumbai and Hyderabad, the products are nearly similar but the solutions are different,” said Rao. She added that the Mumbai stores offer products with vertical storage solutions with plenty of storage and organising options. “We’ve always taken these nuances into account and worked with it.” Similarly, storage furniture is another segment where Ikea tweaked its offerings based on its initial learnings. “As a Scandinavian retailer, we had a large open storage concept. But when we came to India, considering the conditions of dust and cleaning needs, most book cases have closed storage,” said Rao. Breakfast, biryanis, and homeware As part of its years-long market research, Ikea’s team have spent considerable time in over 2,000 Indian households to understand the life at home and individual’s interactions with the furniture. This helped the Scandinavian retailer to heavily recast its product range, as well as re-working their restaurant menu. “Food is an important part of Indian consumers’ lives,” said Kavitha Rao, India’s chief commercial officer. Known for its Swedish meatballs served at its European stores, Ikea has switched to local delicacies like biryanis, vada pav, and dhokla at its stores.  “Most consumers don’t relate Ikea stores to breakfast but perhaps lunch and dinner or snacks. We wanted to try to change that,” explained Rao. “A visit to an Ikea store is a full-day package with food and children’s activities. An Ikea store is designed as a fun day out for the family. Once the consumers visit, they’re completely sold on to the idea of the concept. And then we see repeat customers.” The consumer spending on the home furnishing category in terms of percentage of the disposable income is about 4.5 per cent across segments in India. This is significantly lesser compared to markets like Europe, North America and other Asian countries where the same number is between eight and 12 per cent. This means brands like Ikea have abundant room to rapidly grow. “India was among the top 10 home furnishing markets across the world a few years ago. By 2030, India will be in the top five. That’s a significant jump. The markets will double every five years or so, in terms of size,” emphasised Rao. Pandemic, an opportunity While the unforeseen Covid-19 disruption wreaked havoc across markets which relied on the consumers’ desire to touch and feel products, it helped Ikea to shift to an omnichannel approach and boost its online presence. “Against the backdrop of the pandemic, India is among the few markets where the adoption of digital services is the highest. The Indian consumer is mobile-first. For us, it is not just the website but also the app. A significant portion of our consumers come online through the mobile app,” said Rao. “Consumers in the last few years have developed a level of confidence to shop online. Perhaps a decade ago, a consumer would have said sofa is one category where people would like to touch and feel. That has changed significantly.” In some ways, the lengthy pandemic was a blessing in disguise for Ikea which has curtailed people’s mobility. “People spend so much time at home and they have begun to realise the importance of home furnishing. It’s an interesting trend for us,” said Rao. “A study table was a luxury in most Indian homes before the pandemic. Now, every home will have not just one but one or two study tables. Or there’s multi-functional furniture – a dining table which doubles up as a study table,” she continued, adding that the sales of tables have risen post-pandemic. Simultaneously, Rao emphasised that value will remain the central factor in a price-sensitive market like India. “Ikea wants to make home furnishing more accessible and affordable. The future of home furnishing depends on bringing in not just relevant but also affordable home furnishing,” she said.