End of an era: Ikea Canada says goodbye to printed catalogue
Posted December 7, 2020 5:47 pm.
Ikea announced Monday that the 2021 edition of its famed product catalogue will be its last, ending a 70-year run.
IKEA Canada announces the end of an era. Its iconic catalogue will now be published in a digital-only format. The first IKEA catalogue was published in 1951.
— Mike Eppel (@eppman) December 7, 2020
The Swedish furniture giant said the decision is part of an ongoing transformation toward digital operations, which reaches consumers where they shop.
Ikea said online retail sales were up 41.9 percent last year, with more than 178.5 million visits to its website.
Retailers across Canada have increasingly offered sales options online and through mobile apps, with the trend accelerating this year as widespread store closures made digital shopping the only option in some areas.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business recently reported more than 150,000 small businesses in Canada have entered the e-commerce market since March. In all, about a third now offers online sales.
Ikea says its first catalogue was published in 1951 in Sweden, with the first digital version in 2000. The company’s first e-commerce service was launched in Sweden and Denmark in 2001.