MAM
IKEA enters Bengaluru with eCommerce & mobile shopping app
Mumbai: Swedish home furnishing retailer IKEA on Thursday announced the launch of its eCommerce services and mobile shopping app in Bengaluru. The people of Bengaluru will now be able to choose from over 8,000+ functional and sustainable home furnishing products and solutions from the furnishing giant’s website.
This announcement comes soon after the brand opened its second IKEA India store in Navi Mumbai in December 2020, and the recent online entry into Gujarat. IKEA’s much awaited Bengaluru market entry, led by eCommerce and mobile shopping app is the first step in entering the market and marks a significant milestone in the Swedish retailer’s new retail direction which aims to bring it closer to where people are, focusing on both digital and physical formats with an omnichannel approach.
IKEA already has an online presence today in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara.
The IKEA online store will provide solutions, inspiration and ideas which reflect the home furnishing needs of the many people in Bengaluru. The newly launched IKEA mobile shopping app features product recommendations, ratings, and reviews, along with easier searching and browsing experience. The app also allows customers to add the products to their shopping list even while physically browsing through the products in the store. Customers can also find a built-in barcode scanner which will help them learn more details about the products, including materials and dimensions.
IKEA India CEO & chief sustainability officer Peter Betzel said, “Karnataka is a very important market for IKEA and Bengaluru is one of the largest home furnishing markets in India. We will bring a complete omnichannel offer to the market and are excited to take the first step now with the launch of our eCommerce channel and meeting the many people in Bengaluru with their aspirations and dreams for a better life at home. IKEA will also open a big IKEA store, close to 400,000 sq. ft. in Nagasandra within a year. The store will be connected to the Nagasandra metro station, supporting faster and greener commute for the many people to the IKEA store. Over time, we will also open a city centre store within Bengaluru to be even more accessible and connect with many more people.”
Over the next five years, across different IKEA businesses in Bengaluru, the company plans to engage around 2500 workers directly with 50 per cent diversity across all levels and will generate close to 1200 indirect jobs linked with its business operations. IKEA works with nine Home Furnishing suppliers in Karnataka including a social entrepreneur engaging 1200 local artisans, thereby increasing its local sourcing footprint in the state.
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
