My recent trip to IKEA was tough. It wasn’t just the journey, it was finding what I was looking for when I got there. Buying affordable Matter-compatible smart home gear off the shelf is virtually impossible unless you’re shopping at IKEA, so you would think that everything is attractively displayed and laid out.
Not so.
It wasn’t simply that IKEA had rearranged things since my previous visit. The absolute state of the shelves, the lack of consistency in how the bulbs were displayed, and the absence of certain Thread-based devices left me pretty dismayed.
However, it isn’t just the way the Matter gear is displayed that lets IKEA down. Sometimes, you can’t even find it.
You need to use the shortcuts
Every IKEA store is designed with shortcuts, provided to allow customers to skip large sections of the showroom and marketplace. Before Matter become significant, my main purpose for using these shortcuts was to reach the cafeteria, but they have a more important use.
While primarily designed for safety (for example, fire emergencies) and to allow staff to move efficiently around the store, these shortcuts can potentially get you to the Matter devices more quickly.
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Look for Hidden Doors: Shortcuts are often unmarked or unadvertised doors located in the showroom, sometimes hidden behind curtains or in corners, which lead directly to other sections like the marketplace.
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Study the Maps: IKEA provides maps throughout the store that show these shortcut paths, which are not always obvious when following the main arrows on the floor.
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Skip the Showroom: If you know exactly what you want, you can often enter through the exit (or go behind the escalators) to access the Marketplace and Warehouse directly, skipping the usual upper-level showroom completely.
Be aware that IKEA sometimes changes the location of its shortcuts to prevent customers from becoming too familiar with them. They want you to view the entire store.
If you cannot find the Matter devices, as an employee. Tell them you’re looking for lighting if you can’t find the section, and once there, if Matter devices remain out of sight, ask a lighting department employee. They should know what you’re looking for.
IKEA needs to jazz up the Matter
I’ve checked out Matter gear in three branches of IKEA in the UK: Sheffield, Gateshead, and Leeds. While there is obviously some months between each visit, neither store gave the impression that it really understood its smart home stock.
This is what I found at Gateshead:
I mean, where do you begin? The items are a mess, considering they’re potentially sensitive. Lamp bulbs are miscategorized, items are incorrectly labeled, and there is a general feeling that IKEA branches have no idea what they are selling.
For a store that demonstrates everything from kitchen tops to shelving solutions in a series of comfortable, functional, and utilitarian scenes, the fact that its most interactive range of products isn’t demonstrated is somewhat incredible.
What IKEA can do to fix this and sell Matter
I’ve been a big fan of IKEA’s involvement in Matter from the start. We all know that Matter has a long way to go before it hits perfection, but as a mass-market, industry-supported smart home platform, it is unparalleled.
So, what can IKEA do?
Well, it really needs to showcase Matter within the home. One walk around IKEA provides you with more ideas than you can implement in a single lifetime. The store is famous for its multiple kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms, all conceived to highlight a particular look, or furniture system.
It’s time to turn those talents to Matter.
After all, how difficult might it be to set up an interactive demo – perhaps in a living room of kitchen – and showcase the Matter lamps, the Thread-compaible sensors, and switches?
Yes, these setups can be frustrating to get right in some cases at home, but given IKEA is selling the DIRIGERA and related items, some form of live demo – perhaps with a giant “phone” with a version of the IKEA Home Smart app running – would seem to be long overdue.
DIRIGERA
A Matter-compatible smart hub that connects and automates IKEA smart devices, enabling flexible control through the IKEA Home smart app, voice assistants, and remote triggers.
KLIPPBOK Water Leakage Sensor
A small, smart water leakage sensor that detects leaks, sounds an alert, and can notify your phone when connected to a hub.
KAJPLATS E12 WS Globe
A powerful smart LED bulb with adjustable white tones and dual Zigbee/Thread connectivity for flexible, connected lighting.
IKEA’s promotion of Matter is pivotal
For the Matter-based smart home to become mainstream, potential consumers who are not tech aligned need to now about it. Plumbers, TV/entertainment system installation engineers, and general electricians are becoming more familiar with Matter and Thread. They understand its importance to smart homes, as do builders developing new builds around smart infrastructure.
For Matter to gain the traction it needs, it has to be visible to the people who make the decisions in the household. That is usually (but not always) the wife, or stay-at-home spouse. The person who spends the most time in the home typically decides how it should look, and orchestrates the trips to IKEA.
Despite it being more available at IKEA than any other store, Matter is missing in the Swedish furniture retailer. Its presence is not appreciated, it is poorly marketed, and for the IKEA-style smart home to be properly embraced, the strength of the DIRIGERA, the KAJPLATS bulbs, the KLIPPBOK water sensor, and all the other devices need to be firmly on display.
IKEA can demonstrate dumb lights. I’m certain they can handle smart ones.
