Ikea Solves Soviet

摘要

Ikea has been diversifying its business model as fewer consumers trek to the big-box suburban showrooms that helped turn it into a furniture giant. In Russia, it found a way to replicate part of that shopping experience on the web-thanks to a preference for uniformity among Soviet city planners. About 60% of Russians live in standard, Soviet-era apartment blocks, which have a limited number of designs and floor plans. Ikea has replicated the layouts on its Russian website and given them virtual makeovers, letting a customer select suggested items and furnish her apartment with a few mouse clicks.