IKEA Harajuku, the first IKEA urban store in Japan, opened in June 2020. The store also features a Swedish convenience store and a Swedish café, creating a comfortable space that reflects the lifestyles and needs of city dwellers.
From the suburbs to the city center. As part of their global strategy, IKEA has been developing urban stores to meet the changing needs of consumers for years. These stores aim to be closer to millennials and one-person households living in urban centers. In Tokyo, IKEA and IDEO have begun collaborating on what kind of store should be created for the opening of the first store in 2020.
IKEA is generally known for its vast warehouse-type stores located in suburban areas. This suburban business model is based on the premise that customers "come to the store." However, in light of the recent trend of people returning to urban areas and the increasing number of households without cars, IKEA has begun to steer its business in the direction of "visiting" customers living in the city center itself. Understanding the lifestyles, living environments, and home furnishings of urban dwellers is the key to understanding their lifestyles and home furnishings.
We conducted research with a wide range of customers, including DIYers, college students who have moved to Tokyo for higher education, people who enjoy moving, home buyers, minimalists, furniture subscribers, and others.
Based on the insights gained from the research, we developed "Tokyo Rhythm," a clear vision of what IKEA's urban stores should be like.
Onigiri bought at the convenience store every morning. A salary that is transferred on the 20th of every month. Or the personnel changes every April. Life in Tokyo is coloured by various routines and events, creating a unique rhythm for those who live there. IKEA urban stores must keep up with the rhythm of people living in the city and be a store that "changes" with the people who live there as if it were "alive" itself.
Through the production of the concept video, we expressed the fast-paced but exciting life in Tokyo and the expanding possibilities of IKEA's urban stores through sound and imagery.
