Elena Pogosova, Country Commercial Manager, IKEA India

New Delhi: IKEA India is looking to focus on the kids' range as children are the most important consumers in India and globally as well, said Elena Pogosova, country commercial manager at IKEA India in an interaction with ETRetail.

The company said it has seen stable growth across the children's category including its educational solutions, soft toys, and furnishing storage solutions for kids. However, the company did not share any figures.

Talking about the products and the developing category Pogosova shared, "As we are committed to sustainability, we responsibly source materials that we use in our products. Our kids' range doesn't have any kind of packaging, and we focus on sustainable production and manufacture products from recyclable material."

The company said it currently follows a child-centric approach to designing and curating its toy range to cater to the varied preferences of Indian children and the needs of young consumers. Pogosova stated, "Our approach is rooted in the understanding that every child loves toys, and we aim to make our toys not just entertaining but also education-driven supporting various aspects of a child's cognitive and physical growth."

As there is a diverse cultural landscape in India, "it is important to take consumer insights and so we localize the product range as per the Indian market," said Pogosova.

Apart from sustainability and localization, IKEA focuses on omnichannel development for the retail business to provide a better customer experience.

Sharing about the sales and business approach, Pogosova said, "We don't diversify between offline and online sales. We follow omnichannel where consumers can continue their online journey offline and vice-versa. We provide convenience and an enjoyable experience on both channels." She added, "We are working on providing solutions that are value for money and high-quality."

The company's sales in India surged 61 per cent to Rs 1,768 crore in FY23 helped by the opening of new brick-and-mortar stores and expansion of its online presence, as reported recently.

According to a recent filing with the Registrar of Companies, the retailer said it is continuing to work on its plans towards positioning, growth, and profitability of its omnichannel business in India and also opened smaller stores during the year.