IKEA India, a part of the Ingka Group, has restarted its service with its newly introduced 'Click and Collect' option, which provides a safe and contactless shopping experience at its Hyderabad store.
The contactless shopping experience has been introduced as per latest government guidelines in view of COVID-19, the Swedish furniture-maker said in a press release on Monday.
IKEA had closed its store in Hyderabad on March 20, ahead of the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 'Click and Collect' service ensures minimal contact between co-workers and customers during delivery of the products from the store. Customers can order IKEA products on its website, pay online and select the 'Click and Collect' service option when checking out, the release said.
IKEA's delivery team would prepare the order for the customers to pick the products up from the 'Click and Collect' station in the store's car parking area in Hyderabad.
The team would notify the customer by text or e-mail when they could come over to the store and collect what they had ordered.
Manager of the Hyderabad store of IKEA, Aurelie Raimon said, "We are excited to meet our customers in Hyderabad again. With our new 'Click and Collect' offering, many people can buy their favourite home furnishing products in a safe and convenient way."
"Safety and security of our co-workers and customers are our top priority and all measures have been put in place to enable safe shopping and a safe working environment, in line with our own internal standards and government guidelines," Raimon said.
The company asked customers to ensure that their vehicle is ready for the pick-up by making space for the products. Customers have to carry an order confirmation, a pen, and official ID proof to collect the products.
"Wear your face masks before you enter the IKEA store premises. Customers will be denied entry if they don’t carry a face mask or have a temperature. In order to keep a safe environment, we will conduct non-contact temperature checks at the entrance before a customer enters the car park area," IKEA said.
"Every customer gets three dedicated parking slots instead of one, to maintain physical distancing norms. You will wait at the first parking slot. Your order will be brought to you on a trolley and placed in the second parking slot. You will pick your order. Load it into your vehicle, check if all items are correct according to your order, and confirm receiving your items. Drive off and enjoy your new purchase," it added.
The company also said that all handling equipment such as customer trolleys, metal platforms, and vehicle interiors are sanitised before and after deliveries.