World Congress 2022 • Jun 15, 2022

IKEA Story: Transforming an Iconic Retail Brand

Parag Parekh

IKEA initially missed the e-commerce wave. To survive, they swapped legacy IT for agile microservices. See how this 3,000-strong engineering pivot scaled digital sales to 27%.

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#1 about 4 min

Experiencing everyday brand values through customer service

A personal anecdote demonstrates the importance of building trust and solving direct consumer problems.

#2 about 5 min

Modernizing legacy technology after missing digital trends

The shift in consumer habits driven by smartphones forces a comprehensive overhaul of backend platforms and web presence.

#3 about 2 min

Adapting physical retail formats for urban environments

Shifting away from massive suburban warehouses connects the brand with modern city dwellers through planning studios.

#4 about 10 min

Developing omnichannel retail and augmented reality tools

Upgrading mobile applications with 3D planning capabilities while simplifying data privacy policies builds customer engagement.

#5 about 3 min

Introducing financial solutions and sustainable energy models

Expanding core offerings to include consumer banking and renewable energy projects supports broader climate positive goals.

#6 about 3 min

Restructuring the operating model for software engineering

Adopting microservices architecture and in-house agile talent replaces traditional monolithic tech department structures.

#7 about 2 min

Establishing guiding principles for autonomous engineering teams

Aligning developer autonomy with tangible business problems guarantees that technical output directly improves market speed.

#8 about 2 min

Expanding the mission to human-centric societal impact

Elevating business objectives from customer centricity to human centricity empowers employees and supports ecological sustainability.

Matching moments

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4:29 min

Restructuring the HR operating model for modern businesses

Adriaan Kolff Adriaan Kolff +3 · WWC 2025

6:47 min

Driving digital and agile transformation within older enterprises

Nina Strempfl +1 · LIVE

2:16 min

Navigating multidimensional organizational transformations and market shifts

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

3:35 min

Choosing human led transformational priorities over pure tech

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

2:55 min

Determining the future of emotional and intelligent retail

Alejandro Saucedo Alejandro Saucedo +2 · WWC 2025

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