Ikea Rolls Out Nationwide Assembly Services With TaskRabbit
Ikea announced plans on Tuesday to roll out a furniture assembly program with labor marketplace TaskRabbit nationwide. Customers can book a "tasker" through TaskRabbit to assemble their Ikea furniture for a flat price depending on the size of the item. The service is currently available in New York City and San Francisco, and will be released in more major cities throughout the year. Customers also may sign up for the service online in locations where TaskRabbit is already available. Ikea's other assembly services were only available for online orders and required assembly at the time of delivery, whereas a Tasker can assemble furniture that was bought in-store and work around the customer's schedule.
Total Retail's Take: For a non-handy person like myself, this is great news. Ikea recognizes the frustration that assembling its furniture can often generate, and is taking steps to alleviate that customer pain point. Convenience is critical for today's shoppers, whether that be pre- or post-purchase, and Ikea is offering that with its deal with TaskRabbit. A further benefit of the partnership between Ikea and TaskRabbit is flat-rate pricing for furniture assembly. According to CNBC, a single Pax wardrobe costs $81 to assemble through TaskRabbit's Ikea program. Ikea's other assembly service costs $159 for the item and various Craigslist listings have displayed prices between $100 and $200. Fair prices and you get to avoid the hassle of putting together the item yourself? Sounds like a win-win to this consumer.
