Ikea deploys software to track home deliveries

Home furnishing retailer Ikea has deployed specialist software to improve the management of its home deliveries.

The Swedish company, which offers a home delivery service for large items purchased at its shops or through its catalogue, is investing in the software to route deliveries to customers more efficiently and to track their progress more effectively.

'Our home deliveries are a growing part of our business and will probably accelerate,' said Adrian Worth, customer order distribution manager at Ikea UK.

'Our concern was that, as their volume grew, the inefficiencies in our operation would become more problematic.'

Worth says the technology behind the old home delivery system was unreliable, and that staff had to track deliveries manually.

Ikea is implementing home delivery management software from vendor Axida under the terms of a £1m deal, which will integrate the information it handles more easily with existing sales, supply chain and customer back-office systems.

The software also connects into the routing, tracking and administrative systems of transportation partner Excel Logistics, which handles Ikea's deliveries.

The first stage of a phased deployment of the software went live in Ikea's distribution warehouse and customer contact centre earlier this month.

'At this stage, we are using it to track orders; as a routing mechanism to assist the delivery company find the best route; and to provide better information to our customer service department about the deliveries,' said Worth.

The software will be extended by the end of the year to allow customers to track their purchases via Ikea's web site. More detailed data will also help to reduce inaccurate deliveries and the waste created in the supply chain.