[In the picture] Ikea opens innovative Collectomat in Belgium

Ikea has opened a Collectomat – only the third of its kind – in Zaventem near Brussels. The brand new “vending machine” is actually a system where customers can collect large online orders.

Huge vending machine

Ikea started testing the Collectomat system in January in Paris and Amsterdam, and has now opened a third test site in Belgium. The Zaventem branch also gets another test project: parcel delivery lockers for smaller online orders.

The Collectomat system is an 8.5-metre-high cylinder that works like a giant drinks vending machine: customers enter their order’s PIN and the Collectomat delivers the order on a trolley. The system can store up to 68 orders at once and can be refilled up to three times a day, meaning it can deliver more than 200 orders a day. During the test phase, the service is only available on opening days, but eventually it will become available 24/7.

Last financial year, Ikea Belgium saw a doubling of click&collect orders. Demand for home delivery is also increasing. The Zaventem shop was expanded to increase capacity for online services.