Soon, putting together Ikea furniture might not be a life- and/or marriage-ruining experience. Recode reports that the Swedish home-goods giant has purchased the on-demand work app TaskRabbit for an undisclosed amount. The move will hopefully help remedy the worst part of any Ikea purchase: the assembly.
TaskRabbit is practically the poster child for the gig economy, well-known for connecting users with its army of freelance workers to perform a wide variety of odd jobs. You can hire Taskers to help you move, clean out your closet, or even organize your weekly schedule, but by far one of the most popular uses of the app is furniture assembly. The acquisition will likely come as a relief to most Ikea customers, who previously had to choose from a variety of third-party options when it came to assembling their surprisingly complicated Malm bed frame.
TaskRabbit will also help Ikea expand in the digital furniture market, where it is currently in tough competition with Amazon. “We will be able to learn from TaskRabbit’s digital expertise, while also providing Ikea customers additional ways to access flexible and affordable service solutions to meet the needs of today’s customer,” Jesper Brodin, president and CEO of Ikea Group, said in a statement.
