IKEA turns massive catalog into podcast

IKEA is making its giant catalog accessible in a different format -- as a podcast.

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The Swedish retailer introduced an audio version of its 2021 catalog that it calls a “handy and hands-free” alternative to its heavy book, CNN reported.

“We know that by now, you’ve probably binged through every possible podcast, audiobook and ‘Best of 2020’ playlist there is, so maybe you could use some new soothing sounds to put on while we all continue for normal life to get back to ... normal,” the narrator said.

Each audio chapter focuses on a different furnished home, which the narrator calls a “tour for your ears.”

The audio can be found on YouTube, Spotify and Audiobooks.com for free. There are 14 different videos in the YouTube version.

IKEA announced last year that it would be discontinuing its print catalog. The company cited the increasing shift to online browsing and shopping for the end of the 70-year-old publication.

The original publication grew from a first run of 285,000 copies to more than 200 million copies in 2016. At its height, IKEA produced nearly 70 versions of the catalog in 32 different languages, according to NPR.

Cox Media Group