We recently brought our conversational AI platform, 1956 Individuals, into a large-format retail environment as part of IKEA Reading’s 10th anniversary showcase.
The three-day activation, which ran from 10 to 12 July 2026, introduced a conversational AI avatar at the entrance to IKEA Reading. Its role was to welcome shoppers and introduce them to Scan & Pack, the IKEA app feature that allows customers to scan products as they shop, pay quickly and have IKEA Family rewards applied automatically.
For SKC Studios, this marked an important step for 1956 Individuals. Our platform has already been used in heritage and healthcare settings, including AI Queen Eleanor at Leeds Castle and a patient-navigation collaboration with Modality Partnership. IKEA Reading gave us the opportunity to apply the technology in a busy, high-footfall retail setting, where clear guidance and fast service discovery are essential.
Helping Customers Take Useful Action
The avatar was positioned at the store entrance, where it could engage customers at the beginning of their visit. Its purpose was deliberately practical. We wanted shoppers who had not yet used Scan & Pack to leave with a clear understanding of how to activate it in the IKEA app and use it during future visits.
This reflects how we believe conversational AI should be deployed in real-world environments. It works best when it helps people do something useful in the moment, whether that is finding information, understanding a service or taking the next step with confidence.
At IKEA Reading, the avatar turned a welcome moment into a guided introduction to a digital retail tool. It supported the store team by sharing consistent information and giving customers a simple, approachable route into the Scan & Pack experience.
A Valuable Test Environment For Our Platform
IKEA Reading provided an ideal proving ground for 1956 Individuals. The store serves a wide customer base across Berkshire and the surrounding region, with varied levels of digital familiarity, different shopping missions and a high volume of daily interactions.
For us, that made the anniversary showcase a valuable opportunity to demonstrate how conversational AI can support physical spaces at scale. Large-format retail has many of the same challenges as attractions, cultural venues and visitor destinations: arrival management, wayfinding, service explanation, queue reduction and staff support.
1956 Individuals is designed for these kinds of environments. Our asset avatars bring story, context and interpretation to experiences, attractions and cultural settings. Our utility avatars support operational tasks such as service navigation, bookings and first-contact guidance across sectors including healthcare, retail and high-footfall venues.
The IKEA Reading deployment showed how a utility avatar can provide clear, friendly and consistent support in a live retail environment.
Wider Lessons For Visitor Experience Operators
Although this activation took place in retail, the learning is directly relevant to the visitor experience sector. Museums, attractions, leisure venues and cultural destinations all need to help visitors understand services, move through spaces and access information without adding pressure to frontline teams.
Conversational AI can play a practical role in that process when it is designed around approved content, transparent use and clear outcomes. At SKC Studios, we focus on building AI avatars that support human teams rather than replace them. The aim is to make useful information easier to access and make physical experiences feel more responsive.
IKEA Reading’s anniversary showcase allowed us to demonstrate that approach in a demanding environment. For 1956 Individuals, it was an important step into retail and a clear example of how conversational AI can help organisations welcome, guide and support people across real-world spaces.
