Overwhelming demand has caused early teething problems for Ikea, with delays to online orders and the store forced to cancel several customers’ purchases after a payment glitch. 

Click and collect and some delivery services are also currently unavailable while the homeware and furniture store sorts through a backlog of orders. 

In a statement, Ikea said customers with pre-existing orders would be contacted in the next few days to arrange a time for their purchases to be collected or delivered. 

“As a brand new team, we are learning and quickly adapting our operations to meet this incredible level of demand, and we are working around the clock to secure optimal operations as soon as possible. 

“Thank you for bearing with us during these busy opening days and, rest assured, we are committed to getting all orders to customers as quickly.” 

Ikea opened on December 4 in Auckland to mass fanfare, with more than 800 people queueing up to be among the first to shop at the Sylvia Park store. 

The delays to online orders have coincided with problems with payments being processed. 

A spokesperson for Ikea confirmed the Swedish retailer has not been registering customers’ payments for a “small number” of online purchases. 

Affected customers are being contacted and refunded within three to five business days of a query being opened for their order. 

“We remain committed to delivering a reliable and seamless experience for all customers. Our teams are actively reviewing the cause of this issue and implementing improvements to ensure it does not happen again. 

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate the patience as we work to resolve this matter.”