Fighting for a space in an Ikea carpark on the weekend and navigating its maze-like stores may soon become a thing of the past.

Ikea, one of the last major retailers to embrace e-commerce, will start testing an online retail store in Australia by the end of calendar 2016, ahead of the launch of a global online platform within the next two years.

Ikea Australia will establish on online portal within the next six months and start testing different fulfilment models in several urban locations, including a small format IKEA store and pickup point, an unbranded pick-up point and a third-party depot similar to one already operating in Tasmania.

Country managing director David Hood believes the online store could eventually become Ikea's largest outlet in Australia, where sales will rise around 20 per cent this year, passing the $1 billion mark for the first time.