Argos brings digital shopping to North London

Local residents in Camden and Holloway can now take advantage of the speed and convenience of online shopping on their local high street, thanks to Argos which has given two of its stores in the area a ‘digital makeover’.

Located on Camden High Street and Holloway Road, the stores were selected from more than 700 Argos stores across the UK, and embrace online shopping while retaining the convenience of a physical store.

The revamped ‘paperless’ stores have a fresh and modern look, with tables of tablets replacing Argos’ traditional laminated catalogues, paper slips and pencils. Customers can use the tablets to browse products to add to their digital shopping trolley, and access lots of extra information including extended ranges, videos, photography and customer reviews.

North London shoppers can take advantage of new services such as the ability to pay for goods online at home or on the move, for easy collection within seconds from a special Fast Track collection point in store.

Store staff have received special training to provide more help to customers on the shop floor using technology. New digital display screens and complimentary WiFi complete the transformation.

Argos has been committed to serving customers in the Camden and Islington communities for more than 15 years, having opened both stores in 1997. Argos employs 60 workers in the Camden area and 52 in Holloway.

Research commissioned by Argos found that 71 per cent of London shoppers believe that the biggest benefit of online shopping is its convenience, although 65 per cent revealed that they still shop on the high street.1

Steve Barrett, Argos Area Manager for Camden and Holloway, said: “We’ve had a brilliant response from customers on the new look and setup of the stores. They really like the tablets and digital screens and can see the convenience of being able to pay online and collect products faster than ever.

“North London is an important area for us and it is really exciting for local customers that these stores have been selected to become a digital store.”

Argos found that the changing expectations of customers mean value for money is more important than ever, with 71 per cent of London shoppers saying they are savvier now than they were five years ago. In addition, 54 per cent admitted to checking the price of an item online before purchasing it.

The new digital stores equip Argos for the online revolution, as shoppers increasingly browse and buy online via PCs, tablets and other mobile devices, while still wanting the immediacy of a local store to pick up their purchases. Around 44 per cent of Argos’ total sales now start online. Sales from mobile phones and tablets represent 18 per cent of the total sales.

Source : Home Retail Group
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