Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Argos is launching a new service called Voice Shop, which enables shoppers to reserve 20,000 Argos products using voice technology.
Customers can use just their voice to reserve items for same-day pick-up from more than 850 Argos stores by using the Google Assistant (available on most Android phones, iOS or smart speakers like Google Home). After a quick confirmation is received on their smartphones, their orders are ready for collection.
As well as placing reservations with voice command, customers can also ask Google to search for products and check availability. They can also find a store by simply saying: “OK Google, Ask Argos to find my nearest store.
Argos claims its new Voice Shop is unique. The retailer said: ‘Unlike other voice services used by retailers, customers can use Argos Click & Collect to pick-up purchases from a convenient store location of their choice.
‘The Voice Shop service launches at a time when smart speakers are increasingly taking up residence in British homes. One in 10 households in the UK now has a digital home assistant and voice shopping is forecast to be worth £3.5 billion in the UK by 2022.
‘Sales of smart speakers have grown 151% year-on-year at Argos. Six in 10 sales at Argos now start online, yet 80% are fulfilled in-store as shoppers take advantage of its Click & Collect and Fast Track services.
‘Some 95% of people in the UK live within 10 miles of an Argos store, so it makes sense that they would order via app, website or voice, to collect at their convenience from a nearby store rather than wait in for a delivery.
Chief executive officer John Rogers added: “Voice technology has the potential to revolutionise how we shop in the future. Digital home assistants have soared in popularity over the past year and people are increasingly looking to their smart devices to help with the smooth running of their lives.
“Argos is a digitally-led business at the forefront of technology and it’s really exciting that we are harnessing the simplicity of voice ordering with the convenience and popularity of Click & Collect to make our customers’ lives easier. We predict the Voice Shop service will be a big hit and we will develop and refine the offer further as we get feedback from our customers.”
