Milton Keynes, UK, 2014-11-3— /EPR Retail News/ — Local residents in Rotherham can now take advantage of the speed and convenience of online shopping on their local high street and retail park, thanks to Argos which has given both of its local stores a ‘digital makeover’.
The stores, located on Howard Street and Parkgate Retail Park, were selected from more than 700 Argos stores across the UK, and embrace online shopping while retaining the convenience of physical stores.
Research commissioned by Argos found that almost half of shoppers in Rotherham believe that one of the biggest benefits of online shopping is greater choice. However, 65 per cent revealed that they still shop on the high street for its immediacy and the ability to see products in the flesh. Nationally, around 95 per cent of the population live within 10 miles of an Argos store.1
The revamped ‘paperless’ stores have a fresh and contemporary look, with tables of tablets replacing Argos’ traditional laminated catalogues, paper slips and pencils. Customers can use the tablets to browse for products to add to their digital shopping trolley, and access lots of extra product information, including extended ranges, videos, photography and customer reviews.
South Yorkshire shoppers can benefit from new services such as the ability to browse and pay for goods online at home or on the move for speedy collection from a special Fast Track collection point in store.
Store staff have undergone special training to provide more help to customers on the shop floor using technology. New digital display screens and complimentary WiFi complete the digital transformation.
Argos has been committed to serving customers in Rotherham for 30 years, having opened the Parkgate store in 1993 and the Howard Street store in 2005. It employs 44 workers in the Rotherham area.
James McClean, Argos Area Manager for Rotherham, said: “We are really proud to be giving shoppers in Rotherham the opportunity to shop digitally and give them access to the things they want quickly and easily.
“We’ve had some great feedback from customers about the new look of the store, customers love the new tablets and digital screens.”
Staff in the Rotherham Parkgate store will also be wearing a brand new uniform to reflect the growing role of technology in the store environment.
Predominantly a black polo shirt and soft shell jacket with a white logo, supported by red and grey secondary colours, the new outfit has specially-designed features that make it fit for purpose for the fast-paced, changing nature of retail. Staff across the store, including store managers, will sport the new look to reinforce a team approach when serving customers.
The new uniform features include:
- Loops on the side of the polo shirt and battery pack holder on trousers to accommodate the technology headsets team members wear to pick and put away stock in the stock room.
- Pen pockets on the trousers so staff are ready to make notes easily when serving customers, answering the phone and in the stock room.
- Lighter fabric to ventilate the body in a fast-paced tech environment.
The new uniforms come as part of Argos’ new advertising campaign – ‘GET SET GO ARGOS’ – which uses energy, colour and excitement to highlight the top brands and great new services customers can experience at Argos this year.
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. 2
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
1Research conducted on behalf of Argos by Opinion Matters in July 2014.
2Home Retail Group Annual Report 2014
For more information, please contact the Argos Press Office on 0845 120 4365 or email: media.relations@argos.co.uk.
Follow us on Twitter at @argos_PR.
About Argos
Argos is a leading UK digital retailer, offering around 43,000 products through www.argos.co.uk, its growing mobile channels, stores and over the telephone.
Argos continues to be the UK’s largest high street retailer online with around 123m customer transactions a year through its stores and 738 million website and app visits in the 12 months to February 2014. Customers can take advantage of Argos’ convenient Check & Reserve service available through its network of 734 stores across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
In the financial year to February 2014, Argos sales were £4.1 billion and it employed some 29,000 people across the business.
ARGOS IS PART OF HOME RETAIL GROUP, THE UK’S LEADING HOME AND GENERAL MERCHANDISE RETAILER.