Milton Keynes, UK, 2015-10-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — eBay and Argos today announce that they have signed a wider multi-year partnership making it easier and more convenient for both business and consumer sellers on eBay to offer unique fulfilment services. The partnership spans collection and drop-off at Argos stores and delivery within 48 hours.
Drop-off and delivery
Under the partnership, eBay will for the first time roll-out a national parcel drop-off service, enabling eBay consumer sellers in the UK to drop-off their sold items at Argos stores nationwide. The service will commence with 150 stores before the end of 2015, with more stores to follow in the coming year.
Under the new service, items packaged and dropped off in Argos stores by consumer sellers will be despatched to eBay buyers. The drop-off and delivery service was successfully piloted earlier this year in ten Argos stores across four towns, and is both cheaper and more convenient* than comparable services.
Click & Collect
Additionally, Argos and eBay have extended their ongoing commitment to their Click & Collect programme, an exclusive partnership which began as a small pilot in late 2013. Since inception the parties have helped customers collect more than three million parcels, from around 800 UK and Northern Ireland Argos stores, sold on behalf of 200,000 businesses selling on eBay.
Tanya Lawler, UK Vice President, eBay, said: “In 1995, eBay disrupted shopping by creating a commerce platform powered by customers. Our continued success is all about listening and responding to customers’ needs – and we know that they expect ever more convenience, choice and value. Our ambition with this deal is to grow and establish some of the most exciting and innovative fulfilment services in the UK. The eBay and Argos partnership further dissolves the lines between digital and traditional retail.”
David Robinson, Chief Operating Officer, Argos, said: “Argos invented click and collect in the UK, and recently added to its record of innovation by introducing FastTrack Collection and FastTrack Delivery – market leading fulfilment services for the online shopper. The ability for customers to get their purchases quickly, easily and locally has become the new retail battleground. With over 800 stores and a friendly face on every high street, we are ideally placed to attract eBay’s business and consumer customers to use our unique store network. This deal reaffirms and builds on the successful and deepening relationship between our businesses.”
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Notes to editors
* Based on the combination of service (delivery), price (cost to customer) & convenience (physical locations) compared to competitor offerings in the UK
* Based on the combination of service (delivery), price (cost to customer) & convenience (physical locations) compared to competitor offerings in the UK
Argos is a leading UK digital retailer, offering around 50,000 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 121m customer transactions a year through its stores and over 900 million website and app visits in the 12 months to February 2015. Customers can take advantage of Argos’ convenient Check & Reserve service available through its network of 800 stores across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
In the financial year to February 2015, Argos sales were £4.1 billion and it employed some 29,000 people across the business.
eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) is the world’s most vibrant marketplace for discovering great value and unique selection. eBay connects millions of buyers and sellers around the globe, empowering people and creating opportunity through Connected Commerce. Our vision for commerce is one that is enabled by people, powered by technology and open to everyone. We focus on empowering our sellers, not competing with them, and we create stronger connections between buyers and sellers with product experiences that are fast, mobile and secure. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we’re just as passionate today about connecting buyers and sellers as when we founded the company in 1995. For more information, visit ebayinc.com.
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