eBay and Argos Tighten Links with Click and Collect Service

Wednesday, July 9, 2014 - 12:54 by Mike Price

Catalogue shopping chain Argos is partnering with auction site eBay on a new click and collect scheme which will mean that British consumers who order any item from one of the web's biggest online retailers will be able to pick up their delivery in-store.

650 of Argos' high street outlets will be included in the project once it has rolled out completely by the end of 2014, with over 65,000 of eBay?s sellers being able to offer their items for collection through this new service.

Next year the retailers are hoping to expand it even further, enabling 80,000 people to sell items via safe shopping online which can then be picked up at Argos stores, according to the Guardian.

This is an interestingly relationship, since Argos has been looking to expand its influence in the online space while eBay has become increasingly keen to ensconce itself on the high streets of the UK. And by combining their infrastructures, a sensible union seems to have been formed.

There are obvious benefits to embracing click and collect, because its growing popularity means consumers are now accustomed to being able to get products they have ordered via safe shopping online delivered to a bricks and mortar outlet. But for pure-play online retailers such as eBay and Amazon, making the leap into the physical realm is a little harder.

The solution embraced by eBay is sensible, although Amazon has its own plans involving the delivery of goods to railway station lockers that could create an entirely new form of click and collect if the trials take off in a big way.

All of this means that retailers are rushing to meet the needs of consumers whose expectations have been raised by recent e-commerce developments.