Owned by Sainsbury’s since 2016, Argos is the most visited UK omnichannel retailer and has put the Google Maps Platform at the heart of its web-to-store strategy to simplify the customer journey between its website and network of points of sale and collection points. Argos is innovating with in-store check stock systems to help customers locate inventory at nearby stores.

 

Goals:

• Optimise costs
• Increase traffic in stores
• Innovate by helping Argos customers to find the product in-stock in other nearby stores

 

Results:

• 12% bounce reduction on Store Locator page
• Driving 1,000 orders a week at Argos In-store

 

Argos switched to the Google Maps Platform in May 2019. This choice was made after conducting tests among user groups. The people tested preferred the Google Maps interface that they were more familiar with given its popularity in their everyday use (to find out where they are or calculate itineraries).

By migrating to the Google Maps Platform, Argos enjoys the conditions of the corporate contract signed by Sainsbury’s, of which it has been a subsidiary since 2016.

The British retailer modernised its shop searches with a smoother, more natural experience while reducing its budget by 60% compared to the competing offer!

To drive more traffic into its stores, Argos set up a Click & Collect offer and a more innovative Place & Reserve offer. Place & Reserve requires no online payment; the item is set aside and payment is made in the shop or at the collection point. According to Rob Sargent, Senior Lead Digital Product Manager at Argos, “customers buy online, and most want the convenience of collecting at a time that suits them without the hassle of a long Checkout process.”

 

Argos uses a connected kiosk to find nearby points of sales

Thanks to the Sainsbury’s store network, Argos is boosting its offer of collection points. Google Maps helps its customers easily and quickly find the nearest collection points to pick up their purchase whenever they want during the day. Argos wants to extend its customer online buying journey with a collection experience that places its sales team at the heart of the system. Argos humanises the relationship with bespoke advice and support in its 1,200 stores.

 

” In-Store devices, Argos’ latest innovation, is helping grow the UK largest omnichannel Retailer to secure 1,000 orders a week currently (which is itself growing every week), as customers can now find a nearby store with stock
for the product they want. “

— Rob Sargent,
Senior Lead Digital Product Manager at Argos

 

For several months, Argos has been testing an in-store system. It uses a connected kiosk that shows nearby points of sale on a map if the desired product is not in stock. Using the Maps Javascript API, the customer can select and locate the nearby store. The kiosk can even take payment for the item to be collected in the store a few moments later. Choosing the Google Maps Platform was easy for Argos, as Rob Sargent explains, “It was simple to implement the Maps Javascript API in our website. It took one week for our Engineer to adapt the new component. Actually implementation was much simpler and faster than what our procurement team had believed”. Argos could count on the expertise of Web Geo Services to answer all their questions in setting up best implementation practices. “Web Geo Services Customer Care team helped us to handle some restrictions issues we struggled with. WGS has a consolidation approach with Sainsbury’s who owns the group contract.

The WGS Team helped to connect the dots to get good value and the right technical approach”, Rob Sargent said.