EBay and Argos launch national trial of Click & Collect for merchants
Online mega auctioneer EBay and high street retailer Argos have announced the launch of a national trial that will offer Click & Collect for EBay merchants.
The UK collection services will be trialled at 150 Argos stores for six months. Large merchants will be able to take advantage of the new system, while smaller merchants will be able to ship a customer's order to an Argos location for collection.
EBay's president Devin Wenig believes that this offers a "new way to shop" that "could create immense opportunities for sellers".
There's a one hour delivery service for London too. Wenig provides an example of how this could work for customers:
Say you’re planning to go to the gym tonight after work, but you’ve forgotten your trainers. With eBay Now, you can find a local store, choose your size and style. Pay now, or on delivery. And get them hand-delivered to you in as little as an hour.
Wenig rejects the term "ecommerce", saying that "it is becoming impossible to distinguish online and offline commerce anymore".
John Walden, Argos on partnership with eBay #futureofshopping pic.twitter.com/QBXs33NG50
— eBay Corporate UK (@eBayCorp_UK) September 24, 2013
Argos' managing director John Walden considersr the company well placed to deliver for EBay, as "few companies move as many products as effectively" and Click & Collect already "accounts for around a third of our business and continues to grow".
Argos is to act as a collection point for eBay customers. Sounds great idea. Could be a big deal for Argos, making most of its store estate.
— George MacDonald (@GeorgeMacD) September 24, 2013