Argos launches UK-first Google voice shopping service

Argos has become the first company in the UK to offer a voice shopping service for customers that use Google Home devices.

The catalogue retailer said the technology will allow around 20,000 to reserve Argos products using voice technology across 850 of its stores. As well as placing reservations with voice command using Google Assistant, customers can also ask Google to search for products and check availability. They can also find a store by simply saying:“Ok Google, ask Argos to find my nearest store”.

As part of the initial launch phase, Argos will be seeking feedback from customers on the new service so that its technical team can develop the ‘voice shop’ technology further to continue improving the experience.

John Rogers, CEO at Argos, said: “Voice technology has the potential to revolutionise how we shop in the future. Digital home assistants have soared in popularity over the past year and people are increasingly looking to their smart devices to help with the smooth running of their lives.

“Argos is a digitally-led business at the forefront of technology and it’s really exciting that we are harnessing the simplicity of voice ordering with the convenience and popularity of click-and-collect to make our customers’ lives easier. We predict that the voice shop service will be a big hit and we will develop and refine the offer further as we get feedback from our customers.”