Argos has rolled out NFC (Near Field Communications) in 40 of its UK stores, but the tech is not being used for payment. Instead, shoppers with NFC-enabled smartphones can use them to tap on NFC chips contained in lanyards worn around the neck by store staff. This delivers the latest offers to their phone. Shoppers can also tap on NFC-chipped cards to download the Argos app. Over 88,000 tap points are included in the roll-out, which is underpinned by Proxama’s Mobile-In-Retail solution and TapPoint platform.
The NFC pilot is the latest initiative in Argos’s move announced in October 2012, to transform itself from a “catalogue-led business to a digitally-led business”. The following month, it launched the first Shazam-enabled TV ad campaign from a European retailer. Last July, it launched an Augmented Reality-equipped catalogue. And in September, it launched a click-and-collect trial, enabling eBay customers to pick up their purchases from 150 of its stores. 
“By using NFC, we hope to encourage app downloads, increase mobile sales and improve our multichannel customer experience,” said Dominic Pemberton, head of publications and new media at Argos. “This pilot is also part of our initiative to reduce the printing and distribution costs associated with our catalogue.
