Shutl has announced the trial launch of a new delivery service with Argos. Central London-based visitors to argos.co.uk can now get their orders within as little as 90 minutes, or pick a one-hour delivery window from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week.

Charges start at £4.95. The trial will last six months and is the latest development in Argos’ multi-channel strategy. Parent company, Home Retail Group, recently announced that 22 per cent of Argos total sales in FY 09/10 were customers using the online Check & Reserve service for store collection, with this channel growing by 36 per cent for a second year in a row. The Shutl delivery service is offered to all 14,000-plus products currently available for reservation on the retailer’s website.

Customers first make an online reservation at a participating Argos store in central London. They can then choose the new delivery service, enter their postcode and select ‘Shutl Now’ or ‘Shutl Later’ delivery options to get a quote. Once they confirm the order, the company sends them a tracking email which lets them watch their delivery progress in real time on a GPS-enabled map.

Ross Clemmow, Argos director of marketing operations, comments: “This service provides us with a flexible and cost effective delivery solution to extend the potential of Check & Reserve. Check & Reserve customers in the trial catchment area will still receive the convenience of securing stock availability, with the optional choice and convenience benefit of having it delivered to them fast, at a time that suits.”

Although the service only operates within London at the moment, the company plans to offer it across all major UK cities within the year. “Online shopping has come a long way in 15 years but delivery has not. We’re changing all that,” says Tom Allason, founder and CEO at Shutl.

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