Argos’ self-service store allows customers to shop from a range of the 20,000 products using a tablet. Credit: J Sainsbury plc.

British catalogue retailer Argos has opened its first self-service digital store in its Sainsbury’s Dulwich store to offer checkout-free shopping experiences to customers.

The launch follows the company’s announcement that it has made more than £2bn in sales generated via customers shopping on mobile devices.

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“We’re continuing to test innovative new formats and with the launch of our first self-service digital store we’re offering shoppers a speedier way to pay.”

The self-service store will allows customers to purchase items, from a range of 20,000 products, using the same tablet they use to search. This will enable shoppers to refrain from using a separate checkout area. Customers can later pick up their order at new collection pods.

According to Argos, the self-service will offer more time to store associates to assist customers at the Pay@Browse areas, as well as in carrying products to collection pods. Customers can use the Pay@Browse areas in the store to make payments with cash or cards.

Sainsbury’s Argos CEO John Rogers said: “Having launched nearly 300 Argos stores in Sainsbury’s supermarkets, we’re making it easier and more convenient for customers to do more of their shopping under one roof.

“We’re continuing to test innovative new formats and with the launch of our first self-service digital store we’re offering shoppers a speedier way to pay and giving our colleagues more time to serve and help customers. We’re excited to hear what they think of our latest in-store innovation.”

Sainsbury’s said that customers shopping on smartphones and tablets now account for over 70% of all Argos online sales, and across the group, £4.7bn sales are generated online.

The catalogue retailer introduced a new visual search service through its Argos iOS app to offer customers a new experience to shop for products, such as homewares and furniture using images on their smartphones, last month.

The retailer also introduced a new service, Voice Shop, allowing customers to place orders using Google Assistant’s voice technology, in September last year.