My earliest happy memory of shopping was the sheer delight of being handed a page of perforated Green Shield Stamps and a booklet to stick them in to. It wasn’t just the philatelist in me (although I did go on to be a keen stamp collector), but also the knowledge that once the book was full, we would be heading down the the Green Shield catalogue store to convert our hard-earned collection into gifts that we otherwise, in all probability, wouldn’t have been able to afford. This to me, was pure magic.

It’s no coincidence that my next happy memory of shopping was the uniquely satisfying trip to the Argos store. For those not familiar with the Argos phenomenon, let me explain. In the early 1970’s the interior of an Argos store consisted of rows of standing benches each holding chained-down Argos catalogues, each page protected by heavy-duty laminate. Between each pair of catalogues was positioned a “big calculator” into which you would type the 6 digit reference number of the product you fancied. The number of items still in stock would be returned and if you were lucky and the item you wanted was in stock, you would then take a small betting-slip style piece of paper and write in the number and quantity using one of the betting-shop style biros that were strategically placed around the store.

Once you had completed your slip, you would then go and queue up at a cashier to pay for your item. But you didn’t get it straight away; oh no, you were given a till receipt that had on it a unique number that represented your position in the next queue. You then watched eagle-eyed for your number to appear on one of the TV screens suspended from the ceilings that would direct you to your collection point.

Behind the row of collection points ran a Generation Game style conveyor belt on which traveled an endless array of gifts (in fact, to pass the time, you could play the Generation Game in your head by trying to remember the last 10 items that came out – please tell me I’m not the only person who used to do this…..?)

Finally, when your number came up and you had moved to the last queue at your collection point, your receipt would be stamped as “collected” and off you went.

There were a handful of products on display in glass cabinets – but not many – and there was a separate own-brand jewellery counter called Elizabeth Duke that operated more as an in-store concession.

What links my two happy shopping memories together is a gentleman called Richard Tomkins who not only invented the Green Shield Stamp phenomenon, but also had the inspired foresight to re-brand the Green Shield Catalogue shops to Argos stores.

Today, even in the tough UK retail high street trading environment, Argos continues to thrive as a true omnichannel business now part of the Sainsbury’s Group. Not only has Argos moved with the times, they have set the pace for change in the modern digital world. As you can see, their stores are beautifully laid out, fully kitted-up with the latest technology and functionally capable of supporting a true omnichannel shopping experience where consumers can choose how they browse, how they pay and how they receive their goods.

So what (if any) lessons can be learnt by retailers who now face increasingly stiff competition from the likes of Amazon, who have recently announced their inaugural Amazon Go store where shoppers scan into the store with their mobile phone, collect the grocery items they require and then walk straight out of the shop; no queuing for payment, not transferring items from basket to belt to bag; it is all done via a clever combination of cameras, AI software and sensors (it did make me laugh that it took Amazon over a year to get this right after an early trial was completely scuppered by a group of schoolchildren running around the store picking up items and putting them back in the wrong place!).

1. Stay true to your original vision. Today’s Argos store still satisfies its customers in exactly the same way Richard Tomkins envisioned when he set up a ‘catalogue shop’. Sure the experience is different, but you can easily imagine the magical experience that I loved as a boy still holding true for today’s kids. Through digital transformation, Argos has kept pace with modern trends and technologies, but without losing the essence of its proposition, or unique buying point; come in, browse, choose, collect.
2. Understand your customers’ inner-most desires and needs. Argos realised that jewellery items are so personal, customers would want to see, hold, try on and be advised, and so accommodated those needs through store concessions.
3. Make sure your brand represents your core business. Expansion doesn’t always mean diversification and too much diversification can easily dilute your brand. Plan any diversification carefully and make sure you can tie it back to your core business message in the minds of your customers.
4. Think about what makes your customers sticky with your brand and nurture it. Is it the loyalty program? Is it your product range? Pricing? In-store experience? Customer service? Edginess of your brand? Ethics? There are thousands of reasons why consumers choose to stay loyal to brands; if you don’t know what it is, then find out. Quickly. Then make sure your whole workforce knows too. Then work out ways to work on that stickiness and enlist as much help as you can because this is the best way get busy – Amazon is coming!

David Audley