The idea for a 'fast track' pedestrian lane came from the retailer's retained PR agency Surname&Surname, broadcast PR consultancy markettiers4dc, and Argos' inhouse creative team.
In research commissioned by Argos, almost half (47 per cent) of the general public cited the slow pace of high streets as their biggest shopping bugbear, in response to which the Argos-branded fast lane across the Liverpool One shopping and leisure centre has been opened for this week only.
While consumers could potentially reach several different stores other than Argos via the fast lane, the concept of a faster shopping experience ties in with Argos' launch last month of a nationwide same-day fast-track delivery service to speed up home deliveries.
So far the fast track lane has proved a success with shoppers on Twitter, and has garnered coverage on national media outlets including Mail Online, The Daily Telegraph and Grazia.
https://t.co/8HvhquGpkr Traffic lanes for consumers drones. wonderful!
— Aaron Makepeace (@azz169) November 5, 2015
Argos fast track is literally a logistical miracle..
— Lauren Morgan (@LaurenMorganx) November 4, 2015
Of course, not everyone was completely complimentary.
@Argos_Online @Argos_PR ......a fast track lane to telephone customer service would be useful too.
— Nick (@NickMiles79) November 4, 2015
Andy Brown, central operations director at Argos, said: "Shoppers have also told us that speed is critical when simply getting around the high street or town centre, so we want to test consumer reaction to a dedicated pavement fast lane. We hope it alleviates some of the biggest shopping high street frustrations."
Argos also asked consumers how the UK high street could look in 50 years’ time. Responses included shops predicting what items consumers need and delivering them automatically, personalised shop windows showcasing offers, and electronic trollies to carry heavy shopping bags.
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