Dr Scott Dacko, Warwick Business School, researches the retail sector and here he gives his thoughts on the Argos and eBay partnership announced today.

He said: "Whether this exact set-up is going to be the model or not, the integration in online and off-line sales is the future for retail.
 
"The new eBay-Argos partnership announced today, where certain eBay purchases can be collected from Argos shops in the UK, is clearly being driven by the irreversible trend of increasing consumer demand for convergence in online and store-based retail shopping environments.
 
"It is likely to be a win-win-win arrangement, with both partners and UK consumers benefiting all round. I am sure the arrangement will prompt a host of competitors to move more quickly into not only seamlessly integrating their online and brick-and-mortar operations but also looking into similar partnerships as well.
 
"Argos could well get more people in their stores. Any concerns about cannibalisation in sales would depend on the uniqueness of the offerings and as we don’t know which eBay merchants will be involved, it could be ones who are not in direct competition with Argos. A partnership like this can be a low cost way of attracting more consumers."

If you would like to arrange an interview with Dr Dacko, please contact Ashley Potter, Press & PR Officer, Warwick Business School, +44 (0)24 7657 3967,
Mob: +44 (0)7733 013264, Ashley.potter@wbs.ac.uk