Argos has announced customers can use just their voice to reserve technology, toys and home essentials for same-day pick up from more than 850 Argos stores by using the Google Assistant (available on most Android phones, iOS or smart speakers like Google Home). After a quick confirmation on their smartphone their order is ready for collection.

Argos’s new Voice Shop means customers can use Argos Click & Collect to pick-up purchases from a convenient store location of their choice.

One in ten households in the UK now has a digital home assistant and voice shopping is forecast to be worth £3.5 billion in the UK by 2022. Sales of smart speakers have grown 151 per cent year-on-year at Argos.

Six in ten sales at Argos now start online, the company reported, yet 80% of orders are fulfilled in-store as shoppers take advantage of its Click & Collect and Fast Track services.

Chief executive officer at Argos, John Rogers said: "Voice technology has the potential to revolutionise how we shop in the future. Digital home assistants have soared in popularity over the past year and people are increasingly looking to their smart devices to help with the smooth running of their lives.

"Argos is a digitally-led business at the forefront of technology and it’s really exciting that we are harnessing the simplicity of voice ordering with the convenience and popularity of Click & Collect to make our customers’ lives easier. We predict that the Voice Shop service will be a big hit and we will develop and refine the offer further as we get feedback from our customers."