Argos has announced a trial partnership with social-commerce technology company Buyapowa that will allow Argos' Facebook fans and Twitter followers to shop together and earn themselves special deals.
Customers of Argos, which is the UK's largest high street retailer online, can request special offers on their favourite products, then improve those offers by sharing them via social media and shopping together. The more people who buy, the better the prices will be for everyone who participates.

These offers, or co-buys, are being presented via a customised platform and promoted across Argos' social media and other communications channels, including its website, which drew more than 635m visits over the last year.

The service is now live at www.buyapowa.com/argos and will feature products from Argos' general merchandise range of more than 29,000 items.

Argos says that customers being rewarded for sharing information with other potential customers will boost customer acquisition, and that those rewards will also generate long-term loyalty.

Neil Tinegate, head of digital innovation at Argos, said: "We've got a really strong community of followers on social media and we wanted to take our interaction with them to a new level by integrating social media with our core business."

Gideon Lask, founder and ceo of Buyapowa, added: "This implementation shows the power of social to generate business and long-term loyalty. Retailers need to start thinking how to turn social into a transactional channel in a natural, social way - creating buzz while gaining customer loyalty and consumer insight."

In September, Argos' sister retailer within Home Retail Group, Homebase, launched a similar initiative.