Argos's challenge to Amazon

Argos has recently announced that it's going to offer same-day delivery on 20,000 of its products in a new service called Fast Track. This move seems designed to combat Amazon Prime's same-day service.

The two companies have long been rivals since Amazon's swish online store replaced Argos's bulky catalogues and complicated collection service in the hearts of many customers.

Fast Track looks like a great deal. Prices at Argos are broadly similar to Amazon, especially for cheaper items. And the delivery cost is only £3.95 (compared to £6.99 for Amazon Prime - plus another £79/year in Amazon Prime fees). What's more, Argos's service is countrywide, whereas Amazon Prime Now is restricted to parts of London.

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Arguably, Argos's Fast Track is more useful. London is extremely well catered for shop-wise, so if you really need a new TV of a certain type, you can find one at a sensible price if you're willing to trek up and down Tottenham Court Road for a while. But if you live in the highlands of Scotland? Forget about it!

However, with Amazon Prime, you get access to Prime Video (formerly LoveFilm) - an online video streaming service with a similar range of titles to Netflix. Like Netflix, they've even started to branch out and make their own shows.

Here's what our consultant, Artur Oganov, said: 'On paper, at least, it looks like Argos are way ahead. All that remains to be seen is if they can deliver (no pun intended) on their service in remote areas.'