Asda trials indoor map service for blind and visually impaired
Asda is testing out new technology which aims to make it easier for blind and partially sighted customers to navigate their way around its Stevenage store.
To coincide with the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities, from 3rd December Asda’s flagship technology store will be the first supermarket in the UK to be integrated into the GoodMaps smartphone app, specifically built for use amongst the blind and partially sighted.
Usability is not limited to that group of people. The app can pinpoint the user’s location to within a meter of accuracy and then communicate directions to an object or area via audio, enlarged visual, and touch commands.
Shoppers will be able to search for key landmarks within the store such as the pharmacy, bathrooms, and tills, but the app can also be used to look for specific goods on the shelves.
Kane Stephenson, Inclusion Manager at Asda, which has been shortlisted in the Most Innovative UK Retailer category at the 2021 RTIH Innovation Awards, says: ‘’We strive to be an inclusive business and that includes making it easier for all of our customers to carry out a shop in one of our stores.”
“We hope that by working with GoodMaps we can understand how we can make the in-store experience better for our blind and partially sighted customers.”
He adds: “Our Stevenage store is the ideal testing ground for this tool with it already being home to a number of tech trials including electronic shelf labels and holograms, and this trial will teach us how we can make shopping in Asda easier for customers with additional needs.’’
Neil Barnfather, VP Europe at GoodMaps, comments: “Recognising not only the commercial value in providing an enhanced retail experience to shoppers, but, equally the ethical stance taken by Asda in this regard has been both humbling and demonstrative of a corporate culture determined to make their offering not only inclusive but truly outstanding for all."
