Boots UK untangles retail technology with IT Stores Day
Walgreens owned Boots UK has launched its first ever IT Stores Day.
Today, the retailer’s IT team will visit over 350 stores across the UK.
“By 17:30 on the 18th we will have created a ‘store centric' 12 month IT plan and by Monday morning we will be out there implementing IT,” Rich Corbridge, Chief Information Officer at Boots UK & Ireland, said in a LinkedIn post.
The move is, he added, “a chance for IT professionals throughout Walgreens Boots Alliance to reconnect with the engine of this amazing business and chance for our colleagues and friends scattered across the county to understand a little bit about what IT can do for every part of the retail estate.”
He continued: “We will make a difference, we will untangle IT.”
“So excited to share with you the outcomes of this as the day goes on. Follow #TechAtBoots to see what happens from Lands End to John O Groats and beyond.”
Recite Me
Boots UK recently implemented Recite Me assistive and language support technology across its online store.
Director of E-commerce at Boots.com Paula Bobbett said: “We know that shopping online or in-store isn’t as easy as it should be for everyone.”
“Hence why we’ve launched Recite Me to make it easier for people to navigate our site in the way that works best for them. We have also worked on a Boots best practice guide for our suppliers to ensure they also have this front of mind.”
Boots is the first retailer in the UK to offer the Recite Me technology on its online store.
For customers who have visual impairment, new tools can change the font size, isolate sentences and swap the colour of the page to make it easier to read.
The Recite Me assistive toolbar also includes screen reading functionality, multiple reading aids, customisable styling options and an on-demand live translation feature that boasts over 100 languages including 35 texts-to-speech.
Bobbett concluded: “We hope that Boots is for everyone, no matter who our customers are or the way they chose to shop. By partnering with Recite Me we are aiming to support our ambition to make Boots accessible to all.”
