Tesco has partnered with Be My Eyes, a leading Customer Accessibility Management platform for people who are blind or partially sighted, for a six-month pilot aimed at enhancing in-store accessibility for shoppers with sight loss.
Through the collaboration, Be My Eyes users will be able to connect directly with Tesco staff via an app to receive personalised visual assistance while shopping. The system helps blind and partially sighted people identify products on the shelf and confirm sizes, variants or expiry dates. They can also verify special Clubcard offers, promotions and rewards, receive assistance with self-service checkouts, and request immediate support from staff in real time.
Russell Price, Chair of Disability Network at Tesco, said: “Everyone is welcome at Tesco, and with Be My Eyes, we can help support visually impaired customers by connecting them with a Tesco colleague for live, in-store support using a simple video call. This trial, launching on World Sight Day (9th October), aims to help make shopping at Tesco even more welcoming and accessible for our blind or partially sighted customers, even when shopping independently.”
Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes, added: “Our mission at Be My Eyes has always been to make the world more accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted. By joining forces with Tesco, we’re making everyday shopping not just more convenient, but more inclusive for thousands of people in the UK who deserve equal access to essential services.”
To mark World Sight Day yesterday, Tesco launched a new accessibility feature on all its self-service checkouts. This allows customers to adjust the colour contrast and text size to suit their needs by tapping the accessibility button.
NAM Implications:
- The user advantages of Be My Eyes are patently a given.
- Thinking further ahead, there has to be a tech way of scanning fixtures/ESLs and voicing the results to users’ earpods…
- …thereby reducing the need for store staff involvement?
