News • 02.01.2022

Asda trials UK-first indoor map service for the blind and visually impaired

The ASDA logo on a building
Source: ASDA

The British supermarket chain Asda is trialling new technology in its Stevenage store which will make it easier for blind and partially sighted customers to navigate their way around the store.

To coincide with the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities, from December 3rd Asda’s flagship technology store in Stevenage 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. Although the app has an obvious benefit to disabled shoppers, the usability of the app is not limited to those whom are blind or partially sighted only.

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 using the app 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 search for specific goods on the shelves with the aim being to guide the customer as close as possible to the item they are looking for.

Better in-store experiences for blind and partially sighted customers

Kane Stephenson, Inclusion Manager at Asda said: ‘’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. 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 said "it has been a real delight to work with Asda on this project. 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."

Source: Asda

related articles:

popular articles:

Thumbnail-Photo: Nedap teams with Foot Locker to extend RFID project...
05.10.2023   #omnichannel #software applications

Nedap teams with Foot Locker to extend RFID project

Foot Locker successfully matches supply and demand in newly opened stores in Eastern Europe using RFID technology

Nedap the global leader in RFID solutions, announces that multi-brand sports fashion and apparel retailer Foot Locker has successfully extended Nedap iD Cloud to its new, Eastern European stores. The objective is to offer the best possible ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Ask the Bot: generative AI in retail
02.01.2024   #Tech in Retail #food retail

Ask the Bot: generative AI in retail

Revolution in retail: the era of generative AI and AI bots

They are able to analyse data, write product descriptions, answer shoppers’ questions or write codes...

Thumbnail-Photo: EuroCIS 2024: Go beyond today!
16.10.2023   #retail #Tech in Retail

EuroCIS 2024: Go beyond today!

27 to 29 February 2024 will see the Who’s Who of Europe’s retail technology sector meet in Düsseldorf

Go beyond today! EuroCIS at the end of February will once again show solutions and products for the retail of the future @Messe DüsseldorfIn late February, numerous companies will again exhibit solutions and products for retailers to shape and ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Out of Stock in Retail and innovative solutions to avoid them...
07.11.2023   #brick and mortar retail #customer satisfaction

Out of Stock in Retail and innovative solutions to avoid them

Due to various events, the availability of goods in retail will be increasingly restricted from 2022, with the result that customers cannot find in food retail the products they wish to buy, because those products are sold out, are temporarily ...

Thumbnail-Photo: First of its kind accessible checkout unveild by Woolworths, creating...
03.01.2024   #Tech in Retail #cashpoints

First of its kind accessible checkout unveild by Woolworths, creating new employment opportunities

Breaking Barriers in Retail: Woolworths' New Checkout Design for Wheelchair Users

In what is believed to be a world first, Woolworths has unveiled an accessible checkout, designed specifically for team members living with a physical disability, including people who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids such as walkers.The first ...

Thumbnail-Photo: MPREIS Transforms Operations with Zebra Workcloud Task Management™...
06.11.2023   #customer experience #software developement

MPREIS Transforms Operations with Zebra Workcloud Task Management™ Software Solution

Austrian food retailer to streamline communication in around 300 stores to improve staff engagement, inventory optimisation, and customer satisfaction

MPREIS has around 300 Austrian stores in regions across Tyrol...

Thumbnail-Photo: Trigo and Netto Announce Autonomous Supermarket with Real-Time Receipt...
24.01.2024   #Tech in Retail #artificial intelligence

Trigo and Netto Announce Autonomous Supermarket with Real-Time Receipt Capability.

‘Final step’ in frictionless shopping drives trust by enabling consumers to view their receipts BEFORE leaving the store
Full size 800m2 grocery supermarket powered by computer vision AI is Europe’s largest retrofitted frictionless store

Trigo, a leading provider of AI computer vision technology that transforms traditional brick-and-mortar retail outlets into digital smart stores, and discount supermarket chain Netto Marken-Discount (also known as Netto), have partnered to launch ...

Thumbnail-Photo: New German vending partner for ITL
30.11.2023   #Tech in Retail #cash management

New German vending partner for ITL

Innovative Technology (ITL) have recently announced Bernd Boddart as their latest trading partner

Bernd Boddart will be supplying their cash validation and biometric age verification solutions to the German vending market. Bernd Boddart, based in Mönchengladbach, Germany, have 30 years of experience in the field of coffee machines, table ...

Thumbnail-Photo: EuroCIS 2024 - technology special
11.12.2023   #online trading #e-commerce

EuroCIS 2024 - technology special

The latest technology solutions and trends for you and the retail sector

At EuroCIS 2022 from February 27 to 29, 2024, the Leading Trade Fair for Retail Technology, we will be looking at all the important and current topics relating to technology in retail: AI and Machine Learning, Payment, Connected Retail, Seamless Store and Smart Energy Management and many more.

Thumbnail-Photo: The global state of autonomous stores
18.12.2023   #Tech in Retail #self-checkout systems

The global state of autonomous stores

The stores are located in various retail segments such as food retail, fashion, electronics, convenience stores and fast food.

In a highly competitive global retail landscape, autonomous stores are an emerging force that addresses changing consumer behaviors, reduces operational costs, improves profitability, and powers revenue growth strategies. Advancements in autonomous ...

Supplier

Captana GmbH
Captana GmbH
Bundesstraße 16
77955 Ettenheim
REMIRA Group GmbH
REMIRA Group GmbH
Phoenixplatz 2
44263 Dortmund
Innovative Technology Ltd.
Innovative Technology Ltd.
Innovative Business Park
OL1 4EQ Oldham
VusionGroup SA
VusionGroup SA
55 place Nelson Mandela
90000 Nanterre
Zebra Technologies Germany GmbH
Zebra Technologies Germany GmbH
Ernst-Dietrich-Platz 2
40882 Ratingen