A Milestone for Inclusive Shopping in Belgium
This is a first in Belgium, certainly in Europe, and perhaps even worldwide. Last May, Carrefour Belgium launched a pilot project with Eqla and Seedgrowth to make shopping more accessible for people with visual impairments. Alongside this project, called NaviLens, a solidarity round-up was organised at the Auderghem shop. During the official presentation of the cheque for this action to the Eqla association, I had the opportunity to familiarise myself with the concept.
A pilot project is always interesting to analyse, especially if it aims to facilitate accessibility for all. But, above all, I was able to learn more about the feedback from the field on this project and see for myself the progress that has been made.
A project like this doesn't happen alone
For those unfamiliar with Eqla, it is a Belgian association that has been working with and for people with visual impairments since 1922. Its aim is to facilitate the social and professional inclusion and independence of blind and partially sighted people, from an early age and at every stage of their lives.
Seedgrowth is the group representing the NaviLens and Virtuoz systems that have been installed at the Hypermarket of Auderghem for several months.
Eqla's role in setting up this project was to support not only the users but also the shop staff. The latter were trained in the use of the systems.
In practical terms, independence is made easier
But what is it all about? Firstly, Geoffroy Gerdorff, Managing Director of Carrefour Belgium, gave us a very clear definition: ‘It's a simple way of really promoting inclusion, providing support and making visually impaired people feel independent when they visit’. According to Mr Gersdorff, the project not only facilitates access for customers with visual difficulties, but also fits in with the Group's inclusion programme. In this way, Carrefour is also facilitating access for employees with disabilities, enabling them to integrate into the shop and even interact with customers. So not only consumers use the tsystem.
Virtuoz
Here's a system that's easy to understand and use. A tactile map is located at the entrance to the shop. Users can put on headphones and touch areas on the map that are explained to them audibly. This gives a general idea of the space in the shop and the different zones that exist.
NaviLens
Via a mobile application, users can scan QR codes and obtain precise information on the location of categories and get directions to find shelves and products thanks to the system's voice instructions. The QR codes are placed throughout the store, which has been precisely mapped, and of course on the various shelves. These codes can be easily detected by the application from up to 20 metres away.
Lines are also drawn on the floor, enabling the visually impaired to follow the mapping or directions as they search.
Once the product has been found, the user can receive audible information about the product in question, such as the price of course, but also the composition of the ingredients and allergens.
A work in progress
What I find interesting about the concept is that the application is very practical and easy to use. Also, any changes to shelves or products are easily updated if necessary.
What's more, the system is interesting for everyone. Imagine arriving in an unfamiliar shop, and this type of tool allows you to find your way around easily, thanks to a simpler system than other intelligent caddy or GPS systems, many of which have yet to prove their worth.
And also worth to be mentioned, it works in multiple languages. The tool is tuned to the language of your phone, not just the three Belgian national languages.
Of course, there's still work to be done before this solution is rolled out to every point of sale in the country. First, not all references are yet in the NaviLens system. One therefore needs to continue enriching the product database and synchronising with the entire Carrefour portfolio.
Integrating QR codes on all packaging in collaboration with suppliers would be a step in the right direction. However, this would only provide information on product locations and compositions, but not prices in shops. Ideally, these QR codes would be included on electronic labels (ESL). But work still needs to be done on enriching the data and with the suppliers of these electronic labels.
As you can see, this pilot project has already made good progress, but it still needs to evolve over the coming months. However, we can still welcome the fact that the system is making information and guidance much easier, and that thanks to NaviLens, visually impaired people are becoming more independent.
PS: If you'd like to see a short video about the project, here's one for you: https://youtu.be/miUBIEIlE_o?si=QGglPvxcQP_BA99s
CarrefourNavilensInclusiveVirtuozEqlaGeoffroy Gersdorff