Carrefour Belgium
Accessibility pilot project for visually impaired people at the Carrefour hypermarket in Auderghem
Carrefour Belgium wants to make its shops more accessible to people with disabilities and is equipping its Carrefour hypermarket in Auderghem with a system that will give visually impaired and blind people greater autonomy in the shop. In partnership with Seedgrowth, it is the first retailer to test the combination of Virtuoz and Navilens solutions. The complementary nature of these two solutions is clear.
With Virtuoz, visually impaired customers will be able to understand the space and layout of the aisles in the shop.
With Navilens, they will be able to find their way around the shop, access the products they are looking for, and information about these products and their prices.
For Carrefour, people remain at the heart of this project. EQLA is playing an active role in raising awareness and training staff to help visually impaired customers enjoy their shopping experience at Carrefour Auderghem.
Project data :
04/2024 – 09/2024
A large-format Virtuoz available at the entrance to the shop covering the different areas, such as the beauty area, pet shop, fruit and vegetables, butcher’s, grocery, fish shop, bakery, dairy, etc.
Find your way around the shop using Navilens QR codes located on the ground and on the signs at the entrance to the aisles.
Use the Navilens QR codes to find the product you are looking for, as well as information such as its composition and price. For this pilot project, 1,700 multi-brand products are referenced by Navilens codes.
Context
The figures for partially sighted people: in Belgium, 1 person out of 1000 is blind, at least 1 person out of 100 is partially sighted, and these figures are expected to triple by 2050
Independence is essential. Two out of three visually impaired people have already given up going somewhere because of a lack of accessibility.
Shopping is a challenge for visually impaired people
Two complementary solutions
Virtuoz
A tactile and audio map to give an idea of the space and understand how the shop is organised :
the layout of different areas such as the beauty area, the textile area, the grocery shop, the fruit and vegetable market, the checkouts, etc.
the direction of aisles and shelves
places of interest such as emergency exits, information desks, etc.
Navilens
Navilens is offering coloured QR codes and a mobile application that will provide :
guidance in the shop right up to the product
signage
product and price information
Two applications
Navilens
Dedicated to the visually impaired or blind
Audio information with adapted visuals for guidance
In the language of the user’s mobile phone
Scan the QR code to download the application :
Navilens Go
For everyone
Access to information in the language of your choice.
Multimedia content
Scan the QR code to download the application :
Guidance
Navilens QR codes have been placed on the floor to guide users through the shop’s aisles.
They enable users to navigate to the different areas of the shop.
By holding the smartphone slightly tilted downwards, the smartphone’s cameras detect the coloured QR codes via the Navilens application.
When the first QR code on the ground is detected, the user can choose a destination from the different areas of the shop.
The user is guided through the shop by the codes on the floor. Once in the destination area, the user chooses the aisle they want thanks to the suspended Navilens QR code.
Signage
Signs with Navilens QR codes are suspended perpendicularly at the entrance to each aisle to identify the product categories available in the corresponding aisle.
In order to read these suspended QR codes, users must turn towards the aisles and hold their smartphone at chest height.
Identification and information
Once in the chosen aisle, users can use their smartphone to move along the aisle in the direction of the shelves. Products marked with QR codes will be identified.
The user can select a product from the list of identified products. For this pilot project, 1700 references are accessible with Navilens codes.
The user is guided to the QR code associated with the product.
The product is located on the shelf above the QR code. The information contained in the code gives details of the product’s composition as well as its price.
Solutions for the visually impaired and blind that benefit everyone.
Project players
Carrefour Belgium
« L’intégration des personnes en situation de handicap que ce soit au niveau du personnel ou au niveau de la clientèle fait partie de la stratégie 2023-2026 de Carrefour » nous précise Vanessa Perin, responsable des relations sociales mais aussi de la diversité et de l’inclusion de Carrefour Belgique.
« L’accessibilité des magasins représente pas mal de défis mais aussi des opportunités » avec de belles initiatives comme ce projet.
The Carrefour hypermarket in Auderghem is a pioneer in providing greater accessibility for the visually impaired with the implementation of VIRTUOZ and NAVILENS.
Seedgrowth
Seedgrowth, which operates mainly in Switzerland and Belgium, is committed to enabling visually impaired people to become independent in their personal, professional, social and cultural lives by providing accessibility solutions for buildings and public places.
Seedgrowth supplies the VIRTUOZ and NAVILENS accessibility solutions and is working in partnership with EQLA to raise awareness among Carrefour staff and management about the problems faced by the visually impaired and to train them to provide the best possible support to these people.
Eqla
Eqla is a Belgian association that works on a daily basis with and for blind and partially-sighted people. Since 1922, Eqla’s mission has been to facilitate their inclusion in their family, social and professional environment, from an early age and at every stage of their lives.
Eqla offers a range of local services designed to help them achieve independence and fulfil their potential, including comprehensive, personalised support, training in new technologies and a range of cultural and leisure activities.
Eqla also educates the general public, professionals and public authorities about the realities of the visually impaired people, and encourages them to take action to facilitate their inclusion in our society.
EQLA raised awareness and trained staff at the Carrefour in Auderghem during the implementation of the project. The association also takes part in awareness-raising days about visual impairment aimed at customers.
With the participation of the Passe Muraille association
