The news: Walmart is making its stores and website more accessible to members of the blind and low vision community. The retailer partnered with Aira, a mobile app that connects shoppers with sighted interpreters who can act as their eyes within the store, helping them navigate aisles and locate the products they need.
The service is offered for free at Walmart stores and on Walmart.com.
Zoom out: The partnership with Aira is the latest in a series of accessibility initiatives Walmart has implemented to make its stores more inclusive so that shoppers with disabilities can have a positive experience both in-store and online.
“The reality is, we have tons of shoppers with disabilities who we want to make sure are having as good, if not better, of a shopping experience with us as someone who doesn’t have a disability,” Gayatri Agnew, head of Walmart’s Accessibility Center of Excellence, said in a company blog post.
Our take: Offering services like Aira free of charge to in-store and online shoppers is an easy way for retailers to make their stores more inclusive and improve customer goodwill.
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