Britannia Industries has launched a pilot program in collaboration with MORE Retail, Mithra Jyoti, and Google Cloud’s Astra technology to enhance the retail experience for visually impaired individuals. The program, called Britannia A-Eye, uses a smartphone’s camera to scan the environment and provide voice-based guidance to navigate store aisles. The AI-powered technology also identifies products and provides access to detailed information such as pricing, ingredients, nutrition, and expiration dates, primarily for Britannia products. This solution eliminates the need for external assistance, allowing visually impaired consumers to shop independently.
The pilot uses Google Cloud’s multimodal AI capabilities to enable seamless navigation, real-time product identification, and instant access to product information. This first-of-its-kind initiative aims to revolutionize inclusivity in retail and promote equity and independence for all consumers. Britannia Industries’ General Manager of Marketing, Siddharth Gupta, emphasized the importance of innovation in fostering inclusivity, stating that Britannia A-Eye is a testament to how cutting-edge technology can shape the future of inclusive retail. WPP’s Chief AI Officer, Daniel Hulme, added that the partnership with Google is about pushing the boundaries of AI-driven innovation and redefining inclusivity in retail.