Wegmans Food Markets is the first grocery chain in the U.S. to partner with Aira, a mobile app that offers next generation shopping assistance to customers who are blind or have low vision.
As the first partner in the Aira Supermarket Network, all 97 Wegmans stores are now Aira Access Locations, giving any member of the blind and low-vision community free access to Aira’s service while in Wegmans stores.
Aira offers real-time assistance from trained professionals during shopping trips, using live camera streams, a mobile app and/or smart glasses. Blind or low vision individuals can use their smartphones as streaming devices, essentially bringing a professional along with them to help locate the apples in the produce section using a real-time visual of the store and verbal directions. Aira employees can also use the internet to look up, for example, the type of milk a customer might be looking for or where the salsa can be found in the store, and relay that information to the shopper.