Aira has announced Wegmans Food Markets is the first Aira-enabled supermarket chain in the U.S. As the first partner in the Aira Supermarket Network, all 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, powered by AT&T, is a San Diego-based startup that makes use of wearable technology, artificial intelligence, and live, human assistance to deliver real-time visual description for people who are blind or have low vision. Using a smartphone or a pair of smart glasses, an Aira "Explorer" can connect to a remote, trained professional who can provide assistance on-demand using a live camera stream, GPS, maps and information sourced from the web.
Wegmans has a well-established reputation of providing customer service, and in 2018 ranked No. 1 on the Temkin Experience Ratings for providing the best customer experience of any supermarket in the country. Wegmans was listed on PEOPLE magazine's list of
"50 Companies That Care."
"I'm excited to have Wegmans as our first partner in the Aira Supermarket Network," said Suman Kanuganti, founder and CEO of Aira. "Their commitment to ensuring all customers have the same great Wegmans shopping experience is inspiring and I'm proud to call them a partner."
"At Wegmans, we are committed to providing incredible customer service to all our shoppers," said Linda Lovejoy, community relations manager. "Our partnership with Aira helps us deliver on this commitment, giving our blind and low-vision customers access to this innovative service and the ability to navigate our stores easily and efficiently."
Blind and low-vision shoppers can download the Aira app on their smartphone and use it to connect to a remote, sighted agent to access information on-demand. On request, Aira agents can help shoppers navigate the store, find specific items and identify the shortest checkout lines all at just the touch of a button. One can download the app at
aira.io/app, register as a guest, and use Aira for free in any Wegmans store.
