Case study · Brussels · Carrefour Auderghem
A supermarket you walk through by listening.
Carrefour Auderghem deploys NaviLens on the floor, aisles and products — together with SeedGrowth and Virtuoz — so any customer can shop independently, in 42 languages.
Carrefour
Auderghem · Brussels
45 + 167
Codes on the floor and aisles
1,700
NaviLens codes on products
42
Languages read aloud
The client
Carrefour Belgium · SeedGrowth · Virtuoz
Carrefour Auderghem is the first pilot hypermarket of Carrefour Belgium's accessible-store programme. It's part of a wider plan including quiet hours, trolleys adapted for people with reduced mobility and an accessibility charter for all its stores.
Together with SeedGrowth — «Empowering Visually Impaired» — and the Virtuoz touch kiosk, Carrefour has embedded NaviLens on the floor, in the aisles and on the shelves so blind or low-vision shoppers can plan their trip and walk the store unassisted.
The pilot was officially launched on 27 May 2024 (newsroom.carrefour.be, La Libre, Amis des Aveugles · Eqla). On 28 November 2024, ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Carrefour Belgium announced Auderghem as «Belgium's first 100% accessible supermarket», extending the project and reinforcing financial support for Eqla.
§ The challenge
Shopping independently, even without sight.
- 01
Making the supermarket audible
A bilingual FR/NL hypermarket has hundreds of references, sections and promotions. For a blind or low-vision customer, finding a section, reading a price or identifying a product is very difficult without human help.
- 02
Guiding from the door to the shelf
It's not only about identifying products: it's about navigating the flow — entrance, sections, checkouts — without depending on visual signs. Carrefour Auderghem anchors the NaviLens codes to the floor, alongside a tactile guide line that runs across the store.
- 03
Independent, not assisted shopping
The aim of the Carrefour & SeedGrowth pilot is that people with visual impairment can do their shopping independently — choosing, comparing and paying — without having to wait for a companion or for staff.
§ The solution
Floor, aisle and product, out loud.
The pilot embeds 45 NaviLens codes on the floor, on top of a tactile guide line that runs across the whole store; 167 signage codes at the head of the aisles and 1,700 codes on products in the priority categories.
The customer plans their list at the Virtuoz kiosk, follows the guide line with their cane, and the NaviLens app reads out sections, shelves and the selected product — in their own language, among the 42 supported.
§ Route
From the door to the shelf, along the guide line.
Access · Entrance
First code past the door
Right after the automatic doors, a NaviLens code on the floor welcomes the customer by voice, announcing entry into Carrefour Auderghem and where to find the Virtuoz kiosk to plan the route.
Floor · Detail
Code on the guide line
Each tile with a NaviLens code sits next to the tactile guide line on the floor. A user following the line with a cane meets the code naturally and the phone detects it from several metres.
Aisle · Baby
Header and floor
In the «baby» section, a NaviLens code hangs over the aisle header and another goes on the floor, on the guide line. So the customer identifies the section from several metres and confirms entry into the shelf.
Aisle · Beauty
Customer walkthrough
A customer with a cane walks the «beauty» aisle following the guide line. The floor NaviLens codes announce the active section and the available products — no need to ask staff.
Shelf · Product
Codes on the price tag
On the fresh-pasta shelf, every Carrefour Extra reference (Tortellini Pesto, Prosciutto Crudo, Formaggi, Gran Ravioli Gorgonzola…) carries its own NaviLens code next to the electronic price tag. The app reads name, variety, price and the «2nd at -50%» offer.
Carrefour · Initiatives
NaviLens & Virtuoz
Carrefour Belgium folds NaviLens into a wider accessible-store programme: quiet hours, PRM-adapted trolleys, an accessibility charter and NaviLens & Virtuoz for people with visual impairment.
Pilot project
Carrefour & SeedGrowth
The pilot deploys 1 Virtuoz plan, 45 NaviLens codes on the floor, 167 signage codes across the aisles and 1,700 codes on selected products — with improved rotation tracked in the included categories.
§ Real case — Carrefour Auderghem
NaviLens, tested in a real supermarket.
A walkthrough recorded with a phone inside Carrefour Auderghem shows how a visually impaired person enters the store, follows the guide line, identifies sections and consults products with NaviLens independently — without depending on staff.
Carrefour Auderghem
Real case recorded in-store with a phone
§ What they said
“On estime qu'en Belgique, 1 personne sur 1.000 est aveugle et qu'1 sur 100 est malvoyante. Faire ses courses de façon autonome est souvent un grand défi pour ces personnes. Avec ce projet pilote, Carrefour met en place à Auderghem des solutions concrètes pour rendre le magasin accessible.”
“Assurer l'égalité des chances pour tous est un droit fondamental. Aujourd'hui, Carrefour Belgique fait un pas important vers une société plus inclusive. Si nous utilisons intelligemment l'innovation et le progrès, nous pouvons améliorer la vie de chacun. Grâce à cette application, les personnes malvoyantes peuvent faire leurs courses en toute autonomie : une initiative louable.”
§ And your store?
Every aisle can guide any customer.
Tell us about your store network and your customer journeys. We’ll show you how NaviLens would fit in aisles, entrances and services.
