Shopping with sight loss is a balancing act. You need to find products, check prices, read expiry dates, and keep your bearings while holding a cane or guiding a dog through narrow aisles. Tesco’s new partnership with Be My Eyes is a welcome move to make that experience smoother, even if it doesn’t solve every challenge just yet.

The Pilot and How It Works

Tesco has launched a six-month pilot with Be My Eyes, the Danish-founded accessibility platform that connects blind and partially sighted people to trained company representatives for real-time visual support. Through the Be My Eyes app, Tesco customers can start a live video call with a Tesco colleague to get help identifying products, confirming expiry dates or checking Clubcard offers while shopping.

It’s the first time a major UK supermarket has trialled this kind of direct visual support, and it could make everyday shopping easier and more accessible for thousands of customers.

What It Offers and What It Doesn’t

The pilot adds another option for independence rather than replacing in-store assistance. Customers can still ask staff for help, but they now have the choice to connect directly with a colleague through the app if that feels more comfortable or convenient.

That said, there are still hurdles. Reliable mobile signal or Wi-Fi inside supermarkets isn’t always guaranteed, and using a smartphone during a call can be awkward if you rely on a guide dog or cane. For many blind shoppers, one hand is already occupied, leaving little freedom to handle products or move safely while holding a phone. The pilot should help uncover and address those practical issues.

Building on Accessibility Efforts

Tesco has also updated its self-service checkouts to make them more accessible, adding options to increase text size and contrast simply by tapping the on-screen accessibility button. It’s a small feature that gives customers more control and reduces the need to ask for help, exactly the kind of inclusive thinking that benefits everyone.

Why This Matters

Partnerships like Tesco’s with Be My Eyes mark a shift from accessibility as an afterthought to accessibility as a design principle. The technology is already out there, it just needs to be integrated thoughtfully, supported by trained staff and backed by reliable infrastructure.

If this pilot succeeds, it could encourage other retailers to follow suit, not by replacing human support but by adding flexible new ways to deliver it.

The Takeaway

Tesco’s Be My Eyes pilot is a solid step forward for inclusive retail. It won’t replace in-store assistance, but it offers another route to independence for shoppers who want it. The real test will be how well it works in practice, especially when connectivity or free hands are limited. Still, progress often starts with pilots like this one, and it’s encouraging to see one of the UK’s biggest supermarkets leading that change.