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Loblaw companies ‘read' weekly online flyers to visually impaired shoppers

According to Statistics Canada more than 600,000 Canadians live with a vision problem.

With this number expected to increase dramatically, accessibility to on-line information is an important issue for Loblaw Companies Limited (LCL), Canada's largest food distributor.

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What the client was looking for

LCL wanted 100% of its weekly flyer content available online to visually impaired shoppers – in both English and French – and at the same time standard online flyers were published. The solution had to have no negative impact on current publishing timelines. LCL also wanted a solution up and running in just four weeks.

What Conversys brought to the table

Conversys experience and expertise in customizing its technologies to meet unique requirements allowed the development team to move quickly on the challenge. They knew the technology and processes that supported LCL's online flyer, because they had developed them. Understanding this would be a very special market application, the team turned to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) for input on screen-reader software used by the visually impaired. They were determined to make the solution seamless for LCL and easily accessible for users.

What the client got

LCL's service to visually impaired shoppers was up and running in four weeks with 100% of their online flyer content – French and English – presented in a very specialized format that is compatible with widely used screen reader software. This software allows a speech synthesizer to read aloud the information on the computer screen. Hundreds of LCL publications and tens of thousands of flyer pages associated with more than 1,000 stores were made fully accessible to the visually impaired. The Globe and Mail called it “a unique weekly online flyer service.”

Where things stand now

Elizabeth Margles, Vice President Public Relations, Loblaw Companies Limited, said, “We want all of our customers – including those who are visually impaired – to enjoy a positive shopping experience, while benefiting from in-store specials and promotions.“ Users can select information for a store and access the specials and promotions specific to that location – in the official language of their choice. They can also register online for weekly e-mails containing links to their store's accessible flyer.

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