Coca-Cola has rolled out NaviLens codes across packs of its Christmas can multipacks, which can be scanned with a mobile phone camera from distances of up to four meters to help blind and partially sighted consumers, and are readable even when unfocused.
The company said it is the UK’s first beverage company to launch on-pack technology for visually impaired shoppers. This follows a successful pilot and roll out of the technology by Kellogg’s and Aunt Bessie’s, who rolled out packs with NaviLens codes in September 2022.
NaviLens is similar to a QR code but can be detected in a fraction of the time and up to three meters away. A smartphone can detect the optic, and playback information to the user. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has incorporated the technology onto large Christmas can multipacks. The codes will feature on the cardboard outers.
In another development, Microsoft and Haleon launched a new feature to Microsoft’s Seeing AI app that reads health product labels aloud for people who are blind or have impaired vision. The app is currently available in the US and UK and compatible with over 1,500 consumer health products.
