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Tesco pilots Android sat-nav

Jacob Nthoiwa
By Jacob Nthoiwa, ITWeb journalist.
Johannesburg, 27 May 2011

Tesco pilots Android sat-nav

Tesco is running a pilot using sat-nav technology to help customers navigate around stores and locate stock, states Computing.co.uk.

The supermarket giant told Computing last year that it was experimenting with the technology using iPads and iPhones.

Nick Lansley, head of research and development, explained that the service is only available to Android phone owners who contact Tesco for a link to download the application.

According to London Evening Standard, the new service is able to show customers where all their wanted products are on a store map, show them where they are and guide them round the store using the shortest route.

The app uses dozens of WiFi hotspots already installed for staff. By comparing their signal strength, it can pinpoint a shopper's position. It currently only works on phones running Google's Android software but could eventually be available on all mobiles.

The team is tweaking the system to ensure that the food and drink in stores does not interfere with the accuracy. "Walk down the baked bean aisle and those tins are reflecting signals like you wouldn't believe," says Lansley.

Tesco is looking to recruit a large control group of customers in order to trial this technology, says MyCustomer.

The prototype system has been installed at the supermarket chain's Tesco Extra shop in Romford, Essex, at the ominously named Gallows Corner branch, and the aim is to recruit Google Android smartphone users who would be willing to download the application onto their devices.

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