Tesco launches free Wi-Fi in Extra branches

The UK’s largest supermarket chain is rolling out free Wi-Fi in every Tesco Extra branch nationwide following successful trials in four of its UK stores. Customers who own a Tesco Clubcard will receive unlimited access and will be able to use their Clubcard numbers like a password on the Wi-Fi network. Customers without a Clubcard will receive 15 minutes free access every 24 hours.

The retailer is following the example of John Lewis, which announced that it would be installing Wi-Fi in all of its stores in October. The scheme in John Lewis is provided by BT’s Openzone, and the initiative in Tesco is supplied by O2. Tesco has tried a number of innovations in the digital space as it attempts to gain competitive advantage over rivals.

Last month it emerged the supermarket giant had partnered with Kishino to trial augmented reality in its stores to free up shelf space for more bulky consumer electronics items. However, the technology is not yet available on mobiles due to it requiring two-way cameras and must be used via web-connected terminals hosted in-store.

In addition, Tesco has launched a scheme bundling physical and digital film formats today (2 December). Any Tesco Clubcard customer who buys a physical film in-store will also be able to watch it on a stream from the retailer’s Blinkbox service for no additional cost.

Source : Laura Elliott – International Supermarket News
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