Tesco's misfortunes continue after launching Glass app as Google shelves the wearable device
Tesco’s plans to capatalise on the wearables trend with a Google Glass app has been issued a major blow mere days after its release following Google’s announcement that it was pulling the product from sale amid tepid consumer uptake.
The ‘Tesco Grocery’ app was set to supplement the online shopping experience, which would allow users to call up nutritional information and products via speech recognition, supplemented by the ability to scan barcodes using Google Glass' camera. However, Google pulled the £990 Glass headwear as it attracted little consumer interest since its UK launch in summer 2014.
The app was launched on Tuesday [13 January] with Pablo Coberly, innovation engineer at Tesco Labs, claiming it would “integrate shopping into everyday life because products can be ordered or added as and when customers realise they need replacing.”
This poor timing of the product launch was picked up on social media.
Tesco can't catch a break, can they? Announce launch of a Google Glass app, two days before Google kills off Google Glass.
— Jon Yeomans (@JonLYeomans) January 16, 2015
Tesco must be happy. Tuesday: launches Google Glass app. Thursday: Google kills Glass (for now) — Jason Jenkins (@jenkojenkins) January 16, 2015
Tesco announce they are launching a Google Glass app the week Google announce they're withdrawing Google Glass. Class in a Glass.
— Matt Ballantine (@ballantine70) January 16, 2015
A Tesco spokesperson told The Drum: "Tesco Labs continues to experiment with wearable technology which may impact the ways its customers would want to shop in the future."
A Google spokesman said: "January 19 will be the last day to get the Glass Explorer Edition. In the meantime, we’re continuing to build for the future, and you’ll start to see future versions of Glass when they’re ready."
The app launch followed chief executive Dave Lewis' unveiling of a £250m cost-cutting plan for the struggling supermarket.