How Can I Make My Business Accessible

How Can I Make My Business Accessible

Accessibility is an important feature to have in any business. Around 15% of people around the world live with a disability of some sort. In the US alone, this statistic is 26% of the population – about 61 million adults with a disability. Given the numbers involved, it’s important for retailers to consider whether their operations and products appeal to disabled people’s needs.

Besides automatic doors and wheelchair ramps, there is still a lot that retailers can do when it comes to accommodating disabled people.

Why is accessibility important

Icons for the different types of accessibility needs
(Source)

As we’ve mentioned, a good portion of the world lives with some form of disability. And as a retailer you want to make it as easy as possible for all potential customers to shop with you. A survey conducted in the UK reported that 78% of disabled people found it difficult or impossible to access most shops and malls. Making stores more accessible to 78% of disabled people is an easy way to increase your customer base and improve sales.

Access for people with disabilities improves access for everyone.

Community Tool Box

At its core, accessibility in retail is ensuring as many people as possible can easily shop with you. When most people think of making a store more accessible, they often think about making it easier for people who use wheelchairs or canes to access the store. But accessibility can include more than that. It is also about making sure anyone can read the signs in your store, or that anyone can feel comfortable in your store.

The types of accessibility issues

The types of accessibility issues
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There are a few types of potential accessibility issues your shoppers could have. The common barriers to accessibility are:

  • Visual: This is for people who have a hard time seeing things, or even those who cannot see at all.
  • Mobility: This is for people who have difficulty moving around, such as people in wheelchairs or people with crutches.
  • Auditory: This is for people who have a hard time hearing or cannot hear at all.
  • Learning and/or cognitive: This is for people who may have learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

It is important to consider whether your store is inaccessible to people who fall under one or more of these categories. Are you doing enough to provide a satisfying shopping experience to these people?

The issues that arise from inaccessible retail

Besides just the financial losses a store can get from inaccessibility there is more to consider. At the end of the day, people with disabilities are still people. We must be empathetic to their concerns and needs.

Boy in wheelchair looking at stairs
(Source)

When stores are inaccessible, people with disabilities are further made to feel like they are not a valued member of society. Just imagine if every time you had to go shopping you had to deal with an obstacle course at the same time. It would make you think that the business does not want you there or is making it as hard as possible for you to be there. Unfortunately, this is the reality many disabled people have to live with.

Some other consequences that can arise from your store being inaccessible are:

  • Injuries
  • Exclusion
  • Stress & anxiety
  • Problems getting to certain products or services

This surely makes you ask, how can I make my business more accessible?

How can you make your business accessible

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of what accessibility is. Now we can move on to the most important part – how to actually make your business accessible to more people!

Evaluate your store

The first step is to take some time to assess your store. Are there places where people may have trouble with accessibility? Perhaps a certain aisle is too tight for people to move through easily if they are using a mobility aid, such as a wheelchair. Or maybe some of your signs are hard to read due to small lettering. Even things such as lighting can affect accessibility. Make a list of all of the potential issues within your store so you have an action plan to start.

Illustration of a cheklist
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Understand your region’s accessibility regulations

Each country, state or province has its own rules and regulations when it comes to accessibility. Make sure you do some research into what your region specifies. This will also help you prioritize tasks within your action plan.

Examples of accessibility features

Accessible parking
(Source)

Here are some common solutions to accessibility issues. Keep in mind, these are just a few examples.

  • Ramps and automatic doors
  • Accessible parking
  • Large lettering on signage (72pt font is a standard size for more accessible readability)
  • Wide doors to allow people in wheelchairs or walkers to pass through
  • Braille on some signs
  • Comfortable lighting (not too bright but not too dark either)
  • Using patterns instead of only colors for differentiation for those with poor color vision
  • Flexibility at the point-of-sale (portable card processing machines or with long cables, ample room at self-checkout stations, etc.)
  • If you have TVs or screens, make sure closed-captioning is turned on
  • Include people with disabilities in your marketing
  • Be open to suggestions from people with disabilities

Take action!

Now that you know your region’s regulations, and you know what in your store needs work, you can begin taking action.

Once you have core accessibility issues resolved, you can take extra steps to make your customers with accessibility feel more included. Examples of this include:

Shopping cart with magnifying glass attached
This store has magnifying glasses on shopping carts to make reading fine print easier (Source).
  • Offering products which will appeal to people with various physical needs
  • Quiet spaces to give consumers a break from all of the hustle and bustle in your store. This is very effective for customers who experience sensory overload.
  • Have magnifying glasses that allow visually impaired people to read smaller texts and labels
  • Review websites and online stores for sufficient meta information for user navigation (versus just product information) as those who are visually impaired often use audio tools to read aloud online content
  • QR codes on product labels which will allow customers to inspect product information from their smartphones which have built-in accessibility modes
  • Hiring employees who know sign language

These extra steps will really help customers with disabilities feel included and accommodated.

Train your staff

Accessibility training
(Source)

While having accessibility features is a great thing, it is important that your staff, the people who represent your business, are also trained to serve customers with disabilities. Making sure that all of your staff are trained in the basics of accessibility etiquette will result in every customer getting the best customer service. You can find some services and products that help with disability awareness/etiquette training here.

Online accessibility matters too

Web accessibility illustration
(Source)

As mentioned above, accessibility doesn’t just stop at your physical store, but extends to your online sales channels as well. A survey in the UK showed that businesses lose a combined £17 billion due to a lack of online accessibility. This highlights the economic importance of making your digital sales channels accessible, beyond it being the right thing to do.

Make sure it is easy to navigate your website and that you include alt-texts on all images and navigation functions (e.g. buttons). Since people with visual impairments use applications to read aloud website content, alt-texts on images help describe and differentiate them to users.

Ensure readability on your website. Use legible fonts, clear color contrast and appropriate font sizes. This extends to captions on any video that may be on your website. Also make sure that you are using headings to organize text content on your site. Having a structure to your text content allows it to be more understandable to users with cognitive disabilities. For more info on web accessibility check out this Hubspot article.

Accessible businesses thrive

The best type of businesses are able to serve as many customers as possible. And offering access to those with disabilities, improves access for everyone. This makes your business more successful and a stronger member of your community. Please take some time as soon as you can to evaluate where you can improve accessibility in your business.


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Post-Pandemic Retail Trends

Post-Pandemic Retail Trends

A lot has changed over the last two years. When the pandemic started in 2020, retail was heavily affected. Now that we are in a post-pandemic world, retail has once again changed. Some trends from the pandemic are sticking around, and some are not. In today’s blog we are going to go over several post-pandemic retail trends.

Post-pandemic inflation affects spending

We’ve touched on inflation affecting consumer spending. The early months of the pandemic saw an increase in spending by consumers. However as interest rates and inflation continue to increase, consumers are making mindful decisions to cut back on spending. Although the lipstick effect continues to explain why small luxury items are continuing to sell, discretionary spending is decreasing overall. Consumers are spending less and less on things such as clothing and meal kits.

Brand loyalty is shifting post-pandemic

Brand loyalty in post-pandemic retail
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Younger consumers are leaving brands they were once loyal to. 39% of consumers (mostly Gen Z and Millennials) have left behind trusted brands to try new ones. At the same time, older shoppers are prioritizing convenience and supporting more local businesses. The bar is higher than ever to earn brand loyalty today but it’s still important to retailers everywhere.

One of the most powerful tools for earning brand loyalty is a loyalty program. These programs actually make 60% of global consumers into brand loyalists. But instead of simply discounts, consumers are increasingly saying that loyalty is about ‘exceptional experiences’ or a ‘sense of trust.’

Store-ception (stores within stores)

Apple store within Target
(Source)

Another trend which is gaining more traction are stores within stores. Now that people are physically shopping in stores after the pandemic, this trend is big! A common example of this is the beauty counter within a pharmacy. Usually these spaces have lighting catered to beauty products and special signage.

Since stores have reopened, this trend is skyrocketing. Brands such as Target now have small Apple stores within their stores at multiple locations. This gives retailers the boost of “subletting” floor space to an aspirational brand with it’s own established customer base. This attracts more foot traffic and gives shoppers a better in-store experience.

Home investments are slowing down post-pandemic

A couple taking a home improvement project
(Source)

Traditionally during a recession, people are more likely to “nest” and spend more time at home to save money. This recession will be different though as shoppers everywhere are tired of isolating at home after several years of lockdowns. The traditional boom in home products happened early on during the pandemic. As as result, shoppers have already invested in their homes and the demand for products and brands related to nesting has been on the decline as consumers return to stores, restaurants and travel.

As shoppers have less disposable income and have already spent money on home improvements – the nesting boom is coming to a halt. Although there are less people willing to spend on home improvement now, the people who are able to spend are going to spend more.

A focus on healthy living

Unsurprisingly, there is increased interest in personal wellness post-pandemic. During the pandemic, products related to outdoor fitness and healthy living were in high demand. Luckily for retailers in health and wellness, this trend is still strong amongst shoppers as the pandemic has reminded everybody about the benefits of healthy living.

The focus on healthy living extends to food and drinks. While normally alcohol consumption increases during a recession, over-indulgence during the pandemic has lead to an overall decrease in alcohol consumption, particularly amongst high-income or young consumers.

The changing role of e-commerce

E-commerce was all the rage during the pandemic. With stores closed everywhere, shoppers had no choice but to shop online. But e-commerce is more than just another sales channel. These days, it is also a key marketing tool.

As shoppers have returned to stores, retailers have downplayed e-commerce sales as they tend to have lower margins. According to Google, 46% of consumers will check online for product availability before purchasing anything in-store. While in-store, these customers are also more likely to make impulse purchases which are often higher in margin.

Another growing trend, is the use of physical stores to showcase products for online purchase. Similar to traditional “showrooms,” guideshops or showroom-like stores cater to consumers who prefer to visit a store before purchasing a product online.

Omnichannel is becoming the standard

Throughout 2022 we’ve been emphasizing that customers want convenience. The flexibility that omnichannel delivers is a powerful way to offer convenience to consumers. Buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS) is being used more and more every day. In post-pandemic retail, stores with true omnichannel operations are the most successful as retailers today need to sell wherever shoppers want to buy. Omnichannel strategies lead to 80% higher rates of store visits. People want to be able to start their purchasing journey online and finish it in-person (or vice versa).

Post-pandemic omnichannel retail
(Source)

Better customer relations via technology

Omnichannel retail platforms allow store owners to save data about their customers. This data can then be used for personalized marketing materials which is more effective at driving sales.

Take a look at this article on some top omnichannel trends to look out for this year. If you are interested in implementing an omnichannel strategy for your store, the best place to start is with an omnichannel retail management system.


Join the omnichannel revolution today. Share your products online, sell online, nurture customer relationships, and drive more visitors in-store with TAKU Retail. Learn more today by clicking below.

Implement an omnichannel system today
Halloween Marketing Resources

Halloween Marketing Resources

With spooky season right around the corner, retailers should be getting ready. Having a head start on marketing for a holiday is essential. The best retailers prepare at least a month in advance for most holidays. We have created a free resource page with Halloween marketing resources that any business can use!

On the page you will find various materials that you can use in your Halloween communications. This includes: Halloween hashtags, retail promotion ideas, over 20 royalty-free Halloween stock images, color schemes, a spooky Halloween font, and some inspiration for your Halloween displays.

Click here to access the TAKU Halloween marketing resources!


Some of the best marketing opportunities come during various holidays. Staying ahead of your holiday calendar and preparing is the key to boosting your sales. Check out our blog on year-round holiday marketing.

Link to Year-Round Retail Holiday Marketing blog post