Major retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s and M&S will take part in the UK’s first dedicated day to promote accessible shopping for customers with disabilities.
Purple Tuesday, on 13 November, will see retailers introduce new measures to make shopping experiences more inclusive for disabled shoppers in stores and online. Purple, the disability organisation co-ordinating the initiative, did not confirm what these changes and measures would be. M&S said theirs would include updated training for in-store staff.
A poll of 200 disabled shoppers in December 2017 revealed over half had concerns about overcrowding in shops, with a similar proportion saying they had left a store or abandoned a purchase in the past because of a poor shopping incident,
The BRC, Barclays and the Crown Estate will also be taking part, and Purple has urged more retailers and organisations to sign up.
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“Less than 10% of companies have a dedicated strategy for targeting disabled customers,” said Purple CEO Mike Adams. “Customer service is a perfect example - as part of Purple Tuesday we’ll be providing a simple training kit to help in-store staff feel confident in assisting disabled shoppers. Purple Tuesday isn’t about a single day in the year but encouraging lasting change that creates a virtuous circle between businesses and disabled consumers.”
M&S head of customer service Jo Moran said: “The accessibility of our stores and website is extremely important to us, so we’re delighted to support Purple Tuesday. Taking place in the run-up to Christmas it’s a great opportunity for us to refresh our training with colleagues to ensure we’re offering the best possible service for all our customers.”
Tim Fallowfield, company secretary and corporate services director at Sainsbury’s, said it is “extremely proud” to be taking part. “As part of our vision to be the most inclusive retailer, we are always looking for ways to improve and adapt to meet our customers’ needs,” he said. “By taking steps towards improving accessible shopping during the busiest shopping period of the year, we hope to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges, while also providing an enhanced shopping experience for our disabled customers.”
Minister for disabled people, work and health, Sarah Newton, added: “Shopping should be a pleasant experience, but for many disabled people it can often be the cause of distress and frustration. By failing to cater to their disabled customers, many businesses are missing out on billions of pounds and denying disabled people the opportunity to enjoy something which many people take for granted.”
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