Business Disability Forum (BDF) has published extensive new research today (29 June) which finds that disabled consumers across the UK experience limited choice and feelings of disempowerment when purchasing products, services, and activities, resulting in over 43 per cent abandoning shopping tasks without purchasing.
‘What disabled consumers choose to buy and why’ looks at how people make decisions about where they shop and what they purchase. Supported by Microsoft, this in-depth research examines buying experiences of the 1 in 5 people in the UK who have a disability.
BDF commissioned Open Inclusion to carry out the research. Insights are based on the views and experiences of 698 respondents with disabilities or access needs who took part in the research. Disabled consumers with a range of lived experiences participated. Businesses also took part.
The research considers purchasing experiences across the areas of retail, hospitality, utilities, days out and leisure, holiday accommodation, banking and insurance, and technology. Its findings and recommendations cover user-involvement, accessibility, communication, customer service, and training.
Limited choice and feeling disempowered
Of the disabled consumers who participated in the research:
- 90 per cent were affected at the decision-making stage of purchases by either; limitations of design, limitations in available information, or how information was presented.
- 65 per cent agreed that ‘I feel like my choices of what to buy are limited on a daily basis due to barriers’.
- 27 per cent disagreed with the statement that ‘I am able to request adjustments or identify my preferences or needs when I try to buy a product or service’.
- Over half were likely to feel limited by choice, specifically because of their access needs, when booking holiday accommodation (59 per cent) or in relation to leisure activities (56 per cent).
- Over 4 in 10 were limited to some extent when booking a new place to eat (45 per cent), finding a new provider – electricity, gas or broadband (41 per cent) and opening or changing a personal bank account or renewing or changing insurance provider (40 per cent).
Overlooked in advertising
- Research carried out by Ipsos showed that while 38 per cent of disabled consumers agreed with the statement ‘In general, I feel businesses advertise to people like me’, 1 in 3 disabled consumers (33 per cent) disagreed.
“[It’s] important to me that I have information in the ads to enable me to make that same choice as everyone else.” A disabled consumer
Poor customer service and inaccessibility
- 43 per cent of respondents who experienced barriers when shopping left or abandoned an online shopping task early. The figure was the same for in person shopping.
For in-person purchases, barriers most commonly mentioned were:
- Not having customer or sales staff available to help (54 per cent).
- Space to move around the shop (52 per cent).
- Placement of the items I want to look at (47 per cent).
- Access into the shop itself (40 per cent).
- The shop being too busy with other customers (37 per cent).
For online shopping, barriers included:
- Finding information related to accessible features about the product (47 per cent)
- Confusing routes through the website or app /hard to find what was needed (45 per cent)
- Accessibility issues with the website or app being used (42 per cent).
- Having limited access to/unable to use customer services to help (40 per cent).
- Customer services not being able to give information needed about products (30 per cent).
“[It’s] not necessarily the money and physical facilities that make an experience – it is the people there and how they respond.” A disabled consumer
A lack of accessible information
- At least 7 in 10 respondents stated that their disability or access needs had made it more challenging to find the information they needed in certain sectors. Days out for leisure (77 per cent). New places to eat out (75 per cent). Holiday accommodation (73 per cent). Banking and insurance services (70 per cent). Over half of the respondents said the same for the remaining sectors we asked about (retail, utilities, and technology).
“I ended up staying with my current bank because I could not get information in easy read format from any other bank.” A disabled consumer
Urgent need for change
Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum, said:
“Businesses cannot afford to overlook the needs and spending habits of disabled consumers. Yet, too often, disabled people face limited choice, increased costs, or even difficulty finding the goods and services they want and need.
“For disabled people, the need for better access to services and products has never been more urgent. Many disabled people face additional costs associated with having a disability. With living costs rising, it is more important than ever that disabled consumers have the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions and to get the best deals possible.
“Our research shows that there is plenty of good practice out there, but it can be patchy, and varies from sector to sector.”
Positive signs
Whilst 74 per cent of all disabled consumers agreed that the businesses they buy from ‘have a long way to go to ensure products and services and accessible for all’, the research also found that there are some positive signs of change.
- Almost two thirds (65 per cent) agreed that businesses they used are starting to recognise the importance of accessible and inclusive products and services.
- Just over half (54 per cent) agreed that they have noticed a positive change in how they were treated as a disabled or older customer.
“It’s little things that can make a really big difference. They show that the business is thinking about the customer journey of everybody… I am more likely to want to continue that relationship in the future.” A disabled consumer
What disabled consumers want
Both disabled consumers and businesses were asked about what needs to happen for progress to be made. Consumers said that businesses need to:
- Provide information about the accessibility and usability of products and services and make it easy to find.
- Offer a range of ways for consumers to get in touch (for example email, telephone and webchat).
- Make sure all websites and apps are fully accessible, as well as all physical environments. Think about parking and access into premises, as well as the premises itself.
- Make sure customer service and support staff have knowledge of the products and services available and how disabled consumers can access and use them.
- Design products and services with inclusion in mind. Product or service design needs to be user-led, tested, and ‘fit for purpose’.
Response from business
In response, businesses recognised that they need to:
- Create opportunities for consumers to ask questions. Tackle perceptions that staff are too busy or not prepared to help. Conversation should be directed to ‘needs’ rather than ‘disabilities.’
- Train customer facing staff. Businesses recognised that staff need to be proactive in approaching customers and ready with a response if asked for help.
- Increase representation of disabled people in the workforce to increase understanding and to demonstrate what the business represents.
- Offer alternative contact options to help encourage dialogue between the business and the consumer.
- Develop targeted services at a local level.
To view the full findings of ‘What disabled consumers choose to buy and why’, including sector specific reports, findings, and recommendations, please visit Business Disability Forum’s Knowledge Hub.
