According to the latest figures there are around 13.3 million disabled people in the UK, with this demographic accounting for nearly 20% of the population.
From a business perspective, there’s a pressing need to recognise this demographic and its potential value. After all, the failure to do this could significantly reduce a company’s potential customer base, particularly if their retail outlets or services are not accessible to people with a physical disability.
In this article, we’ll look at how certain businesses look to optimise their accessibility and cater to the needs of disabled customers.
- Cab Firms and Drivers Investing in Vehicles with Disabled Access
While some industries and services see demand levels fluctuate over time, others have remained competitive for generations. Take cab driving, for example, which has maintained a consistent demand for generations despite the rising number of cars and motorists on the road.
Cab firms and drivers also need to ensure that their service is as accessible as possible, particularly as their target market is extremely diverse and inclusive of people with disabilities.
One of the ways in which they achieve this is by ensuring that a proportion of their vehicles offer disable access, with some having been modified to achieve this objective. Even freelancer drivers can source disabled access vehicles from outlets such as Cab Direct, enabling them to optimise their revenues while working.
The result is that disabled passengers can now hire a private taxi at relatively short notice, while they can also travel in style and with a genuine level of comfort.
- How Mobile Hairdressers Cater to Disabled Customers
The haircare and beauty industry is another that benefits from continued demand, as people will always want to invest in their appearance and uphold a carefully cultivated image.
Operators within this market have also been at the cutting edge of accessibility, with a plethora of mobile hair dressers currently active in the UK.
These individuals will take their range of services directly to client homes, enabling those with a physical disability to have their hair done in a setting that has already been modified to optimise accessibility.
Even established salons may offer a mobile service to clients, as this remains an excellent way of optimising turnover and building as broad a customer base as possible.
- Online Shopping from Supermarkets
Historically, the weekly (or monthly) shop would require a trip to the local supermarket, which was particularly arduous for families with small children.
This could also be challenging for disabled shoppers, particularly during busier periods or in smaller stores with less accessibility features.
The rise of online grocery shopping has been a revelation for this demographic, however, enabling people to shop in the comfort of their own home while also relying on a quick and efficient delivery service.
This service has become popular across all demographics in recent times, with online grocery shopping recognised as the fastest growing purchase channel in the UK. It has also helped to make supermarkets far more accessible, enabling disabled people to achieve greater independence in the process.