Enabling Disabled Shoppers

In a global retail economy where customers can research, compare and shop for the best deals on products and services anytime and from anyplace, should a retailer ignore a market of more than 50 million people in the U.S. alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with aggregate annual income of more than $1 trillion and $220 billion in discretionary spending power?

Often considered a niche market, there actually are 750 million to 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide, according to the United Nations Population Reference Bureau, making them the single largest minority group. And careful examination of the latest statistics would suggest they are just waiting for the chance to do business with merchants.

The top three misconceptions about the disability market generally revolve around money, mobility and technology usage. In reality, the facts paint a much different picture. Not only do people with disabilities have money to spend, they are in stores and online in record numbers. Of the estimated 55 million people in the United States with disabilities, 73% are heads of households, 58% own homes and 48% are principal shoppers controlling over $220 billion in discretionary income, reports the Census Bureau and Solutions Marketing Group, a firm that provides research and consulting services for marketing to consumers with disabilities.

And according to a 2006 survey commissioned by the American Association of People with Disabilities and conducted by Public Opinion Research Inc., more than 70% of the association’s members choose to shop with specific retailers that demonstrate support for people with disabilities.

Multi-channel opportunity

Internet retailers are in a particularly unique position to take advantage of the market for people with disabilities. On average, 40% of people with disabilities conduct business and personal activities online, spending an average of 20 hours per week logged on to the Internet, Solutions Marketing Group says. That’s more time on average than people without disabilities spend online.

Accessibility is often associated with physical accommodations at bricks-and-mortar buildings, such as adding ramps or widening aisles to accommodate wheelchairs. While those are important and necessary steps, accessibility is actually a much bigger concept, particularly for today’s multi-channel retailers. In the online world, accessibility is the development and integration of systems, tools, structures and processes that facilitate the inclusion of more people—irrespective of their age, abilities, preferences or personal challenges—as valuable customers and members of the world community.

In a legal case currently before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the National Federation of the Blind charges that Target Corp. “failed and refused” to make Target.com accessible to blind people, putting it in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and two California civil rights statutes. Target contends it is committed to serving all of its guests, abides by all applicable laws and has improved its site to accommodate users of assistive technologies.

An integrated accessibility strategy that takes all delivery channels into account can help multi-channel retailers reach out to 76 million U.S. baby boomers (two-thirds of whom will acquire some type of disability after the age of 65), novice technology users and non-native language speakers. Ultimately, accessibility is about opening up all aspects of one’s business and making it possible for the greatest number of people to locate the business and learn about and buy products.

An accessible solution in the online world involves two parts. The first is the development of information technology—including systems and web sites—that follow recognized accessibility programming standards such as those outlined in the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Content Guidelines; or Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act; or Section III of the United Kingdom’s Disability Discrimination Act.

The second part is the use of assistive technologies by individuals, who are in turn able to take advantage of the properly programmed system. For example, a screen reader used by a blind person is not functional if a web site storefront she is visiting cannot provide the proper accessibility programming “hooks” to communicate with the screen reader. Both pieces must exist to have a successful, accessible solution.

Giving screens a voice

These hooks or accessibility guidelines are straightforward, well defined in the standards, and encompass approximately 15 different programming standards. A typical guideline is “alternative text,” also known as ALT-TEXT. This is a short, succinct description of a graphic, chart or picture most commonly seen by sighted users when placing a mouse cursor over a picture or graphic. That same description is used by the screen readers. With the ALT-TEXT description, the screen reader can read to the blind user the description of the graphic and place into context what she is navigating.

Without the ALT-TEXT on the graphic, the screen reader has nothing to read to the blind user or, even worse, provides a meaningless response such as the graphic file name. Another critical accessibility guideline is keyboard navigation. A mouse is useless to a blind person. A blind user’s experience is totally dependent upon navigating the web site with only keyboard input.

Retailers can incorporate these standards into their web site design to provide an accessible system, but it is important to be aware of the assistive technologies disabled Internet users most commonly use. Testing with the popular and critical assistive technologies should be part of the development process.

A couple of recommendations: expand testing routines to include screen readers such as Freedom Scientific’s Jaws, and use some specialized hardware such as a one-handed keyboard. Retailers also can add some basic assistive technology functionality. A popular option is to let shoppers change font size on web pages to assist users with low vision; another is to change color backgrounds for better contrast.

New opportunities

To tap into the market of serving consumers with disabilities, the first step is to understand who they are, where they shop and what they look for in a retailer. Of the 55 million people with disabilities in the United States, according to a Census Bureau report:

IRCE 2008 Conference Multi-Media CD-ROM

— 29.8% have mobility limitations

— 24.8% have limited hand use

— 16.4% have cognitive disabilities

— 11.9% have vision impairments

— 3.7% have speech or language difficulties

In fact, compared with 27% of adults without disabilities, almost half of people with disabilities say the Internet has significantly improved their quality of life, Solutions Marketing Group says. For many people with disabilities, the Internet has created new opportunities to live independently and autonomously—working, shopping, conducting financial transactions or simply buying movie tickets— without leaving home or requiring in-store assistance.

The self-service component that makes the Internet so appealing for people with disabilities can and should be translated to the point of sale. Take, for example, the self-service, web-enabled kiosks that have become so prevalent in retail stores, banks, hotels and airports. These kiosks not only increase the efficiency and convenience of shopping and travel but can play an important role in creating a positive customer experience for increasingly busy consumers.

But how does one take advantage of that technology if she is deaf or blind, or has mobility challenges? Today the answer, generally, is she can’t. For example, a kiosk that has only touch-screen input is challenging, and sometimes impossible, for a person with a hand tremor to use.

New legislation, such as the State of California Civil Code 54.9—which now requires hotels and public transportation facilities to make touch-screen devices accessible by 2009 for people who are blind or who have low vision—may soon provide a powerful impetus for the retail industry to ensure that point-of-sale kiosks are accessible as well. IBM is betting the trend will take off, and is developing accessible self-service kiosk prototypes designed to help meet the needs of clients in the travel, transportation and hospitality industries.

Better self service

In addition to the basic touch-screen capability, an accessible kiosk requires an audio output, an alternative keypad or full keyboard for input, and improved navigation of the screen content. With the audio output, also known as text-to-speech, a blind user can plug in a set of headphones and listen to what is being read from the screen in a logical manner. One simply navigates around the screen by using the directional arrows on the keypad, with the position and content being read to the blind user via the audio output. When a selection is required, another key on the keypad is used to confirm the choice. This same keypad set-up works for a person with a hand tremor.

Why is self-service important online or at a kiosk if one is disabled? Retailers reap the benefits of lower costs and faster service. People without disabilities enjoy the speed, convenience and privacy of transactions. The disabled want these same benefits.

Consider this: For adults with disabilities who spend a good portion of their day asking for assistance from others, anything that can be done independently is of tremendous value. Providing that value as a retailer can potentially translate into repeat business.

But incorporating accessibility into a multi-channel retail business requires more than isolated solutions that address specific consumer access points. Technology in and of itself is not the answer. To meet the unique, long-term needs of the disability market segment, multi-channel retailers must have a broad, integrated strategy and plan for success.

Multi-channel retailers should have an overall, repeatable accessibility approach that is woven into the company’s day-to-day processes. In the physical world nowadays, wheelchair ramps are part of the building design process. The same integrated accessibility process should apply in the I.T. world in building and updating web sites. Having a solid corporate accessibility policy with accountability will help avoid costly and difficult remediation of applications not built to standards.

With a well-executed strategy and plan, multi-channel retailers will discover that accessibility need not affect great web site or store design or dilute a company’s brand or aesthetic. It really is part of great design and works well in benefiting the image of any multi-channel retailer.

Common sense consistently demonstrates that what works well and is developed specifically for people with disabilities generally benefits everyone. Closed captioning originally implemented for the deaf for television certainly comes in handy for sports bar patrons watching their favorite NFL team. Having a web site that addresses accessibility guidelines as basic as color and contrast standards means one less consumer squinting in an attempt to read a poor design—or worse—leaving the site in search of a competitor’s that is easier to read and use.