Millions with disabilities feel excluded from products due to accessibility issues

MILLIONS of consumers with a mental or physical disability feel excluded from products due to accessibility issues from food packaging to clothing design and store layouts.

A poll of 1,000 adults with invisible and visible disabilities revealed over two-thirds (68%) have felt ignored by retailers and manufacturers.

And 55% believe mainstream brands simply aren’t interested in making products that cater to their individual needs.

With some of the top issues being food packaging, which is hard to open, clothes which have poor sizing or awkward fastenings and stores with high shelves and poor lighting.

As a result, 76% are loyal to companies who offer a good range of accessible option.

While 80% claim brands could be missing out on millions of pounds worth of sales by not considering disabled consumers.

The spending power of disabled people and their households, known as the purple pound, is estimated to be worth a staggering £274 billion a year.

It also emerged that while 32% don’t expect to see a change from those in the fashion or transport sectors anytime soon – technology has made pace.

With the top tech innovations for people with a disability named as virtual assistants, smart home devices and wearable devices for health monitoring.

Katharina Mayer, head of LifeStyle Lab Europe at Samsung, which commissioned the research, said: "This research has highlighted the huge opportunity for brands to better understand the accessibility needs of consumers to provide greater access for people with disabilities in the UK.

“Companies are rarely able to test their ideas with diverse people with different needs, but this is a must”.

It also emerged 72% of those surveyed have had to abandon a purchase due to a product's lack of accessibility.

But 56% would be willing to pay more for a product or service that fully met their accessibility needs.

When it comes to online shopping, 80% struggle with websites that are not optimised for accessibility.

While 30% battle through a poorly designed checkout process, and 22% bemoan a lack of text descriptions for images.

Samsung’s spokesperson added: “It’s time to re-write this narrative.

“When designers consider varied needs from the beginning, they don’t just serve people with disabilities - they create solutions that benefit everyone and that is the approach we take to inclusive design at Samsung."

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