06 Nov 2023
St Albans BID and St Albans Shopmobility are asking businesses to take the Purple Pledge and make one change to improve the disabled customer experience for Purple Tuesday tomorrow.
Purple Tuesday is a global social movement that aims to improve the customer experience for disabled people and their families 365 days a year. Their awareness day on November 7 celebrates and promotes accessibility and inclusivity as they claim 70% of disabled people will not return to a business after receiving poor customer service.
Shopmobility was set up in 1999 to support disabled people living in or visiting St Albans by providing free electric scooters and wheelchairs from their base in Drovers Way car park.
St Albans Shopmobility manager Juliet Prodger said: “Shopmobility customers remember when they have had good service, they remember when a shop, pub and other businesses are easily accessible or disabled friendly – they go back and use the service again.”
St Albans Shopmobility serves over 800 customers who may have a temporary or permanent disability. A recent survey of its customers confirmed that 85% of them use scooters and wheelchairs to go shopping. 64% went out for food and drinks in city centre cafés, pubs and restaurants. 60% used wheelchairs and scooters to attend to their banking needs and 29% used Shopmobility services to go to the cinema or to visit St Albans tourist attractions, with some stating they came for the market.
Juliet continued: “We’d love businesses to have a Purple Ambassador, someone trained in supporting people with disabilities with dignity and respect. This could be identified by giving the staff member a purple badge, so a disabled customer could easily find them for help?”
Gwendolen Bridge from Gwendolen Lingerie & Swim, said: “As we have fitting rooms upstairs, we put a modesty screen downstairs so customers feel comfortable. We have front fastening bras to help people who have limited arm movement or struggle with dexterity and we have stock of post-surgery bras. We also have a booking system by phone or on our website that helps us prepare a fitting and give the customer the time to have a private appointment and not feel rushed.”
St Albans BID has pledged to raise awareness amongst its member businesses, encouraging them to improve the customer experience for disabled people. Working alongside St Albans Shopmobility, BID is asking businesses to review how they deliver their services from the first ‘hello’, to how their online services can be enhanced.
BID manager Vivien Cannon said: “A mixture of simple changes can make your business accessible for disabled people and prevent the loss of their Purple Pound income. According to the RNID, an estimated 1.2 million adults in the UK have hearing loss severe enough that they would not be able to hear most conversational speech. By learning to sign the basics; ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, and ‘thank you’, businesses can make sure the customer’s first contact is a welcoming one.”
Businesses who make their pledge are asked to let BID know so that the change can be celebrated on November 7. Simply tag @stalbansBID or email: info@stalbansbid.com
