5 Surprising Truths About Retail Accessibility That Most Businesses Miss

As a retailer, you’re obsessed with creating a great customer experience. You map every touchpoint, analyze every metric, and refine every detail to make your store a welcoming, engaging place. But what if a huge portion of your potential customers can't even get in the door—or feel welcome once they do?

This isn't a hypothetical—it's a multi-billion-pound hole in your revenue strategy. The reality for millions of people is that your ideal customer experience is irrelevant if they can't access it. This article reveals five surprising truths from the "Accessible retail" guide by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, reframing accessibility not as a legal duty, but as a massive, untapped opportunity for better business.

1. Accessibility Isn't a Niche Issue—It's an £80 Billion Market

A common misconception is that making a business accessible is about serving a small minority. The reality is starkly different. In Northern Ireland alone, there are 360,000 disabled people, making up 20 percent of the population. Broadening the scope, disabled people in the UK spend an estimated £80 billion a year.

Choosing to ignore accessibility is a conscious strategic decision to leave an £80 billion market, and the loyal customers within it, to your competitors. But the opportunity is even bigger than that. The crucial insight most businesses miss is that investments in accessibility have a universal benefit. Features that help disabled customers—like clear pathways, step-free entrances, and simple signage—also improve the experience for parents with pushchairs, older adults, and tourists. This amplifies the return on your investment, making your business more welcoming to everyone.

"From a business perspective you cannot afford to ignore the needs of such a significant proportion of our potential customers." – Ladbrokes, NI

2. Your Welcome Mat is Digital, and It Might Be Locked

For many customers, the shopping journey starts online. Your website is their first point of contact, and an inaccessible website can be a bigger barrier than a physical step, effectively locking the door before the customer even leaves home.

The power of digital accessibility is surprisingly potent. The guide highlights one insurance company that saw a staggering 90 percent increase in online sales after making its website fully accessible.

Beyond just function, your website should provide detailed "pre-visit information." This includes photos of the store layout and information on facilities like induction loops. As Autism NI notes, this simple act has a profound human impact: "Pre-visit information can help an individual with Autism or other disabilities prepare for their visit experience. Photos of trained staff helps visitors to recognise their uniforms and feel reassured." This information empowers customers to plan their trip with confidence, knowing they will be accommodated.

3. Poor Customer Service is a Bigger Barrier Than a Flight of Stairs

While physical infrastructure is important, the human element of accessibility often has a far greater impact. Poor staff attitude can instantly alienate a customer and ensure they never return.

The statistics are eye-opening: almost half (47%) of disabled customers surveyed said staff attitude discouraged them from revisiting certain establishments and that they would not go back to businesses with poor customer service.

Simple, respectful actions from well-trained staff make all the difference. The guide offers clear examples:

• Always talk to the customer directly, not the person they are with.

• Offer to help, but don't make assumptions about what they need.

• Be willing to write things down or turn down background music to aid communication.

Unlike costly structural renovations, investing in disability confidence training for staff is a low-cost, high-impact strategy that can immediately remove one of the biggest barriers to customer loyalty.

"Staff there are brilliantly trained and will talk directly to me, rather than the person with me." – Michaela Hollywood

4. The Most Common Marketing Tool Might Be Driving Customers Away

It's a counter-intuitive idea, but one of the most common marketing tools in retail—the A-board sign on the pavement—is often a significant barrier.

These signs block footpaths, creating clutter and a safety risk, especially for people with visual impairments. According to a Guide Dogs survey mentioned in the report, streets in Northern Ireland made it into the top ten worst in the UK for A-board barriers.

This is a powerful example of how a small, seemingly harmless detail can have a huge negative impact. Removing these signs is a no-cost, high-impact way to clear the path and welcome more customers into your store.

"Don’t block your customers – remove your A-boards and welcome more in."

5. The Most Urgent Barrier Isn't at the Front Door

Imagine a customer successfully navigates your website, travels to your store, gets through the door, and finds what they need. Their visit could still be cut short by a simple, often overlooked necessity: a usable toilet.

Many disabled people require "Changing Places" toilets, which provide additional space and equipment like an adult-sized changing bench and a hoist. At the time of the guide's printing, a shocking finding was revealed: there were no Changing Places toilets in retail shopping environments in Northern Ireland.

What makes this truth so surprising isn't just the absence, but the contrast. Other sectors have already recognized the need. Changing Places have been installed in UK supermarkets like Tesco and Asda, retail outlets like Ikea, and even locally at tourist spots like the Giant's Causeway and Belfast City Airport. The retail sector's failure to provide this basic facility illustrates a deeper, invisible barrier that tells a whole segment of the population that their dignity is not a priority.

"It is, without a doubt, the most urgent aspect of being disabled in Northern Ireland, which has got to be fixed not only for dignity but for health and sanitation." – Michaela Hollywood

What Can You Do?

The message from these truths is clear: accessibility is not about obligation, but about thoughtful design, empathetic service, and smart business. Ultimately, accessibility is a choice about the kind of business you want to be. It's the difference between a business that complies with the law and one that dominates a market by designing for everyone.

The guide recommends a simple but profound mindset shift: "Changing your approach from ‘Do I have to…?’ to ‘What can I do?’ will possibly make the biggest difference of all."

What is one thing you can do this week to shift your business from asking "Do I have to?" to "What can I do?"