Business accessibility entails providing products and services that can be used by many people. It also involves providing essential things to facilitate the movement of physically challenged individuals in and out of your store. Everyone who comes to your business should not feel left out. This applies to physical outlets and online stores.
Here are effective ways to make your store more accessible to more clients.
1. Adopt the Right Design
You need to design your store in a way that anyone can access it without difficulties. For example, you should have entry platforms that allow people with wheelchairs, strollers, scooters, or other mobility aids to conveniently move in and out of your store.
You should also install high and low shelves so that anyone can reach the products they want to buy. Your employees should be on the aisles to help customers who can’t access certain items from the shelves. The aisles should not be cluttered. This will ensure customers can move around comfortably with minimal risk of injuries from trip and fall accidents.
2. Train Your Employees
Your employees should know how to handle different customers. For instance, they should learn how to deal with physically challenged clients. Some clients might have trouble communicating, and so your staff should be empathetic and patient with them. It is also advisable for your employees to walk around with a piece of paper and pen to help clients with hearing impairment. Consumers love working with businesses that take care of the needs of everyone, regardless of their gender, age, status, or physical appearance.
3. Accept Different Payment Methods
Clients usually avoid businesses that don’t accept their preferred payment options. Hence, it is important to allow different payment options, including cash, prepaid cards, credit cards, checks, debit cards, mobile payments, and electronic bank transfers.
Your payment procedures should be simple and straightforward. If you offer online services, the payment steps should be few and simple. In your physical shop, the payment instructions should be printed and posted for everyone to read. You should also have mobile speed point machines to pass to people who can’t reach them, especially those using wheelchairs.
4. Create a Bold Signage
Your business needs to be seen to attract clients. Therefore, ensure your signage is legible by using a bold font with contrasting colors. Your business sign should be straightforward; anyone reading it should know what to expect in your store. You must install bright lights on your business signs to enhance their visibility at night.
5. Make Your Website Accessible
Whether you run a physical or online business, your website should be accessible to your target visitors. Your blog posts should be written with attractive fonts, and the content should be well-organized. Besides, you need to make your website mobile-friendly for visitors to access it using different devices.
Additionally, it is crucial to have informative alternative (ALT) texts to your images because reading software used by people with vision impairment usually read ALT texts. It is vital to use the appropriate SEO techniques to draw traffic from the search engines.
6. Use Appropriate Lighting
Lighting is a crucial aspect of your business, and you need to choose the appropriate lighting. The light should be bright enough to allow customers to read even the tiny details on product packaging. Ambient lights create a relaxing mood and can help boost sales.
Business owners need to find ways to make their premises accommodate everyone. Even if your business targets a specific audience, you should also make it more accessible to all other people to unleash your business’s full potential. These time-tested tips can help you attract more traffic to your store even during the pandemic.
