Purple Tuesday 2020 registration opens as companies urged to improve disability inclusion
Following the success of 2019’s initiative which saw over 2500 companies participate, registration for Purple Tuesday 2020 has opened and is set to see more organisations commit to improving their customer experience for disabled people.
With an ever-increasing number of awareness days filling mobility companies’ calendars, keeping up with them all can be a time-consuming task. For mobility retailers, however, Purple Tuesday is certainly an event that should be on the radar, with its cause championing exactly what the mobility industry is all about.
Designed around raising awareness of the needs of disabled consumers, the day calls on businesses to make at least one new public commitment to undertake an action that will improve customer experiences for disabled shoppers.
Purple Tuesday is aimed at unleashing the ‘purple pound’ – the combined spending power of disabled people and their families estimated to be worth £249 billion every year.
Launched in 2018 by Purple, an organisation focused on bringing disabled people and businesses together, Purple Tuesday has quickly been gaining momentum with consumers and businesses across the UK.
Last year saw more than 2,500 different organisations take part, collectively making over 3,500 pledges.
Amongst those 2,500 were some of the most recognised brands and retailers in the UK, with the likes of Sainsbury’s, Sky, Argos, The Body Shop and M&S embracing the initiative.
In the mobility sector, a number of savvy companies including The Ramp People, Allied Mobility, Designed2Enable, Jay-Care Stairlifts and Mobility, The Mobility Aids Centre, Warrington Disability Partnership and Lifestyle & Mobility also took part, welcoming the opportunity to fly the flag for accessibility and gain valuable local exposure at the same time.
This year’s Purple Tuesday celebration will be held on the 3rd November and is free for businesses to register, with Purple confirming that over 2,000 organisations from last year have already re-committed in 2020.
To take part, mobility companies should register and state what commitments they will make to improve their customer experience for disabled people.
Last year, Warrington Disability Partnership organised a ‘disability challenge’, tasking community leaders to shop in stores around Warrington’s town centre whilst using either a mobility scooter, powered wheelchair or manual wheelchair.
Discussing Purple Tuesday last year, Mike Adams OBE, Chief Executive of Purple, said: “Meeting the needs of disabled customers makes commercial sense for organisations of all sizes, from all sectors, but our message to organisations is: you don’t have to spend big budgets to make lasting change.
“That’s why we’re urging organisations to focus on improvements that go ‘beyond the front door’. Introducing staff training and improving website accessibility are low cost changes, but the difference to a company’s bottom line – as well as to a disabled consumer’s personal experience – can be significant.”
Register here to take part in Purple Tuesday 2020
