For many people with a physical disability, visiting a store still comes with unnecessary barriers. Research by Nationale Vereniging De Zonnebloem shows that 73% of people with a physical disability in the Netherlands have skipped a store visit because of accessibility issues.
To improve store accessibility in the Netherlands, Hans Anders and De Zonnebloem have joined forces to make retail more accessible for everyone. Together, they have explored how retailers can identify and remove physical, digital and social accessibility barriers in their stores.
Building on several years of collaboration and practical experience, Hans Anders and De Zonnebloem have launched the Dutch whitepaper Accessibility Pays Off during the Week of Accessibility. The whitepaper provides retailers with a practical five-step approach to improving retail accessibility, from identifying barriers to implementing concrete improvements that help create more accessible and welcoming stores
At Hans Anders, trained mystery guests with a physical disability visited stores to experience the customer journey first-hand and identify potential store accessibility barriers. Their experiences were combined with professional accessibility assessments and input from store managers. This resulted in practical improvements to make Hans Anders stores more accessible, including additional accessibility aids, clearer online information about store accessibility and an e-learning programme on inclusive customer service.
The collaboration shows that improving retail accessibility does not always require major investments or renovations. Clear accessibility information online, accessible store layouts and inclusive customer service can already make a meaningful difference, helping retailers create more accessible and welcoming stores for everyone.
Expanding store accessibility across our brands
This week, the accessibility programme is also being rolled out across all eyes + more stores in the Netherlands and Belgium, bringing these learnings and practical improvements to even more colleagues and customers.
For nexeye, retail accessibility is also an important part of our ESG roadmap, where accessibility has been identified as a material topic. By putting store accessibility into practice, learning from customer experiences and tracking our progress, we continue to work towards more accessible and inclusive retail environments across our brands.
The Dutch whitepaper Accessibility Pays Off is available through De Zonnebloem. De Zonnebloem also supports retailers looking to improve store accessibility through accessibility scans, experience workshops and practical advice.
For more information: https://www.zonnebloem.nl/toegankelijk/winkels/de-aanpak-van-hans-anders