Disabled United

CONNECT WITH MORE THAN 12 MILLION DISABLED PEOPLE

www.disabledunited.com

Why is the disabled market important to your business?

The disabled market is far more significant than many people imagine and many business owners are missing out on great opportunities to target their products and services to them.

There are more than 12.2 million people in the UK living with a disability of some kind, including impairments and limiting long-term illnesses. So, if you're not taking disabled people into account, your company is missing out on some huge opportunities. Disabled people are desperate for equal treatment in every area of life, and that includes being sold things!

The fact is, the so-called ‘purple pound’ is one of the last great untapped sources of revenue for UK companies.

Here’s why you shouldn’t ignore it: * The spending power of the disabled community is said to be twice that of the teenage market and more than 17 times that of the tween market (ages 8 to 12), which are currently two of the most targeted demographic groups. * One especially important factor to remember is that the incidence of disability rises with age: around 6% of children (aged 1-18) are disabled, whereas 16% of working age adults are disabled. However, this figure rises to 45% when it comes to people over 60.

This is hugely significant when you consider that by the year 2020, there will be more people over the age of 50 than under the age of 50. What this means is that of the 21 million consumers who are over 50 years old, a significant percentage of those are also disabled, and this figure is only set to rise.

Furthermore, those 21 million ageing consumers account for almost 80% of the country's wealth and have an annual disposable income of more than £200 billion, of which the disabled market accounts for an estimated £75 billion.

Key survey findings about the disabled community and their interactions with businesses *The ‘Purple Pound’ is worth £212 billion yet it is often overlooked by business *Businesses are missing out on their share of £1.8 billion per month or £20 billion per year *75% of disabled people and their families have left a shop or business because of poor customer service and lack of disability awareness *Disabled people rate friendly and helpful staff and good accessibility as most important factors when shopping *Currently 3 million people aged 80 years or more, which will reach 6 million by 2030 and 8 million by 2050 – Ageing is a proxy for growing levels of disability (nearly 50% of all people aged 65 years or more have a disability) Source – Business Disability Forum 2015

Targeting your products and services to the disabled community To appeal to this powerful demographic, you need to ensure that you are relevant and competitive in what is a rapidly changing marketplace. It’s up to you to implement practical diversity and inclusivity strategies in all areas of your corporate operations.

This means not only ensuring that your company is known as an inclusive employer that is committed to equality when it comes to hiring people with disabilities, but also that you recognise the disabled community as potential customers.

The fact is, companies that care and have a genuinely compassionate attitude towards the disabled community tend to prosper, gaining great publicity and a reputation for inclusivity, which in turn results in increased market share.

Building a positive reputation for your brand means huge beneďŹ ts for your business, and developing an inclusive diversity strategy is one of the best ways of achieving that.

So, what are you waiting for?

8 Golden Rules for Reaching Out to the Disabled Market 01

02

Support the disabled community. Get involved in public local government meetings that have a focus on disability.

Make it clear that you welcome potential employees and suppliers with disabilities and that you encourage disabled consumers to use your products and services.

Get involved with disability organisations. Become an affiliate and make it easy for your staff to volunteer with pro-disability organisations. Your commitment to the disabled community will quickly become an important part of your brand image, and your reputation will soar as a result.

03

Make sure disabled people are sufficiently represented in your workforce and in your supply chain. This simple step adds huge value to your company, with the vast majority of disabled people being much more likely to buy from retail companies that already support people with disabilities.

04

Ensure company-wide accessibility (in both a physical and psychological sense) and create an advisory committee that consists of both able-bodied and disabled people to evaluate issues and concerns in this area.

05

Guarantee brand inclusivity by integrating disabled people into your advertising campaigns. Companies that blaze a

trail in this respect, acknowledging the fact that 1 in 5 consumers are disabled, reap benefits not merely in reputation but also in sales.

06

Advertise in disability media. Build brand interest and loyalty in your goods and services by reaching out to the disabled community via various disability publications and websites, starting with Disabled United, obviously!

07

Connect with disabled people in mainstream media too.

A shift in consciousness is required. Businesses need to understand what 1 in 5 people being disabled really means.

It means that the majority of the population, if not disabled themselves, are friends, relatives, colleagues and caregivers of at least one disabled person. Which means that much of the population are supportive of and sensitive to the disabled community, and that whenever they see positive representations of disabled people in the media, they respond positively.

08

Ideally, include people with disabilities on your marketing team. No one is better able to know what people with disabilities desire and require than disabled people themselves. This is a sure-fire way of not missing out on this significant market.

Remember: being competitive and relevant means acknowledging that the disabled community is a big part of your audience. Do nothing and you miss out.

ACCESS A HIGHLY TARGETED AUDIENCE, eager to find out more about your HIGHLY TARGETED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES...

As a Company with highly specialised products, you need your advertising to be as targeted as possible.

As the largest, longest established specialist disability website, our interactive have been bringing the disabled community together for over a decade. That’s why Disabled United is the first port of call for disabled users looking for online information on a wide range of subjects. That means we’ve got just the audience your products are designed for...

Why advertise with Disabled United?

1) Inclusivity is always rewarded - you will increase brand awareness with a huge, predominantly untapped market.

In 2015, the Minister for Disabled People pointed out that UK retail outlets were potentially neglecting more than ÂŁ210 billion worth of sales by overlooking disabled people.

2) Customer loyalty. As well as losing out on revenue in terms of immediate sales, non-inclusive UK businesses are also missing out on extremely valuable long-term customer loyalty. According to research carried out on behalf of Disabled Access Day, 93% of disabled people said they would deďŹ nitely revisit a business that had clearly taken the time to ensure high levels of accessibility and inclusivity.

3) Association with a successful disability charity. Working with Disabled United is a great way to start working with the disabled community.

JOIN OUR GROWING RANKS OF PRESTIGIOUS PARTNERS In the very near future, companies that do not have 100% accessible and inclusive diversity policies will be entirely a thing of the past.

So, rather than getting left behind, join the ever-growing ranks of companies who realise that not only is being compassionate and inclusive the right thing to do, it's also the most practical and proďŹ table thing to do.

Here is a selection of great companies that are proud to work with Disabled United.

JOIN THEM AND BE IN GREAT COMPANY!

CALL US NOW TO ADVERTISE YOUR SPECIALIST PRODUCTS OR SERVICES If you’d like to discuss your advertising requirements or would like to reserve banner space, contact Jay Amin E: jay@disabledunited.com P: 0792 088 5592