TITLE:
How Retail Store Accommodations for the Visually Impaired Affects the Shopping Experience of the Non-Visually Impaired
AUTHORS:
Sungjoon Choo
KEYWORDS:
Visual Impairment, Retail Design, Consumer Experience, Inclusive Design, Universal Design
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.12 No.5,
August
23,
2024
ABSTRACT: Visual impairment is a rising concern, and there is a stronger push towards a more inclusive retail experience. However, these accommodations are often conceived as an altruistic movement to help the visually impaired, at the expense of the retail experience of non-visually impaired customers. This paper is an attempt to rethink inclusive design. Can accommodating visually impaired customers also improve the retail experience of the non-visually impaired? This study attempts to bridge the current scholarly literature on the two groups to examine how helping the former can also enhance the shopping experience of the latter. The central argument of this study is that there are needs of the visually impaired that, when addressed, would also enhance the shopping experience of the non-visually impaired. It is not possible nor effective to think of the two in isolation; in the real world, there is a single store frequented by all. Through a survey of 80 non-visually impaired respondents, the study has found that the non-visually impaired would also benefit from modifications in-store layout, price tag, product signage, and aisle signage designed to help the visually impaired. Thinking about the two groups together is a critical first step in creating a truly universal retail experience.