Shopping Without Sight: Accessibility in Retail

The barriers blind and visually impaired people face when shopping in stores and online, the size of the disabled consumer market, and how retailers can improve.

For blind and visually impaired people, shopping can involve barriers that sighted shoppers rarely notice: unreadable price labels, packaging that all feels the same, touchscreen payment terminals and websites that do not work with screen readers. These barriers exclude customers, and they cost businesses sales.

The spending power of disabled consumers

In the United Kingdom, the spending power of disabled people and their households is often called the purple pound, with estimates from the charity Purple and the government in the hundreds of billions of pounds a year. Globally, the disabled population and their families represent a very large market. Yet many businesses underinvest in accessibility.

Barriers in shops

Printed labels and prices that cannot be read.
Similar packaging for different products, such as tins or medicines.
Touchscreen card machines without tactile or audio options.
Store layouts that change frequently, or cluttered aisles.
Staff unsure how to offer assistance.

Online barriers

Online shopping can be a lifeline for blind people, but only if websites and apps are accessible. Common problems include images without text descriptions, buttons without labels, CAPTCHAs that cannot be completed without sight and checkout forms that confuse screen readers. Surveys by disability organisations have found many shoppers abandon purchases on inaccessible websites and go to competitors.

In the United States, there have been thousands of lawsuits in recent years alleging retail websites were inaccessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The European Accessibility Act, applying from June 2025, requires many online shops and services in the EU to meet accessibility standards.

The tactile solution

Some brands have added tactile markers to packaging. In the United Kingdom, some supermarket chains and manufacturers have used raised symbols or braille on certain products, and many medicine packages in the EU carry the product name in braille, as required by law since 2005. A small change in packaging lets blind shoppers identify products independently.

What helps

Following web accessibility standards, known as WCAG.
Offering assistance in stores and training staff.
Braille, tactile markers and large print on packaging.
Accessible payment terminals.
Apps that scan barcodes and read product information aloud.

Thinking accessibility is only a cost

Accessible shops and websites reach more customers, including older people with declining sight. Accessibility improvements often make shopping easier for everyone, and inaccessible businesses lose sales to competitors that welcome disabled customers.

Key takeaways

Blind shoppers face barriers from unreadable labels, similar packaging and inaccessible websites.
Disabled consumers and their households have very large spending power.
Laws like the European Accessibility Act require many online shops to be accessible.
Braille packaging, tactile markers, accessible websites and trained staff help everyone shop.