TROY, OH - MAY 11: An employee restocks a shelf in the grocery section of a Wal-Mart Supercenter ... [+]
Companies that obsess over their customers are rewarded with attention and loyalty. That happens because companies that obsess over their customers do a better job of identifying, anticipating, and addressing the needs of the people they serve. As a result, those consumers on the receiving end feel a sense of belonging.
Walmart
These sensory-friendly adjustments make it easier for shoppers with sensory processing disorders, and their families, to have a less stimulating environment, which makes for a more pleasant experience while in Walmart stores.
Sensory-processing disorder is common among people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, data shows that sensory processing disorders affect between 5% and 16% of school-aged children without any other condition.
Because so many retail environments are full of sensory overload, historically people with sensory processing disorder have resorted to shopping online entirely, having to wear headphones in the stores, or even worse, risking having overstimulating triggers inducing other health problems.
Walmart customers expressed their appreciation for the program, with one woman noting, “As a mother of a child with autism, thank you very much for recognizing needs, and being sensitive to them. Little things such as lighting, noise, etc. does make a difference.”
Walmart discussed that a key driver in adopting this new approach came from a desire to create a culture — for both team members and customers alike, where everyone feels like they belong.
The brand acknowledged that belonging can look different for everyone, and thus they relied on actively listening to, and engaging with their customers to deliver experiences that made more of them feel like they belonged.
For Walmart, that listening happened via face-to-face conversations, emails, listening sessions, social media, and even getting personal experiences from team members in the stores.
Other retailers and grocers are starting to follow suit with their own version of sensory friendly hours, often made available on a specific day and time block during once or twice a week.
Why The Move Matters To Your Brand
As Walmart with its major reach around the world makes this move, it sets the tone for what consumers can expect from other brands.
Consumers don’t compartmentalize their expectations of what brands can and should deliver. Once they see a brand that makes a point of catering to their needs, their bar for their standard of excellence changes. They see what’s possible, and subsequently expect brands that want their business to be intentional about serving their needs as well.
This happened in the beauty industry when Fenty Beauty launched in 2017. Previously, many makeup brands did not provide broad ranges of colors to serve people with different complexions. But when Fenty Beauty launched with 40 shades of foundation to include people with different complexions, the game was changed forever. Now, 40 shades of makeup is standard, even for the brands who for years refused to offer such variety.
These brands changed, because consumer expectations changed. Those consumer expectations were backed by where they were choosing to spend their money. Consumers spent their money with the brands that made them feel like they belonged. The other makeup brands didn’t want to continue to lose money and market share, so they made their product line more inclusive.
Don’t wait for your brand to lose sales and market share, before deciding to be inclusive of consumers. They’ll remember the ones who took the time to see them first, when nobody else did. They’ll also notice the brands who took the time to see them, only after everyone else did.
This lesson of course isn’t just applicable to people who need sensory friendly accommodations when they shop, or to those who want to find makeup in their shade. It’s applies to any consumer who has a point of difference or identity that brands should take into consideration as they work to make the people they serve feel like they belong.
Take the time to acknowledge the ways in which the people you serve are different. Then, like Walmart, take the time to understand what people with different identities need to feel like they belong with you. Listen to them. Talk to them. Ask questions. Spend time with them. Implement new approaches, even if on a pilot or test and learn basis.
Walmart didn’t roll-out sensory-friendly hours full scale from the start. It began with a pilot over the summer within some of their stores on Saturdays. After the overwhelming success of the pilot and positive feedback asking for the retailer to continue, they expanded the policy to what it is today.
With intentional effort, you can show more of the people you serve feel like they belong with you. And the good news, is you don’t have to figure out how to do so on your own. When you open the door to communicate, the people you serve will let you know and welcome the opportunity to co-create and inform solutions that better serve their needs with you.
