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Community Relations

Beyond Kindness: Serving for Special Needs

Community Relations, Community Room, Customer Service, Special Needs

DEI mandates for malls should include providing full service and retail experience to shoppers with special needs.

Delivering customer services with special needs in mind is a good place to start when building a truly inclusive retail environment, be it IRL or online. ASL interpreting, closed-captioning and enhanced type on websites, and tactile flooring th[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

#ForAllWatch: A Mall’s Inclusiveness Move

Customer Service, Language Assistance, Mall Websites, Special Needs, Technology Lab

This Brazilian property has removed a major barrier for its online visitors.

There is no question that curated still images and videos greatly enhance the shopper experience on retail websites and social media pages—if you can see and hear them. The thing is, not everyone can, so Shopping Boulevard (Rio de Janeiro, Br[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

How Neuro-inclusive Is Your Play Area?

Amenities, Customer Service, Special Needs

WIP Collective shows that embracing diversity in placemaking projects goes beyond race and gender identity.

If you've never asked yourself that question, you're probably not alone. Yet, as far as the WIP (Work In Progress | Women In Practice) Collective is concerned, building for a neuro-diverse clientele is the way to fully achieve placemaking in pu[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Kids’ Corner: No Pain, Real Gain

Customer Service, Special Needs

Fashion styling is normally a grown-up service, but an Aussie retailer offers a pint-sized version for Back to School and year-round.

Gen-Z kids are different social animals from older consumers, retail marketers have come to realize. Packing their bedrooms and school lockers with stuff isn't a priority. So why would a brand dedicated to children's footwear dispatch an entire[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Do You Color-Code Your CSR Programs?

Customer Service, Special Needs

A new campaign was launched in the UK to better serve disabled shoppers.

Colors and days of the week make for memorable promotions and community outreach campaigns. Pink October, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, Black Friday, red displays to promote heart disease awareness—any of those ring a bell? There's one more in[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

These Malls Now Guide the Visually Impaired

Customer Service, Special Needs

intu staff were recently trained to better assist customers with special needs.

Shopping at a couple of intu malls just got a little easier for the visually impaired. intu Metrocentre in Gateshead and intu Eldon Square in Newcastle have both put their staff through Henshaws’ visual impairment awareness training (VIAT) so [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Santa Signs His Way Into Shoppers’ Hearts at intu Metrocentre

Customer Service, Special Needs

Signing Santa meeting goes viral.

For children with hearing impairments, a visit with Santa can be a trying experience. So intu Metrocentre set out to bring them some holiday cheer with two days of signing Santa experiences. The centre's marketing team came up with the idea a[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Buttercrane Adopts Unique Sensory Zone

Customer Service, Special Needs

Buttercrane shopping center invests in a quiet, carefully-appointed space for families dealing with sensory overload.

For children and families dealing with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or autism spectrum disorders, shopping center outings can be an overwhelming experience. What might seem like a mellow environment to some can be a sensory overload to othe[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

App Eases Navigation for the Visually Impaired

Customer Service, Special Needs, Wayfinding

MetroCity mall uses app to help guide the visually impaired shoppers

Once considered the next best thing in location-based technology, enabling retail marketers to deliver promotional offers near the point of sale, beacons are now at the heart of a solution that's breaking new ground in the delivery of services t[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

One Less Barrier

Customer Service, Special Needs

Forum Istanbul makes getting around its expansive halls less daunting for blind or visually impaired customers.

At nearly 1.9 million square feet, Forum Istanbul has always stressed the size of its offering in its marketing campaigns. The Turkish retail and leisure center’s 265 shops and restaurants, 20 anchors, entertainment center and amenities that c[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...