The Share of Wallet We Failed to See
Businesses spend enormous time understanding customers. They track behaviour. They study preferences. They measure conversion. They reduce friction. They build loyalty. They fight for share of wallet. But there is one customer segment many businesses have barely understood: persons with disabilities and their households. The result is not only exclusion. It is lost revenue. Imagine […]
PwDs as Consumers, Producers and Market Participants
The Purple Economy is often introduced through the idea of persons with disabilities as customers. That is a necessary shift. But it is only one part of the story. Persons with disabilities are not only consumers of products and services. They are also producers, workers, entrepreneurs, suppliers, creators, innovators and decision-makers. The Purple Economy includes […]
Market Sizing vs Market Making
Every serious economic conversation begins with a question: how big is the market? It is an important question. But for the Purple Economy, it is not enough. If we only ask how much persons with disabilities currently spend, we will miss the real opportunity. Because current spend reflects current exclusion. It reflects products that do […]
Design for Disability. Benefit Everyone.
Some of the most useful innovations in the world began by solving for human difficulty. Eyewear began as a response to poor vision. Today, spectacles are medical devices, fashion products, productivity tools and everyday essentials. What began as a specific solution became a global industry. Subtitles were created to make content accessible to people who […]
Persons with Disabilities Are Customers, Not Beneficiaries
For too long, persons with disabilities have been seen primarily through the lens of support. Support is important. Rights are important. Welfare is important. But none of these fully capture the role persons with disabilities play in the economy. A person with a disability is not only someone to be helped. They are someone who […]
Why Inclusion Needs Better Storytelling
There is a strange thing that happens when we change the word. The room changes. Say “disability inclusion” and many people in a corporate boardroom instinctively look towards HR, CSR or compliance. Say “accessibility” and some will think of ramps, website audits or a checklist that must be completed. Say “rights” and the conversation becomes […]
