Hope for Rental Car Companies

So i know that rental car agencies are among those who are struggling the most right now with our recessed economy. And when these companies struggle, the first things to go are the auxiliary programs and the marketing budget. For instance, i recently heard from a friend who is connected to one of the larger rental car companies, and he told me that the mobility/access program is practically gone for now, with no plans to expand or grow it.

With that in mind i took another look at our Open Doors Organization (www.opendoorsnfp.org) study and sure enough found some god stats.

• 20% of adults with disabilities (6.2 million ppl) are likely to rent a car or van when they travel and spend $40 per day on average
• 50% report they would be more likely to rent a car if it were delivered to and picked up from them
• OVER a third said they would rent a GPS System
• OVER a third also said they WOULD PAY MORE MONEY to rent a car if it were delivered to and pick up from them

It seems to me that in a tight economy, that these companies would spend more marketing dollars to reach the untapped markets????

PLEASE send your thoughts to craigkennedy@ckconsultingonline.com

Baby Boomers and DIsability Marketing

So one of the hottest topics in marketing right now is of course the Baby Boomers. Anyone who was born between 1946 and 1964, is one of about 70 million people in the US and part of one of the largest consumer groups ever assembled. And as they get older and head toward retirement, with (in many cases) a large retirement fund, they will be looking to travel more. And as they age, they begin the onset of the largest jump in disability statistics to date. Thanks in large part to the Baby Boomers, our disability population could swell by more than 25 million people. So not only will they be looking to travel, but htey will be looking for accessible travel options.

So NOW is the time to start thinking about accessibility. Hire a professional to assess your business and get you on the path to better accessibility so you can take advantage of the fastest growing and largest untapped consumer market in the world, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

FREE ACCESSIBILITY QUIZ at www.ckconsultingonline.com

Online Marketing KEY to Disability Market

Someone once told me that people with disabilities buy/acquire almost 95% of their goods and services online. Seems hard to believe until you start to think about the fact that even people who can't move their hands can use a computer. Computer technology is one of the great equalizers wehn it comes to disability and these people depend heavily on computers for their every day lives. Even many people who can move their limbs don;t leave the house very often due to some other severe disability.

The Open Doors Organization (www.opendoorsnfp.org) that i quote so often agrees that "The internet is an important resource for adults with disabilities." In fact they found that:

• Half of those who travel (51%) use the internet to book their trips
• Close to half (43%) consult the internet to suppor their disability-related travel needs.
• 57% used the internet to find and/or book hotels
• 47% used the internet to find accessibility information about airlines
• 47% used the internet to find accessible activities, tours, and attractions at their destination

And i want to remnd everyone that people with disabilities in the US have a discretionary income of over $220 billion. And we love to travel with cash!

Don;t foget to take my FREE ACCESSIBILITY QUIZ at www.ckconsultingonline.com

People with Disabilities Travel Internationally too!

For those of you who run international travel businesses, don;t forget aabout catering to your disabled travelers too. There is money to be made in this market. Our friends at Open Doors Organization are proving it again. According to the most recent study on adult travelers with disabilities, the typical international traveler spent $1,600 on this travel.

Which means...the 16% of online adults with disabilities who have traveled outside the United States will spend over $7 billion over the course of two years!

Don't you want a piece of this market? Aren't you even the least bit curious???

If you want to know more, all you have to do is ask me. www.ckconsultingonline.com

You can also follow me on Twitter (craigpekennedy) and Facebook (Craig Kennedy).

People With Disabilities are Diverse Travelers

According to a Harris Poll conducted wtih Open Doors Organization, 69% of adults with disabilities have traveled at least once in the past two years. Which includes:

• 3.9 million business travelers
• 20 million pleasure/leisure travelers
• 4.4 million travelers who combined business and pleasure

IS your business accessible? You might only need some small fixes. Take my FREE ACCESSIBILITY QUIZ. CK Consulting, LLC.

CK Consulting handles:

• ADA Interpretation and Application
• Individual Business & Site Plan Inspection
• Accessibility Planning and Strategy
• Disability Marketing Development
• National & State Scenic Byways Inspections & Ratings
• Speaking Services