Meeting Customer Needs: Inexpensive Sensory-Friendly Ideas for the Holiday Season

December 12, 2023

The holiday season can be overwhelming with the twinkling lights, music, and crowds under the best of circumstances. For about 16.5% of the US population, overstimulation can be torturous. Over the last decade, sensory-sensitivity condition diagnoses, such as autism, have increased. Inclusion is now a mainstream topic that is generationally important to all. Taking this into consideration when preparing your business for the holiday season can make a huge difference in many lives. National chains are taking note of this need, and it doesn’t require a huge monetary investment to make the shift in your small business either.

Sensory-sensitivity Ideas from Large Business to Emulate

The conventional holiday retail experience teems with fluorescent lights, blaring music, and bustling crowds. This type of environment poses challenges for individuals with sensory sensitivities. Recognizing this barrier, many businesses are innovating by rolling out new sensory-friendly offerings and fostering a more inclusive and welcoming environment for the neuro-diverse. Here are a few big business initiatives that may surprise you as they’re being rolled out by businesses that are traditionally known for a circus-like environment or energy. You could incorporate each of these ideas without incurring a large expense:

 

Create a Sedate Environment

This first idea requires no additional expenditure from your business to help neurodiverse people feel more at home and enjoy the shopping experience with you. This year, Walmart is reintroducing sensory-friendly shopping hours. From 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM daily, the shopping environment transforms. Within this timeframe, the store switches to static imagery on TV walls (no flickering or frantic displays), silence replaces the usual soundtrack, and the lighting is significantly dimmed. This thoughtful alteration caters to those who may find the standard shopping setting overwhelming, allowing them to engage comfortably with the products and services offered. Additionally, the sedate environment fits nicely with an early morning timeframe (although you could adopt the same idea at any time of day). Shoppers without sensitivity issues are not likely to notice.

 

Use Lighting in Dark Places

Another example in the realm of sensory inclusivity is AMC Theatres, which at first glance may seem hard to do after all movie theaters are loud and crowded. But AMC's sensory-friendly movie showings accommodate diverse sensory needs. During these specially designated screenings, lights are turned up to ensure visibility without discomfort, while the sound is moderated to a level that is pleasant but not overwhelming. Such initiatives not only cater to individuals with sensory challenges but also resonate with families and friends who seek a more relaxed, less intense, cinematic experience.

 

Encourage a Less Frenetic Atmosphere

Chuck E. Cheese, synonymous with joyous celebrations for children, has embraced inclusivity through its Sensory Sensitive Sundays. These events present a modified ambiance with dimmed lighting and a quieter atmosphere, offering a conducive setting for children and families who may find the usual high-energy environment overwhelming. Alongside these alterations, the presence of a trained staff attuned to the needs of sensory-sensitive individuals further enhances the experience, fostering a sense of comfort and support.

 

Go Beyond Dimming the Lights

The wave of sensory-friendly initiatives is not confined to retail and entertainment giants. Museums, music events, and entertainment venues across the spectrum have joined this movement, expanding the reach of inclusivity. Many museums worldwide have introduced sensory-friendly programming, ensuring that exhibits can be enjoyed without sensory overload. Music events now offer designated areas with quieter spaces and sensory accommodations, enabling everyone to revel in the magic of live performances. Entertainment venues have followed suit, implementing similar adjustments to create an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome.

 

Plus, many organizations are getting certified as a sensory-friendly place. The Autism Society invites businesses to get listed as an autism-friendly business. You can also take a quiz to see how sensory-sensitive your business is.

 

For small businesses, the adoption of sensory-friendly practices represents an opportunity to foster inclusivity while catering to a broader customer base. Implementing simple yet impactful changes, such as adjusting lighting, moderating sound levels, or providing quiet zones, can make a world of difference. (We’re even seeing some airports create rooms to help with this like Presley’s Place at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Travel can be quite overwhelming as well.)

 

Understanding and acknowledging the diverse needs of customers can set your business apart (with very little monetary investment), creating an environment where everyone feels valued and comfortable. Businesses that prioritize accessibility often witness increased customer loyalty, positive brand perception, and a deeper connection with their communities. Additionally, these initiatives align with legal requirements of accessibility, ensuring compliance while demonstrating a commitment to social responsibility.

 

As the concept of sensory inclusivity continues to gain momentum, you can leverage this trend to not only enrich customer experience but also make a meaningful impact on your community. By fostering a welcoming environment that caters to diverse sensory needs, you can shape a future where inclusivity is the norm rather than an exception.

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Christina Metcalf is a writer/ghostwriter who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She loves road trips, hates exclamation points, and put her Christmas tree up in October this year because she “needed a little Christmas.”

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Twitter: @christinagsmith

Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking

LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

Disaster Readiness

By Lauren Batchelor • September 3, 2025
Surviving Disaster: A Small Business Resource Guide

Are You Accidentally Repelling Perfect Clients? (Here’s How to Fix It)

September 2, 2025
You've polished your website, perfected your elevator pitch, and your product or service genuinely solves real problems. Yet somehow, you keep attracting the wrong customers—the ones who haggle over every penny, make unreasonable demands, or disappear after one purchase. Meanwhile, your dream clients seem to float past, elusive, visiting but not buying. Why? As in any human relationship, you need to be more magnetic. If your answer is, “I’m trying,” then perhaps you’re creating the wrong kind of magnetic field around your brand. Opposites Don't Always Attract in Business Did you ever play with magnets? If you did, then you know magnets have two poles that create distinct fields of attraction and repulsion. Your business has something similar. Every decision you make, from your pricing strategy to your communication style, either attracts or repels specific types of customers. Most beginning businesspeople think success is about appealing to as many people as possible. Their marketing consists of claims like, “This is a great gift for everyone,” “This item fits everyone’s lifestyle.” But trying to appeal to everyone creates neutral magnetism that attracts no one strongly. Most customers don’t want to be everyone. They want to be spoken to in ways that catch their attention, such as “Creative architects love our tool,” or “We help people who hate doing yardwork get their weekend back.” Those types of callouts leave a potential customer thinking, “That’s me,” which inadvertently directs them to think, “That (product/service) is for me.” Speaking in Your Customer's Natural Wavelength Additionally, your ideal customers operate on distinct "business frequencies," that’s to say, patterns of decision-making, communication preferences, and value systems that are surprisingly predictable within industries and personality types. Most businesses broadcast on a "Generic FM"—bland, safe messaging that technically reaches everyone but resonates with no one. Your competition is probably doing the same thing, which is why customers can't tell you apart. Tuning Into the Right Station Let's say you run a marketing agency. Instead of saying "We help businesses grow," try identifying your ideal client's specific “frequency”: ● The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur: "For entrepreneurs who lie awake at 2 AM wondering why their great product isn't selling itself" ● The Scaling Company: "When your scrappy startup marketing tactics hit a wall at $2M revenue" ● The Corporate Escapee: "Marketing services for executives who fled corporate life and swore they'd never work with agencies that speak in buzzwords again" Each message repels two groups while magnetizing one and that's exactly what you want. Availability Affects Attraction Many small businesses are getting it backwards. They think being constantly available and accommodating makes them more attractive. In reality, it often signals low value and desperation, which is the business equivalent of appearing too eager on a first date. This doesn't mean you should be difficult to buy from. No one’s going to purchase from someone playing “hard to get.” It means understanding what behavioral economists call "perceived scarcity signals." These are subtle indicators that communicate value through selective availability. Examples of Strategic Scarcity ● A landscape architect who only takes on three projects per quarter (instead of cramming in as many as possible). You’ll often see this in marketing as “I just had a spot open up. Grab it now because I only have availability like this once a quarter.” ● A consultant who requires a discovery call before proposing. “Let’s jump on a call and see if we’re a good fit for one another.” ● A restaurant that closes one day per week "to maintain quality" (instead of staying open every day to maximize revenue). Chick-fil-a, enough said. These businesses repel price-sensitive, high-maintenance customers while attracting clients who associate selectivity with expertise. The Compound Interest of Customer Magnetism The most overlooked aspect of customer attraction is that it compounds over time if you maintain consistency and think about how every interaction either strengthens or weakens your magnetism. When you bend your standards, lower your prices, or compromise your values to accommodate a marginal customer (not your ideal customer), you don't just make that one transaction less profitable. You make it harder to attract ideal customers in the future. Conversely, every time you politely decline a poor-fit customer or maintain your standards despite pressure, you strengthen your brand. Word spreads through your ideal customer network that you're selective, professional, and worth the premium. The other part no one tells you about catering to someone other than your ideal audience is that it endangers your word-of-mouth marketing. Word-of-mouth or referrals are something every business wants because it’s one of the most powerful types of marketing. When you market to everyone, including those who are not a good fit for you, you attract the wrong kind of customers and what they say about you will either be negative or, if it’s positive, it will attract more people who are not an ideal fit. After all, most people hang out with people who are similar to them so if they’re referring people to you it will be more people who are not your target market. The Practical Magnetism Audit Want to identify if your business has weak magnetism? Ask yourself these questions: Attraction Audit: ● Do your last five new customers have similar characteristics, challenges, and values? ● Would your best customers enthusiastically recommend you to their friends? ● Do people often say "I never would have thought of that" when you explain your approach? Repulsion Audit: ● Can you clearly articulate who your service is NOT for? ● Do you regularly turn away inquiries that aren't a good fit? ● Would your worst customers give similar complaints about what they didn't like? If you answered no to most of these questions, you likely have neutral polarity—trying to be everything to everyone and ending up magnetic to no one. Rewiring Your Business Magnetic Field Start by identifying your strongest existing customer relationships. What specific problems do you solve for them that no one else addresses quite the same way? What do they value about working with you that they can't get elsewhere? That's your magnetic north. Then, gradually align everything—your messaging, pricing, processes, and even your office environment—to strengthen that specific part of your brand. Some customers will drift away. Let them. They're making room for the clients who will become your biggest advocates and most profitable relationships. Remember, in a world of infinite choice and constant noise, being remarkably good for some people is infinitely more valuable than being adequate for everyone. Your perfect customers are out there, searching for exactly what you offer. The businesses thriving today aren't necessarily the ones with the best products or the biggest marketing budgets. They're the ones that have figured out how to create a strong, focused magnetic field and their ideal customers can't help but be drawn in.  That's not just good marketing. That's magnetic business design. ------------ Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

NEXT EXIT: SUCCESS- 6 Moves to Make in 2026

August 26, 2025
Unless you've been living under a rock it's difficult to avoid all the posts about school starting back up again and summer being over. Why do those events matter? It means we're quickly approaching Q4 and that is the perfect time to review what has gone well for you this year and what has been a mounting challenge. While you may be laser-focused on holiday sales, year-end reports, and hitting those final quarterly goals, the savviest leaders know Q4 is also the time to zoom out. The decisions you make now don’t just impact your December and year end. They shape your success well into 2026. Business cycles move quickly. The economy, workforce, and technology will continue to shift in ways that reward businesses that plan ahead. Ready, Set, Go! Here’s how to get future-ready while everyone else is just trying to cross the 2025 finish line. Set Your Goals If you haven’t already done so, start by revisiting or creating a three-year strategy for your business. Businesses that thrive don’t just chase sales. They pursue a bigger vision. Use Q4 to review your long-term goals. Where do you want your company to be in 2026? Expanding into new markets? Adding product lines? Increasing automation? Achieving greater efficiency and cost savings? Write it down, get buy-in from the leadership team, and align next year’s goals with that north star. Break your vision into yearly milestones so it feels achievable, not overwhelming. When Strategy Stalls: 4 Moves to Regain Momentum ------------------- Invest in Movement Next, consider technology investments. AI, automation, and digital tools are having huge impacts on efficiency and cost-savings. If you wait until 2026 to get around to auditioning these “game changers,” you’ll be behind. Look at how technology can support your growth, through things like customer relationship management, e-commerce, or workflow automation. Starting small with a chatbot, productivity app, or scheduling tool today could free up enough resources to tackle bigger tech upgrades in 2026. 5 Genius Ways AI Can Stretch Your Existing Content AI for Small Businesses: Practical Steps to boost utility How Small Businesses Can Lead Innovation ---------------- Invest in People Your workforce also deserves attention. The talent pipeline is shifting, with Gen Z stepping into more roles and hybrid work remaining a hot topic. Businesses that build flexibility, invest in upskilling, and cultivate a strong culture now will have a competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining the right people. Additionally, add professional development to your 2026 budget. It’s one of the most powerful investments for long-term growth and employee satisfaction. If you can't afford professional development for your team, consider affordable solutions like what the chamber of commerce offers. Chamber member benefits cover all employees, which means they can attend the chamber events of their choosing and may be able to meet professional development goals through chamber trainings, webinars, and events. By bringing these opportunities to your employees’ attention you look like the rock star who's assisting them in their career pathing and knowledge attainment. The chamber may also have a mentor program that your employees can participate in. This can be a huge benefit for younger employees looking for guidance. Perks & Benefits Idea List – Available to Chamber Members The New Employee Benefit Everyone Is Talking About Recognition is Free—But It Might Be the Most Valuable Investment You Make The 2025-2026 Leadership Class is now accepting applications. Access here and return to: Office@LLChamber.com by September 15. --------- Check the Finances Financial resilience is another key to success. Interest rates, inflation, and shifting consumer habits make financial agility essential. Look at your cash flow, debt, and pricing strategies. What can you adjust now to weather uncertainty in the next two years? Diversifying revenue streams ensures your 2026 success isn’t dependent on one source of income. Money Management Tips for People Who Hate Money Management Get Ready! For Small Business Week Small Business Resource Round-up Mid Year reset ------------- Build Relationships Anticipating market shifts can also give you a competitive edge. Consumer values are evolving, especially around sustainability, health, and community. Businesses that align with these trends will have a competitive advantage. Pay attention to what your customers are asking for now. It’s often a preview of what will be standard in 2026. 5 Customer-Focused Strategies to Build Loyalty and Drive Growth Hospitality is the Hidden Edge: Why Emotional Connection Drives Customer Loyalty How to Build Loyalty Without Spending a Dime on Ads ------------------- Check-in with the Chamber Finally, strengthen your community and partnerships. No business succeeds in a vacuum. Your local chamber of commerce offers resources, advocacy, and connections that can give you a leg up in uncertain times.  Don’t just look to network—collaborate. Joint promotions, shared talent pipelines, or advocacy efforts can open doors you couldn’t access alone. Q4 is the perfect time to step back, not just step up. By thinking beyond the immediate hustle and honing your business strategy, you’ll finish this year strong and ensure sustainable, future-ready growth in 2026 and beyond. 10 Ways to Get the Most from Your Chamber Membership How to Build Business Connections (Even If You Hate Networking) Local Business Partnerships Strengthen Communities, Drive Growth Your Chamber Listing Matters More Than Ever! -------------------- Looking for information on making your landing page better? Need technical assistance? Visit here! Looking for sponsorship/event hosting information? Complete this form to let us know what you’re interested in. ---------------------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinagsmith