Published 31 August 2026
Three in five disabled consumers, 61 per cent, say they feel more financially uncertain than they did a year ago, according to the first Purpl Pulse report from the disability savings platform Purpl. Nearly two thirds, 64 per cent, say everyday spending decisions feel more mentally exhausting than they did twelve months ago.
The survey lands against a real backdrop. Office for National Statistics figures show the Consumer Prices Index rose by 2.9 per cent in the twelve months to July 2026, up from 2.6 per cent in June and the first increase in the annual rate since March. The largest upward pull came from housing and household services, where the annual rate jumped to 4.1 per cent, driven by the biggest rise in gas prices since October 2022. For households running powered wheelchairs, riser recliners, hoists, profiling beds or scooter chargers, energy is not a discretionary line.
What the survey found
Seven in ten respondents, 71 per cent, said accessibility and ease of use influence where they shop. Purpl frames this as the cheapest option often not being a genuine option: an inaccessible website, an unsuitable delivery slot or a physically demanding shop can rule out the lowest price. More than two thirds, 69 per cent, said they are more likely to abandon a purchase than a year ago, 79 per cent said they compare more options before buying, and 84 per cent said they regularly look at discounts without completing a purchase.
Purpl describes the pattern as a higher confidence threshold, where price alone is no longer enough to make a purchase feel manageable. Georgina Colman, the platform’s founder, said that as the Timms Review considers the future of Personal Independence Payment it “must recognise the full reality of disability related costs”, including the everyday compromises created by having fewer accessible choices.
What the data can and cannot tell you
This is worth reading carefully. The findings come from 1,344 survey responses and 1,012 written comments from members of Purpl’s own platform, a service whose users have already self selected as people actively hunting for discounts. That is not a representative sample of disabled people in the UK, and the percentages should not be read as national estimates. Purpl also has a commercial interest in the conclusion that accessible shopping costs more.
None of that makes the findings useless. A survey of committed bargain hunters reporting that they now abandon purchases more often is a meaningful signal precisely because these are the people most equipped to find a deal. But the honest description is directional evidence from an engaged group, not a measurement of the disabled population.
The PIP review in the background
The report is explicitly aimed at the Timms Review, whose interim report in July 2026 concluded that PIP is no longer fit for purpose. That report drew on more than 38,000 responses to a call for evidence, found that 90 per cent of respondents described the claim process negatively, and recorded language including dehumanising and degrading. Final recommendations are due in autumn 2026.
For anyone weighing up equipment spending while that review runs, the practical advice is unchanged. Check whether VAT relief applies before you buy, since most mobility equipment bought by a disabled person for personal use is zero rated. Ask about Disabled Facilities Grants for permanent home adaptations. And get more than one quote, because the spread between suppliers on identical specifications is often wider than any discount code.
Related guides on Review Mobility
Sources: THIIS Magazine, ONS Consumer price inflation, UK: July 2026, DWP, Timms Review interim report.
Published 31 August 2026