Starbucks has introduced new accessibility features for disabled employees and customers that will be folded into the company’s larger retail footprint expansion over the next few years.

Starbucks unveiled a new store design last month at an opening in Washington, DC’s Union Market. The company said it hopes the concept, known as the Inclusive Spaces Framework, will make the store more accessible to disabled customers, and that other retailers will use the framework to guide their own store accessibility.

The new accessible elements include:

• Order status boards so deaf and hard of hearing customers can see when their order is ready.
• Lower counters to help wheelchair users easily grab their drinks.
• Power doors, making entrance easier for customers with mobility aids or limb differences.
• Acoustics that dampen background noise, which can help customers with sensory sensitivities and people with hearing aids.
• Wider, clear pathways throughout the stores, allowing customers to easily move around.

The new framework will be implemented into all new and renovated US Starbucks stores moving forward, and is the company’s latest effort to make the store experience more inclusive. It will also be open source as a means to advance accessibility throughout the retail industry, the company said.

Keep reading here.—KM, KP

Wish you could see inside shoppers’ heads and know what they really think? Well, here’s a sneak peek courtesy of NewStore—no X-ray vision required.

Hot off the presses, it’s the 2024 Omnichannel Leadership Report. This doc sizes up 700 different brands in 10 countries and focuses on the online, mobile, and in-store shopping experience, all from the customer’s perspective.

Download your copy of the report to get valuable insights on:

• the leading omnichannel brands
• the current state of omnichannel capabilities
• a deep dive into the customer shopping experience overall

Dig into the deets to see how digital transformation can take your biz to the next level.

Greens are a staple of the menus at both Cava and Sweetgreen, and green is what both fast-casual restaurants seem to be rolling in, according to recent earnings reports. And their growth is all the more noteworthy because the economy appears to have stymied the broader fast-casual category.

Feta business bureau: Cava’s Mediterranean menu is not, to be sure, pita-ing out; the chain’s Q4 revenue grew 52.5% YoY to $175.5 million, thanks in part to opening 19 restaurants during the quarter, for a total of 309.

Even more dramatic was growth for the whole of 2023. Revenue increased 59.8% over 2022, to $717.1 million.

Sweet greens are made of this: At Sweetgreen, Q4 revenue grew 29% YoY to $153 million. That growth came largely from price hikes: Of the 6% YoY increase in same-store sales, Sweetgreen attributed 5% to raising menu prices and just 1% to an increase in traffic in its restaurants.

For the full year, revenues increased 24% over 2022, to $584 million.

Healthy growth: A recent report from Placer.ai noted that restaurant visits slowed overall in 2023, as Cava and Sweetgreen’s increased.

Keep reading here.—AAN

When rumors that Walmart might acquire TV purveyor Vizio began circulating online in February, one predominant question was: why? The retailer already has an expansive retail media network, not to mention its own line of TVs (called Onn) and a preexisting partnership with Vizio competitor Roku.

Late last month, the rumor was proven true: Walmart is buying the company for approximately $2.3 billion. Marketing Brew turned to a few streaming analysts to get their takes on what the acquisition could mean for Walmart’s ad business and the CTV space as a whole.

Keep reading here on Marketing Brew.—JS

Win their hearts. Ready to take things from “like” to “love” with your consumers? The LTK Most Loved white paper will show you how to do it. It lays out the elements that win the LTK Most Loved awards for top brands, with tips and tricks on winning consumer hearts. Get the insights.