Digital accessibility is providing far-reaching benefits for retailers
Russell Webb, VP of Europe at Level Access
With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) now enforceable within the EU, there is a risk that some retailers could view digital accessibility as simply another in a long list of regulatory compliance obligations. While these requirements are serious, and important, this attitude would be a huge mistake, as it would underestimate the importance of accessibility to customer experiences.
There are approximately 16m people in the UK who have some form of disability – and a significant proportion of them face numerous barriers when interacting with ecommerce platforms and other digital touchpoints. Failure to consider this when developing user experiences (UX) means retailers risk underserving, or worse, excluding, a large number of potential customers.
As such, the EAA requirements should be understood more as foundational steps that can be used as a launchpad to unlock numerous business benefits, including greater customer reach, retention, and loyalty.
In fairness, many in retail have begun to recognise the value of accessibility. Our latest research shows that nearly 9 in 10 retail professionals believe it contributes to improvements in UX, while a similar number believes it also contributes to customer acquisition.
Where the problem often lies, however, is that it isn’t considered early enough in the design process. And this is no small miss. Not thinking about accessibility at an early stage can result in multiple issues, which can be costly to solve later. For example, early consideration of accessibility has been shown to eliminate 90% of accessibility barriers before they ever make it into code.
Creative thinking
When brands include accessibility thinking in their UX design it can also spark creativity and innovation, which often produces unexpected positives. I was recently reminded of this when I saw a colleague buy an item and then instantly expense the receipt by scanning it with their phone.
Their app will no doubt have been using optical character recognition, a technology originally developed to help people with low vision or visual disabilities by enabling text-to-speech synthesis. While this tech was designed as an accessibility tool, it is now also helping people in various retail environments.
As another example, if you have ever used an app to translate product packaging when you are in another country, you will have probably used optical character recognition.
The Curb Cut effect
These types of unexpected positives are so common in the field of accessibility, a name has been given to it – the Curb Cut effect. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the impact of urban planning legislation from 1970s California, which mandated ‘curb cuts’ to help wheelchair users access pavements.
It has been widely acknowledged that this mandate unintentionally benefitted more than wheelchair users – it also helped parents with prams, delivery drivers, cyclists, travellers with rolling luggage, and more.
More modern, digital examples of a curb cut effect include: voice assistants, audiobooks or subtitles. These are all the result of people thinking about accessibility during the design phase of product development. But in each case, it sparked an innovation that is now helping more than than the intended beneficiary. Consider that the next time you ask Alexa a question, or listen to Audible on the morning commute, or read the captions on an Instagram Reel.
Expansive marketing
Another indirect positive that often derives from more accessible design is the impact on a brand’s reputation. A research study, released by Kantar last year, found that 75% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that has a reputation for being inclusive. When I read that report, I was struck by a comment by Kantar’s global head of inclusivity, Valeria Piaggio, who said: “inclusion marketing is expansive marketing.”
She was making the point that inclusivity is not about serving a minority group, it’s about predisposing more people to your brand. This is true from a reputational perspective, but also, literally. By making retail platforms accessible to all, more customers will be able to browse and buy with ease – allowing retailers to broaden their total addressable market.
When you consider that almost a quarter (23%) of working age adults in the UK are defined as having a disability, and that rises to almost half (46%) of people over 65 years of age, there are a lot of people who could potentially benefit from a more inclusive UX. Without an accessible design, brands may be excluding a significant proportion of the population.
Many in retail and e-commerce are becoming aware of this. In fact, our research shows UX is the number one reason why retailers now invest in accessibility, which certainly indicates that the industry is headed in the right direction.
If your brand, or leadership, isn’t on board yet—spread the word. When accessibility is factored into the UX design at an early stage, it doesn’t just enhance experiences – it increases customer satisfaction, lowers costs, drives innovation, expands potential customer base and boosts reputation. The impact is both far reaching and long lasting.
