As the European Accessibility Act deadline looms, businesses need to act swiftly to ensure their websites are accessible for people with disabilities

Software Advice’s 2024 Digital Accessibility Survey of over 2,500 ecommerce professionals shows 55% of companies worldwide recognize they must prioritize the needs of people with disabilities by instituting accessible website features but compliance is lacking.

Governments globally have instituted regulations to force companies to improve digital accessibility for this population. This includes the European Union’s European Accessibility Act, which applies to US-based and global companies doing business in the EU. Survey data indicates only 39% of companies currently under EAA jurisdiction have implemented plans to meet the upcoming compliance deadline of June 28, 2025. Companies slow to comply increasingly risk losing a core audience resulting in both damaging economic and legal consequences.

Making the user experience accessible, comfortable and convenient is a key factor in customer retention and reputation management for companies. Strategic planning to implement digital accessibility features is critical for companies to offer everyone equal access to online information and services, including content, financial tools, government services, and shopping though budget constraints and training pose challenges for many companies to effectively follow through.

Passed in 2019, the EAA mandates that a range of products and services be made accessible to people with disabilities. This includes online experiences such as ecommerce websites and retailers’ mobile apps. EAA requirements apply to any company that does business in the European Union, has at least 10 employees, and earns above €2 million.

To date, nearly a quarter (24%) of surveyed companies who trade in the EU do not provide any digital accessibility features on their websites (i.e. text resizing, video captions, and text-to-speech) and the majority of this group (74%) say improving digital accessibility is a medium to low priority.

“People with disabilities have a right to receive equal access to company websites and have a full customer experience with improved digital accessibility features,” says Molly Burke, senior retail analyst at Software Advice. “Companies who dedicate themselves to doing the legwork, planning ahead and recognize accessibility is a lifestyle, not a product, will have a strong chance at retaining this key consumer audience and fostering a fully inclusive environment.”

Among the challenges companies face instituting digital accessibility are IT and software complexities and a lack of awareness about digital accessibility requirements or needs. Guidelines such as The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for companies to follow and human collaboration with AI-powered accessibility testing tools can help companies with the planning process.

Source: BUSINESS WIRE