The Benefits Of Web Accessibility For E-commerce Websites
E-commerce ADA Compliance
The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has created a new normal in which businesses and consumers are increasingly turning to the Internet. A growing number of goods and services are being offered and purchased online. In 2020, for example, e-commerce's share of global retail trade increased by 3 percentage points from the 14 percent reported in 2019.
Vendors are quickly rising to the challenge, not only by supporting more online sales but also by embracing emerging technologies to improve connections with customers and provide more convenience to their customers.
Several social media platforms have capitalized on increased online retail demand by incorporating more e-commerce features that allow shoppers to browse and purchase products and services without leaving the platform. Because the platforms are tightly integrated with e-commerce platforms, e-commerce operators can easily promote their products in multiple locations. The majority of Millennials and Generation Zs prefer social media platforms to online search and consider them the best places to learn about new products. As a result, many websites include links to social media platforms.
With the rise of e-commerce, one important market that any vendor would be remiss to overlook is that of people with disabilities. People with disabilities account for 15% of the global population, creating a massive market for the various products and services offered and purchased online. This is why businesses must prioritize improving their digital accessibility.
As the most effective equalizer, the Internet can assist in tapping into the vast market of people with disabilities. However, while the Internet democratizes access to information for the masses, a number of web designers and online businesses have demonstrated a major blind spot by creating websites and online stores that are accessible to people with disabilities, resulting in e-commerce-related discrimination. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 to address the issue of disabled people's access to information and communication technology (ICT).
The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all aspects of public life, including public accommodations such as websites. Title III of the ADA considers inaccessible websites to be discriminatory. It is therefore not only unethical to operate websites that exclude people with disabilities by failing to conform to digital accessibility commerce, but it is also illegal and may result in a business being the target of ADA violation lawsuits and the associated losses due to penalties that may be awarded to settle claims from the applicants in the lawsuits. A user-friendly website is also a wise business decision because it can significantly boost sales.
Currently, approximately 60 million Americans are reported to be living with some form of disability. This figure is expected to rise as the wealthiest generation in history, the Baby Boomers, continue to age and face hearing, vision, mobility, and cognition challenges. This business sector is what you're missing out on if you've ignored website accessibility e-commerce!
When you think about it, ignoring website accessibility is a serious mistake, especially in today's climate where inclusivity is a hot topic. Whether your company has a physical location or is entirely based on e-commerce, all of your websites and outward-facing ICT tools, such as apps, must be accessible to people with disabilities.
Use of technology by the federal government
5 Tips About Why Website Accessibility E-commerce is Important
The goal of website accessibility e-commerce is to include different types of shoppers rather than to make online shopping easier for people with disabilities. After all, disabilities exist only when someone fails to see the human potential in something, including a human body component. The following are some of the advantages of embracing web accessibility e-commerce:
Enhanced value of your business
Consider the case of Amazon. This company's $777 billion valuation is based in part on its extremely user-friendly website. Amazon's website does not win design awards; rather, it focuses on steadily increasing its market share of the entire population. Amazon controls 40% of the e-commerce market in the United States and is still expanding. Making a user experience that is available to all customers, regardless of disability status, is what constantly increases the value and reputation of the company. Designing your e-commerce website for accessibility can not only get you more customers through your checkout, but it can also draw them to your website and expose them to your other offers.
Everyone can use your website
Availability of digital accessibility e-commerce ensures that your online store is accessible to all regardless of their disability status. If your e-commerce website does not offer a more inclusive shopping experience, you risk alienating some, if not all, of your potential customers. As more people embrace inclusivity as a value, if you do not support website accessibility e-commerce, your products and services may be boycotted by people who do not have disabilities but want to stand in solidarity with people who do.
Improved search engine rankings
Search engines favor websites that are designed with usability and accessibility in mind. This means that tagging your images with alternative text, having well-defined and structured title tags, creating a clear hierarchy of information on the backend, and updating your compliance status with the most recent accessibility tools improve your website's search engine ranking. This greatly increases the visibility of your website's offerings to all users by acting as SEO to help people find your accessible website.
Protection from lawsuits
Website usability e-commerce safeguards you against the growing number of lawsuits. Both large and small businesses are being sued for ADA compliance violations in e-commerce. Among these are Domino's Pizza, Beyoncé, and CVS Pharmacy, to name a few. Many web developers are unaware that websites must be ADA compliant, which frequently leads to e-commerce businesses getting into legal trouble and losing colossal sums of money in lawsuit claims. While large corporations may be able to absorb claim payouts, smaller and emerging businesses may struggle to recover. There is no industry that is targeted more for ADA lawsuits than e-commerce.
Enhances Traffic to Your Website and Enriches User Feedback
Every business would love to have a higher Google ranking and more traffic to its website. The more visitors you have to your website, the more likely it is that you will generate sales. Making sure your website is optimized for different screen sizes allows even more people to access it regardless of the device they are using. This also generates more leads for you to convert into customers. Keeping people with disabilities in mind expands your potential customer base and helps to increase your sales.
Contact us today so that we can help you with web accessibility for your e-commerce website. We’ll advise you on the most cost-effective ways of eliminating any digital accessibility barriers that could be hindering people with disabilities from accessing your e-commerce website.
E-commerce ADA Compliance
The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has created a new normal in which businesses and consumers are increasingly turning to the Internet. A growing number of goods and services are being offered and purchased online. In 2020, for example, e-commerce's share of global retail trade increased by 3 percentage points from the 14 percent reported in 2019.
Vendors are quickly rising to the challenge, not only by supporting more online sales but also by embracing emerging technologies to improve connections with customers and provide more convenience to their customers.
Several social media platforms have capitalized on increased online retail demand by incorporating more e-commerce features that allow shoppers to browse and purchase products and services without leaving the platform. Because the platforms are tightly integrated with e-commerce platforms, e-commerce operators can easily promote their products in multiple locations. The majority of Millennials and Generation Zs prefer social media platforms to online search and consider them the best places to learn about new products. As a result, many websites include links to social media platforms.
With the rise of e-commerce, one important market that any vendor would be remiss to overlook is that of people with disabilities. People with disabilities account for 15% of the global population, creating a massive market for the various products and services offered and purchased online. This is why businesses must prioritize improving their digital accessibility.
As the most effective equalizer, the Internet can assist in tapping into the vast market of people with disabilities. However, while the Internet democratizes access to information for the masses, a number of web designers and online businesses have demonstrated a major blind spot by creating websites and online stores that are accessible to people with disabilities, resulting in e-commerce-related discrimination. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 to address the issue of disabled people's access to information and communication technology (ICT).
The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all aspects of public life, including public accommodations such as websites. Title III of the ADA considers inaccessible websites to be discriminatory. It is therefore not only unethical to operate websites that exclude people with disabilities by failing to conform to digital accessibility commerce, but it is also illegal and may result in a business being the target of ADA violation lawsuits and the associated losses due to penalties that may be awarded to settle claims from the applicants in the lawsuits. A user-friendly website is also a wise business decision because it can significantly boost sales.
Currently, approximately 60 million Americans are reported to be living with some form of disability. This figure is expected to rise as the wealthiest generation in history, the Baby Boomers, continue to age and face hearing, vision, mobility, and cognition challenges. This business sector is what you're missing out on if you've ignored website accessibility e-commerce!
When you think about it, ignoring website accessibility is a serious mistake, especially in today's climate where inclusivity is a hot topic. Whether your company has a physical location or is entirely based on e-commerce, all of your websites and outward-facing ICT tools, such as apps, must be accessible to people with disabilities.
Use of technology by the federal government
5 Tips About Why Website Accessibility E-commerce is Important
The goal of website accessibility e-commerce is to include different types of shoppers rather than to make online shopping easier for people with disabilities. After all, disabilities exist only when someone fails to see the human potential in something, including a human body component. The following are some of the advantages of embracing web accessibility e-commerce:
Enhanced value of your business
Consider the case of Amazon. This company's $777 billion valuation is based in part on its extremely user-friendly website. Amazon's website does not win design awards; rather, it focuses on steadily increasing its market share of the entire population. Amazon controls 40% of the e-commerce market in the United States and is still expanding. Making a user experience that is available to all customers, regardless of disability status, is what constantly increases the value and reputation of the company. Designing your e-commerce website for accessibility can not only get you more customers through your checkout, but it can also draw them to your website and expose them to your other offers.
Everyone can use your website
Availability of digital accessibility e-commerce ensures that your online store is accessible to all regardless of their disability status. If your e-commerce website does not offer a more inclusive shopping experience, you risk alienating some, if not all, of your potential customers. As more people embrace inclusivity as a value, if you do not support website accessibility e-commerce, your products and services may be boycotted by people who do not have disabilities but want to stand in solidarity with people who do.
Improved search engine rankings
Search engines favor websites that are designed with usability and accessibility in mind. This means that tagging your images with alternative text, having well-defined and structured title tags, creating a clear hierarchy of information on the backend, and updating your compliance status with the most recent accessibility tools improve your website's search engine ranking. This greatly increases the visibility of your website's offerings to all users by acting as SEO to help people find your accessible website.
Protection from lawsuits
Website usability e-commerce safeguards you against the growing number of lawsuits. Both large and small businesses are being sued for ADA compliance violations in e-commerce. Among these are Domino's Pizza, Beyoncé, and CVS Pharmacy, to name a few. Many web developers are unaware that websites must be ADA compliant, which frequently leads to e-commerce businesses getting into legal trouble and losing colossal sums of money in lawsuit claims. While large corporations may be able to absorb claim payouts, smaller and emerging businesses may struggle to recover. There is no industry that is targeted more for ADA lawsuits than e-commerce.
Enhances Traffic to Your Website and Enriches User Feedback
Every business would love to have a higher Google ranking and more traffic to its website. The more visitors you have to your website, the more likely it is that you will generate sales. Making sure your website is optimized for different screen sizes allows even more people to access it regardless of the device they are using. This also generates more leads for you to convert into customers. Keeping people with disabilities in mind expands your potential customer base and helps to increase your sales.
Contact us today so that we can help you with web accessibility for your e-commerce website. We’ll advise you on the most cost-effective ways of eliminating any digital accessibility barriers that could be hindering people with disabilities from accessing your e-commerce website.
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