In part one of this two-part series, the challenges of creating regulation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to ecommerce were addressed. While most acknowledge the importance of website accessibility, regulation is ambiguous and somewhat confusing under the provisions of Title III of the ADA. Unfortunately, this has led to more than 300 lawsuits filed in or removed to federal court over the past two years.
One of the most notable issues is the extremely fast-paced growth of and change in ecommerce. In haste, many retailers focus on the ideal user and may overlook the principle of inclusivity. The following best practices will help retailers proactively address this time-sensitive issue.
While part one of this series discussed how the ADA is subjective and far from easy to understand, a good place to start is taking a proactive approach to familiarize yourself with the law and consider it as part of your site build strategy. For example, take steps to ensure your website works with assistive technologies like screen readers for the blind or partially sighted.
One in five U.S. citizens has some form of disability according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Twenty percent is a statistically significant subset of potential customers. Although not all disabilities require a website to be accessible to be used by such persons, there is a significant subset of the population, particularly blind and deaf people, who would be precluded from using a website and purchasing products if it is not designed with accessibility in mind.
The World Wide Web Consortium ("W3C") has developed the WCAG 2.0 guidelines in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world with a goal of proving a single shared standard for web content accessibility. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) generally accepts these standards as a baseline for accessibility.
Twelve guidelines are organized under four principals:
Few need convincing that mobile plays a significant role on the ecommerce path to purchase and that a multiplatform approach is essential to retail success. According to a report from Adobe, Cyber Monday 2016, the biggest day in the history of U.S. ecommerce, saw mobile sales totaling $1.07 billion, a 34 percent increase over 2015. And the DOJ has required through settlement agreements that companies make their mobile apps accessible too.
Recoding an entire ecommerce website so that it meets accessibility standards can seem like an overwhelming task, both time-consuming and costly. But, there are tools and services that are widely available to help efficiently create an accessible website - without coding. Typically, using drag-and-drop functionality to create ecommerce experiences - whether it's a full blown website, lookbook or campaign landing page - shifts the build process from the technical to the creative realm. These experiences are also easy to update, making the process of iteration cheaper in terms of time spent.
Being proactive with building accessibility into a website's design will not only help avoid litigation but may expand the market for the business's products and services. Recognizing those consumers who may not have had the ability to previously engage with your company online also will increase brand awareness and goodwill.