The digital accessibility of fashion stores is still low, as surveys have shown for several years in a row. The European Accessibility Law will come into force from June 28, 2025. In addition to the accessibility of stores, this law also covers the accessibility of electronic commerce. But how exactly do you make a webshop accessible to blind and visually impaired people, older people, people with low reading skills, people with color blindness and other disabilities?
Improving accessibility, both in physical stores and online stores, is the mission of the Belgian initiative The Warmest Entrance (De Warmste Entree). The industry association Comeos and Inter “Accessible Flanders” are behind it. At the end of 2022, they launched a clear website with tips for improving store accessibility. This includes accessibility for people with physical disabilities, the blind and visually impaired, the deaf and hard of hearing, people with intellectual disabilities or people who are neurodiverse and process information in a different way, such as people with ADHD, autism or dyslexia. In 2023, The Warmest Entrance will expand its focus on digital accessibility. FashionUnited spoke to Nathalie De Greve from Comeos, Kathleen Acht from Inter and Erik De Snerck from Diax, all three of whom are involved in the project.
Digital inaccessibility in retail companies: “Not unwillingness, but ignorance”
Anyone who thinks that the group of consumers with some form of disability is small is mistaken. “In addition to the impairments you see, there are many more,” emphasizes Acht. If someone has vision problems, wears a hearing aid or is less mobile, it can be seen externally. Other impairments are less easy to detect. Ultimately, 49 percent of consumers will experience a disability, either temporary or permanent. Shocking numbers, especially when you consider the impact this can have on retailers’ sales figures. “Companies often make a profit calculation. How much does it cost to invest in accessibility, how many people have a disability and so on,” explains De Snerck. This group of people with disabilities is considered far too small.”
However, the fact that (digital) accessibility is generally not good is not intentional. “It’s not unwillingness, but ignorance,” says De Snerck. Paying attention adds that everything begins with awareness. For example, think of people who are color blind and have difficulty reading text due to poor contrast on a website or even at a digital payment terminal in a store (that too is digital accessibility). Adjusting the color contrast will already help this group. “There is often competition in commercial businesses. “So if people with a disability have difficulty going through the service process, they will buy the product elsewhere,” emphasizes De Snerck.
“As a retailer, improve your digital accessibility,” advises The Warmest Entrance
The information and tips The Warmest Entrance collects on its website come from quick retail surveys. How easy is it for people with disabilities to place an order with retailers? For example, it checks whether the website can be read by a screen reader used by blind people. Can people with physical disabilities use the website with a keyboard instead of a mouse? This also includes temporary disabilities such as a broken hand or arm. Are discounts on products displayed not only through colored text, but also through an icon so that color blind people can also see it? Is the website and purchasing process understandable for people with limited literacy skills? So you can see: accessibility affects many people.
For these quick surveys, retailers from the Comeos network were interviewed. “We had more registrations than we needed,” explains Acht. There was also great interest in the various information events, even greater than expected. However, the three experts are realistic that this group is probably the pioneer with an above-average interest in accessibility. Reaching the group that doesn’t immediately jump on board will probably be the biggest challenge. “We will continue to raise awareness among our members,” says De Greve. “We will also be organizing further information events in 2024 and want to better highlight good practice.”
De Snerck adds that working with examples of other retailers who have done accessibility well can create “positive envy.” When a retailer demonstrates the positive impact of accessibility improvements, it can inspire action.
Improving digital accessibility: always include end users in the process
When improving digital accessibility, you should not only examine your own offerings (website, payment terminals and in-store greeting), but also those of the partners you work with. “When retailers work with large payment companies, for example for the check-out process on the website, they almost assume that they have everything under control when it comes to accessibility. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, so retailers must remain critical and test themselves,” warns De Greve.
Ultimately, the improvements ensure that not only people with disabilities have a better experience, but that the service process becomes better for everyone, emphasize the three experts. The Warmest Entrance already offers plenty of tips and tricks for improving accessibility, but Acht says it’s now the best of the best. “It will remain a vibrant website and we will continue to add tools to help retailers,” confirm Acht and De Greve.
The most important thing, however, is that end consumers continue to be addressed. “Theoretically, we already know a lot and retailers can already work with this information, but individual consumers experience accessibility differently. It’s still about working with people. That’s why it’s always best to involve the end users.”
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.nl. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.