Page 30 - #182 June 2023

RLI RETAIL INSIGHT

Why Digital Accessibility Could Offer
Retailers a Competitive Edge

In this month’s Retail Insight, Jonathan Hassell, CEO at Hassell
Inclusion spends sometime discussing how digital accessibility is
something that the retail industry should embrace.

he ongoing cost-of-living crisis, along with rising inflation, always find yourselves having to retro-fix elements of your services that
supply chain issues and high energy bills, means that the UK’s don’t meet accessibility requirements, which is inefficient.
Thigh streets are facing increasingly challenging times. With Define responsibility and get senior buy in
many businesses struggling to recover to pre-Covid levels of footfall, It is also important to have a champion at a senior level. Having a digital
having a well-functioning digital estate is more important than ever. accessibility programme manager who can lead a project team to own,
In fact, figures from Statista show that in the UK over 80 per cent of run and report progress against your strategic plan is really important.
the population are digital buyers. Online shopping will only continue to This could be spearheaded by your digital team or sit within your HR
grow, with the analyst predicting that 9 in 10 of the country’s consumers or marketing operation. You should also ensure your plan includes
will be buying products online by 2025. adequate training and the creation and communication of policies and
Against this backdrop, it would be sensible to assume that a processes to embed digital accessibility into your organisation’s DNA.
retailer’s digital products – websites, apps and other marketing and Embed accessibility across your organisation and with all
communications channels – are fully accessible to all. stakeholders
However, while many retailers are getting digital accessibility right, Great accessibility is only possible if the whole company is aware of
there are still a significant number that aren’t. Our recent research it and actively ensures it is part of the design and creation of any digital
report, ‘An Immature Response? Why organisations are failing to product or communication. Key to this will be taking your wider supply
build digitally accessible products and services’, reveals that many chain – your external digital suppliers – on this journey with you, by
organisations, including those in the retail sector, are failing in their ensuring digital accessibility is a key part of your procurement process.
obligation to provide an accessible experience for all users. It’s worth doing an inventory of what can and can’t be controlled, to
As a result, they could be inadvertently alienating a raft of potential build a picture of what you can and can’t influence and change supplier to
customers who have digital accessibility needs, including sight and a more accessible one if you can. Asking the right accessibility questions
hearing impairment, reading or cognitive difficulties, fine motor before purchase is key.
difficulties - which makes it harder to control a mouse - or more general Focus on user experience across all digital channels
impairments associated with ageing. Digital accessibility can mean different things for different people across
So, how can retailers and their digital teams ensure their online estate multiple user touchpoints. When looking at the retail sector, customers
is fit for purpose? will come into contact with a company through digital adverts, websites,
Firstly, it’s important to look at what we mean by ‘digital accessibility’. emails and online vouchers and then through digital touchpoints in the
We define it as enabling inclusive web, technology and app experiences store itself, such as kiosks and self-checkouts. All of these things need to
for everyone, by focusing on the user journey, i.e. how people use the be accessible to ensure a smooth end-to-end user experience.
technology, not just the technology itself. Design for accessibility throughout your development process
In terms of what the need looks like, a conservative estimate suggests The research shows that there is often an ad-hoc approach to
that four out of 10 people require digital solutions to be accessible. And accessibility in the development of digital products. Retailers need
yet, at most 20 per cent of websites and mobile apps are accessible to to ensure it is embedded throughout the development process of all
everyone, which leaves millions of people excluded from digital services products, from websites to apps to social media and PDFs and that their
and tools that don’t adequately cater to their requirements. accessibility is regularly monitored, checked and fixed after launch. In
What data shows is that there are often major gaps throughout short, make things inclusive by design, across each product’s lifecycle.
the process of designing digital products. Over a third (35 per cent) Differentiating through digital accessibility
of organisations involved in our research said they would launch digital As well as the potential for higher customer revenue and access to
products with known accessibility issues, while just 14 per cent check a wider pool of talent to recruit from, demonstrating maturity in digital
that digital products created for them by external suppliers meet accessibility is the mark of a company with an innovative and trailblazing
accessibility requirements. approach to diversity, equality and inclusion.
This makes little commercial and reputational sense – digital
accessibility can help retailers increase revenue through welcoming As such, it can increase customer and employee loyalty and improve
more customers through their virtual doors. your company’s reputation. Embedding digital accessibility demonstrates
Too often, digital accessibility is an afterthought that requires a you align with the values of potential customers, employees and other
product to be retro-fixed, when it would have been much more effective stakeholders.
to ensure it was embedded right at the beginning of the design process. Before too long it will be expected of everyone. Which begs the
question, can your business afford to get left behind?
For us, there are several key steps that retailers can take to make sure
their digital environment is ‘open to all’:
Recognise the value
The report reveals that most (62 per cent) organisations don’t
understand the benefits of accessibility, or aren’t measuring the return
on investment it is bringing if they’re investing in it. From increased
customers to a more loyal workforce, the benefits are significant.
Measurement and tracking progress is key – it will drive success.
Adopt a strategic approach
Being great at digital accessibility is about the whole user journey. This
requires a strategic approach to ensure that accessibility is ‘baked in’ to
your processes so it is not seen as a tactical add-on. Otherwise, you will

30 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2023