How E-Commerce Sites Can Succeed by Maintaining Accessible and Compliant Experiences

Exclusive Q&A with Shahar Amiel, VP of Growth at UserWay

“The data shows that retailers are unprepared and unequipped to make digital platforms truly accessible for people with disabilities. And this oversight is sidelining the 1.3 billion people globally who live with disabilities — a significant market with tremendous spending power, estimated at over $13 trillion globally.”

Shahar Amiel, VP of Growth, UserWay

Meet Shahar Amiel, a driving force behind UserWay’s digital accessibility mission.

As the VP of Growth, Shahar leverages his 12 years of strategic development and performance marketing expertise to drive business expansion. His data-driven strategies for both PLG and SLG meticulously analyze every channel and buyer touchpoint, optimizing growth opportunities. Under Shahar’s leadership, UserWay’s growth marketing efforts are innovative and highly results-oriented, powering the company’s vision of making digital platforms accessible to all.

A seasoned growth marketer and data-driven marketing strategist, Shahar has successfully led cross-functional teams across acquisition, strategy, and analysis. His proficiency spans various marketing channels, including paid acquisition, content, SEO, email marketing, and lead generation. Known for his keen ability to identify new revenue streams, Shahar excels at translating visions into detailed product requirements and business strategies. Collaborating closely with R&D, customer-facing, and other cross-functional teams, he ensures seamless planning, design, development, and delivery of products in line with UserWay’s mission.

UserWay has recently been acquired by Level Access, a powerhouse solution provider with more than 25 years of leadership in the accessibility industry. This transaction sets the stage for a revolution in digital accessibility, combining UserWay’s cutting-edge AI automation with Level Access’s top-rated platform (the only one to score 5 out of 5 in the Forrester Wave) and an unmatched team of more than 340 digital accessibility experts. Together, they are poised to redefine the digital landscape, making it more inclusive than ever before.

Q: What are the current challenges the market is seeing?

A: E-commerce platforms have transformed global retail, yet many retailers are neglecting web accessibility, leading to billions in lost sales and a surge in legal challenges.

Practically, e-commerce platforms need to figure out how to create accessible experiences, maintain them over time, and stay compliant with a growing number of accessibility regulations worldwide.

The data shows that retailers are unprepared and unequipped to make digital platforms truly accessible for people with disabilities. And this oversight is sidelining the 1.3 billion people globally who live with disabilities — a significant market with tremendous spending power, estimated at over $13 trillion globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Shopping carts and pop-ups on websites also pose huge challenges. Checkout buttons are often incorrectly tagged or missing altogether, while many pop-ups lack an option for screen readers to exit. The only option left for consumers is to leave the site. And never return. In fact, internet users with visual impairments abandon two transactions every month due to inaccessibility, with nearly two-thirds of their transactions ending in cart abandonment, according to the World Wide Web Consortium.

Q: What happens if e-commerce sites don’t get accessibility right?

A: That’s a very timely question because the web is now facing another GDPR moment, but for accessibility. It’s already here, and by next summer, companies worldwide will be forced to comply with European accessibility laws. 

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is set for enforcement across European countries by 2025. The EAA requires that people with disabilities and older individuals can access a wide range of services and products, from websites to apps and online shopping. Any e-commerce business with European customers, regardless of location, must comply.

These laws, combined with evolving global standards like the latest WCAG 2.2, are placing rigorous demands on businesses to ensure their online platforms are accessible. As countries in Europe establish their own enforcement and penalties, the legal pressure is on for retailers to meet stringent web accessibility standards while ensuring the best user experience for their customers.

Q: What solutions do you have for the current market challenges?

A: UserWay’s accessibility solutions have been deployed on more than 1 million websites. Leading technology usage-reporting companies (Wappalyzer and BuiltWith) have recognized UserWay as the market leader. That’s because we offer premium accessibility at an affordable price for any business, with cutting-edge automated, AI-based tools that find and fix many accessibility errors that block users from an equal experience.

In addition to automated remediation technologies, UserWay, a Level Access company, offers a comprehensive combination of automated and manual accessibility solutions. Besides the AI Widget, these include manual and design audits, PDF/document remediation, video remediation, scanning tools, accessibility and visual design training, issuing of VPATs, and other services.

Q: What opportunities do you see accessibility unlocking for retail and e-commerce?

A: With projections indicating that 23% of retail purchases will be made online by 2027, according to eMarketer, this lack of web accessibility isn’t just a gap in service — it’s a costly error that can be transformed into a massive opportunity. We found that up to $16.8 billion in sales is lost annually due to inaccessibility, with people with disabilities encountering barriers when accessing e-commerce sites. Sites that prioritize accessibility position themselves to capture more market share than those that ignore it.

Q: What predictions do you have for the e-commerce sector in the near future?

A: More accessibility = more opportunity for e-commerce retailers. The first step is to raise the bar so that all users can have an equal experience on websites when shopping. Technology, when properly applied, can be a great equalizer. But as accessibility AI grows more powerful, platforms will be able to offer users even richer and more delightful experiences, faster than ever. 

Looking ahead, the horizon of web performance metrics is expanding. Google’s Core Web Vitals has pivoted this year to a new metric — Interaction to Next Paint (INP), adding another layer to website optimization.

Data from Chrome usage indicates that the majority of user interaction with a webpage, around 90%, occurs after a page loads. Therefore, it’s crucial to continually measure how responsive a page is throughout its entire lifecycle. Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is a metric that evaluates overall responsiveness, highlights the significance in understanding, and optimizes user experience on web pages.

The introduction of INP means that it’s important for website developers and owners to begin adapting their strategies. This involves fine-tuning websites to enhance responsiveness to user inputs. By doing so, site owners can ensure that their sites provide a superior user experience while remaining competitive in SEO.

Q: Can you get more technical with us on the connection between user experience and accessibility?

A: It’s been documented that a better user experience can lead to more time spent on e-commerce sites and higher click-through rates.

Plain and simple, an inaccessible website results in a poor user experience. Try using an inaccessible website with keyboard-only navigation or reading text using a screen reader on a website that does not use proper tags or labels. A user who relies on assistive technology will leave an inaccessible website, and Google will take note.

Visual stability, in particular, is inherently an accessibility standard. A visually unstable site has a poor cumulative layout shift score, often due to animations or visible changes on the page that are unexpected or scroll-dependent. For example, if an individual uses a screen reader, the site should provide all the content without requiring them to scroll down.

Screen readers, SEO, and accessibility work hand in hand, so it’s important for retailers to make accessibility part of their SEO best practices. Being inaccessible can lead to ranking penalties from Google and other search engines. It’s also worth noting that legal troubles may follow those who don’t abide by accessibility standards, such as those outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Q: How does UserWay help marketers maintain accessibility on their sites as content changes dynamically?

A: The following are differentiating features UserWay offers that specifically assist marketers in maintaining accessibility standards. 

UserWay’s AI-Powered Widget is the only solution that’s been linked to improved website performance. Data from Natural Intelligence, a global leader in intent marketing, has linked UserWay’s Widget to improved website performance like lower bounce rates.

Within a few months of implementing UserWay’s solution, Natural Intelligence reported improvements in the site’s performance, including a 2.4% increase in revenue-per-click, a 3.5% increase in revenue-per-visit, a 1% increase in the click-through rate, and another 0.5% decrease in bounce rate, expanding their circle of users.

Our products are designed to have no significant impact on the page loading time — and to give our customers the maximum amount of control over any accessibility fixes that are made by our automated solutions.

About UserWay

UserWay is a leader in digital accessibility innovation, committed to making online content accessible to people with disabilities across various platforms. Their cutting-edge technologies enhance accessibility for websites, applications, and PDF documents, ensuring inclusivity and usability for all users. With a commitment to breaking down barriers and promoting a more accessible online environment, UserWay continues to lead the way in transforming digital experiences for everyone. Learn more about them on their website.