With the European Digital Accessibility Act expected to take effect in June 2025, businesses across Europe are struggling to make their digital services and products available to all. This act requires organizations and businesses across Europe to make their digital services and products available for people with disabilities and the aging population. However a questions arise is this accessibility a regulatory hurdle for businesses or does it have a wide range of benefits? This article will answer this while arguing whether businesses can grab significant opportunities and turn them into business cases while complying with EAA.
Understanding the European Accessibility Act
The European Digital Accessibility Act(EAA) is an innovative legislation to ensure that people with disabilities and the aging population have equal rights to digital services and products. This covers everything from e-commerce platforms, banking services, mobile apps, and digital content. This act will take effect on businesses across the EU and non-compliance to this will lead to penalties including regulatory fines and exclusion from potential markets in Europe.
The major aim of this act is to remove barriers for the disabled and aging population to ensure their full participation in society. For businesses in Europe, this act means that digital accessibility must be integrated into service delivery and very fabric development of digital products.
Moving Beyond Compliance
Though the act ensures mandatory digital accessibility, the real business opportunities lie in recognizing it is more than just a compliance issue for organizations in Europe. Businesses can get multiple advantages by approaching accessibility strategically rather than just avoiding penalties for non-compliance.
The Business Case for Digital Accessibility
- Expanding Market Reach
One of the most convincing arguments for digital accessibility is its latent to expand market reach. As per the report published by the World Health Organization, About one billion people on Earth have some kind of disability. This data shows that there is a potential market with considerable power of purchasing. Once the businesses make their digital services and products accessible they can tap into underserved markets and can drive their growth and increase their revenues.
Besides this, the aging population of Europe also presents another business opportunity. As people age they face several difficulties with traditional products and services. Making digital services and products accessible to this growing group will ensure that the aging population remains engaged customers of European organizations.
- Enhancing Brand Reputation
Brand reputation in today’s socially conscious market is more significant than ever. Customers are more willing to attract brands that commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion. More than half of the customers today believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion play a significant role in brand choices and consider that they will pay more for the branded products that are actively involved in promoting these social values.
By adopting digital accessibility, businesses can promote their dedication to these social values which will improve their brand reputation eventually. This will not only foster loyalty of customers but will also attract new customers who value corporate social responsibility. Besides this positive public perception and media coverage of a brand that provides digital accessibility will give a business a competitive age in today’s crowded market.
- Improving User Experience for All
As per the European Digital Act, digital accessibility is associated with the disabled and aging population but its advantages are extended to all end users. Clear and accessible design principles like readable fonts, clear navigation, and consistent formatting will improve the experience of overall users. For example, a good design-accessible mobile application is less frustrating, easy to navigate, and more intuitive for all users, leading to the highest customer satisfaction and higher engagement.
Research has shown that digital accessibility has improved overall user experience significantly. Once businesses start to focus on digital accessibility, they will be able to develop more enjoyable and streamlined user journeys, which in turn will translate into increased customer retention and higher conversion rates.
- Driving Innovation
Contrary to the misconception that accessibility is a hurdle for creativity, accessible solutions are used as a drive for innovation. Throughout history, challenges in accessibility have always driven the development of technologies that benefit all users. For instance, text-to-speech synthesis, which was originally developed for blind users, paved the path for another technology known as optical character recognition (OCR) technology, which is now widely adopted for making mobile check deposits and scanning receipts.
Similarly, new features and services could be unlocked by keeping in mind the design with an accessibility approach. Organizations can develop a culture of innovation by keeping in view accessibility as a business opportunity rather than a limitation which will set them apart from their competitors in the market.
- Mitigating Legal and Financial Risks
Businesses across Europe can avoid legal risks by ensuring compliance with EAA. Non- compliance with this act can result in reputational and financial damage due to costly lawsuits. However, there are additional financial benefits for proactively investing in digital accessibility. Accessible digital products can let the businesses to create opportunities in terms of procurement contracts with governments and large corporations that mandate accessibility as part of their supplier criteria.
Additionally, businesses can save costs in the long term by addressing issues related to accessibility early in the development process. It is time-consuming and highly expensive for businesses to make digital products and services rather than integrating accessibility from the start. Organizations can avoid unplanned costs, delays in development, and disruption of reactive remediation efforts by keeping themselves proactive.
Strategies for Building a Positive Business Case for Digital Accessibility
To develop a persuasive business case for digital accessibility, businesses are required to focus on aligning accessibility initiatives with their broader goals of business.
- Stakeholder Engagement
The first step in building a positive business case for digital accessibility is to engage senior executives and cross-functional teams early in the process. They should be educated on the key advantages of digital accessibility and how they fit into the overall business mission and values as it is significant for securing buy-in and resources.
- Data-Driven Decision Making
Data should be used to support the business case for digital accessibility which can be achieved by analyzing the potential market size and impact of accessibility on end users, brand reputation, and customer demographics. Key performance indicators (KPIs) related to digital accessibility should be monitored to demonstrate its positive impacts on the businesses.
- Integrating Accessibility into the Business Model
For any organization, accessibility should be more than just a box-ticking exercise. Digital accessibility should be integrated into the overall core values and business strategy of the organization. This can be achieved through continuous evaluation and improvement in accessibility practices to keep up with rapidly changing customer demands and technological advancements.
Conclusion
Businesses across Europe should consider the European Accessibility Act as a wake-up call to prioritize and integrate digital accessibility into their business strategy. Though compliance with this act is mandatory, businesses should seek this as an opportunity to leverage accessibility as a strategic business asset. Organizations can expand their market reach, improve their brand reputation, drive innovation, improve their user experience, and minimize legal risks. In doing so, they not only fulfill a legal obligation but also unlock new avenues for growth and success.
Sources:
https://www.w3.org/WAI/business-case
https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1202