eSSENTIAL Accessibility has announced a strategic partnership with BigCommerce. eSSENTIAL Accessibility is an accessibility-as-a-service provider that supports organisations to deliver fully accessible and compliant digital experiences.
Leveraging eSSENTIAL Accessibility’s solution, BigCommerce merchants can create and deliver engaging digital experiences that are free from accessibility barriers.
Merchants can feature eSSENTIAL Accessibility’s recognisable icon on their website to clearly signify their commitment to digital accessibility and inclusion. This should ensure all their customers have the opportunity to engage equally.
“Ecommerce continues to capture a larger percentage of total retail sales. It’s critical that merchants make their online store available to every consumer,” said Brent Bellm, CEO of BigCommerce. “Leveraging the eSSENTIAL Accessibility solution will make it easier for merchants to provide fully accessible digital experiences. Such experiences will empower people and ensure everyone has the opportunity to engage with their brand.”
Accessibility is imperative
“With online shopping more critical than ever, providing an accessible eCommerce experience is essential,” said Simon Dermer, eSSENTIAL Accessibility’s CEO. “Unfortunately, many online stores still fall short. With roughly 15% of the world’s population living with a disability, accessibility is imperative. This partnership with BigCommerce will elevate digital inclusion. It will make it easy for enterprise brands to ensure all customers are included, whether they’re shopping on a mobile app or desktop device.”
Key features
BigCommerce merchants leveraging eSSENTIAL Accessibility’s comprehensive digital accessibility solution will enjoy the ability to:
- Increase customer engagement. With the support of eSSENTIAL Accessibility, BigCommerce merchants will have the ability to reach more customers. This includes those who require certain accommodations to access and navigate the web.
- Mitigate legal risk. Merchants can protect their business from the threat of legal action by achieving and remaining compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 508, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and other global compliance standards.
- Elevate their brand. Inclusive experiences are better for business. By ensuring their digital properties are compliant with global standards, merchants will connect with more customers, mitigate legal risk, and enhance their overall user experience.
Enterprise Times: What this means for business
Digital accessibility-as-a-service is a compliance solution that enables organisations to create and maintain web, mobile and product experiences through digital accessibility audit, testing, evaluation and remediation. It is smarter way to digital accessibility compliance.
In 2019, according to an analysis by international legal firm Seyfarth Shaw, web accessibility federal lawsuits hit record numbers, with 11,053 suits filed in federal court. This represented an 8.8% increase from 2018. California led the way with 4794 web accessibility lawsuits. Analysts say this maybe in response to a ruling by the US Court of Appeals reversed a federal judge’s 2017 dismissal of a case against Domino’s Pizza. A man who is blind complained that he was unable to use Domino’s website or mobile app because neither was accessible. This reversal might have triggered more plaintiffs to launch web accessibility lawsuits in California.
Therefore, it’s a sensible step for BigCommerce to follow other eCommerce platform providers and form a partnership with eSSENTIAL Accessibility.
