Quickfire Digital survey: retailers not prioritising accessibility risk losing billions beyond the purple pound

Retailers must prioritise accessibility or risk billions in sales, potentially alienating a significant share of British consumers.

A survey of 2,002 Brits, commissioned by e-commerce agency Quickfire Digital, reveals that 51% have discarded a purchase due to accessibility issues either online or in-store. And this abandonment extends well beyond the confines of the ‘purple pound’.

The same amount also believe retailers should include people of various disabilities when testing their e-commerce websites.

Many that don’t consider themselves to be or fit into the definition of disabled still struggle with less obvious accessibility issues. Online challenges highlighted by respondents included:

• finding the design journey illogical and complicated, and being confused about how to pay (17%); 

• having trouble with the fonts and the colours used (16%)

• lack of personalisation, sites fail to recognise specific needs and adapt (12%)

• lack of audible information (9%)

• videos missing captions, so trouble understanding what’s happening (7%)

Quickfire Digital says its results suggest the problem of accessibility in retail spans far beyond this, with over double that percentage (54%) saying they’ve faced accessibility issues while shopping on e-commerce sites. 

It adds that, with the UK’s online retail sales valued at £224 billion in 2022 and over half of those surveyed facing accessibility issues shopping online, UK retailers ignoring digital accessibility risk forfeiting a potential £120 billion. 

Nathan Lomax, Co-founder and Director at Quickfire Digital, comments “We’ve known for a while that the retail market is struggling as it is, with inflation contributing to a sharp decline in online retail sales in 2022.”

“We’ve also known for a while that estimates from Purple (a UK-based disability organisation) show there are 4.3 million disabled online shoppers who click away from inaccessible websites; equating to a combined spending power of £11.75 billion in the UK.”

“But the results from our survey reveal that there is an untold cost of ignoring the accessibility market that is well in excess of Purple’s already shocking stats.” 

“Disabled friendly retail organisations do exist - and experts agree that the disabled community is fiercely loyal to them - but retailers must do more. It’s time to redefine the accessibility market and broaden its reach to make online retail accessible to all. If not, they risk alienating a huge proportion of UK consumers and losing out on billions.”

Further key findings from the survey include:

• 43% think retailers should employ more people with disabilities to work on these sites, as they will be aware of issues others may not

• 37% (cutting across all demographics) welcome the idea of the introduction of a universal, legally and government mandated web accessibility standard that all online retailers must adhere to may also be necessary to ensure retailers prioritise inclusivity.

At the moment, a kitemark of any kind like this does not exist and any regulations that are in place typically apply to specific sectors or types of organisations.

The requirements can also hugely vary. In the EU, for example, the Web Accessibility Directive requires only certain public sector websites and mobile apps to meet specific accessibility standards based on WCAG.

“Based on our results, it’s clear there’s work to be done. Simple changes can make retail websites more accessible and can help everyone, not just users with disabilities. By involving disabled individuals in website design and testing, retailers can forge digital environments that appeal to a wider audience, thereby increasing their revenue potential,” Lomax says.