Accessibility as a great ally of e-commerce
Our lives have changed a lot since the arrival of the new coronavirus pandemic. Some sectors have suffered huge losses because of this new scenario, while others have prospered as never before. This is the case for e-commerces; research has shown that in the first year of the pandemic more than two billion people bought goods or services online, and in the same year, e-retail sales exceeded $4.2 trillion worldwide.
The Internet shopping trend is one that looks like it’s here to stay. Data from the statista report, predicts 24.5% e-commerce share of total of global retail sales by 2025.
With the increasing presence and influence of online stores in our daily lives, it is necessary for companies in this sector to be more aware of their responsibilities. One of them is the guarantee of digital accessibility, allowing the autonomy of the greatest number of consumers.
How to make accessibility an ally
The good news is that accessibility is not a 7-headed monster, and we will give you some tips on how to implement it in your e-commerce!
- Always put the alternative description for the images you are going to use. Prefer an objective language and without personal judgments, maintaining a logical order with the information passed. This is a super simple and extremely important resource for people who are blind or have low vision.
- Another alternative for people with visual impairments are screen magnification tools, which allow you to enlarge the content of web pages to make them more readable or reduce eyestrain. Web browsers offer the option to “zoom in” by increasing the size of the content, but screen magnification software works differently and more effectively.
- Videos are your friends! They have great engagement, and are an alternative to exposing your content without text. Videos can be used as great tutorials, for example. Don’t forget to make them accessible with audio description, subtitles, and a window with a Sign Language interpreter.
- Value good programming on your site. Keyboard navigation is very important for people with low mobility, and improves your page’s SEO.
- Invest in communication in Sign Language. Many deaf people do not understand well the written languages of their countries, and finding a site that is available in their native language is a big difference. Today in the market there are already tools that fulfill this role, such as Hand Talk in Brazil.
We have already seen that accessibility only brings advantages to everyone. Often these are simple initiatives to implement, but they make all the difference for people with disabilities. By making your e-commerce accessible, you can communicate better with your audience, increase business opportunities, and add value to your brand.
