Is Your Website Excluding Holiday Shoppers? Accessibility Can Fix That

Every November and December, the holiday season brings a surge in activity like no other time of the year. Calendars are full with holiday parties and family get-togethers, fridges are stuffed to the brim with hearty comfort foods and sweet treats, and companies are preparing their campaigns and limited-time sales.

Shoppers walk through a mall decorated for the holidays.

Consumers flock to digital and physical storefronts for Black Friday deals, Cyber Monday discounts, and gift shopping galore. More and more, we shop online during the holiday season, rather than in person. Because of this, websites and apps experience a dramatic spike in traffic and content consumption. But one factor can make or break your consumers’ digital experience: accessibility.

When websites fail to consider accessibility, millions of potential customers are excluded. This becomes particularly important during the content and shopping consumption peak in November and December. Imagine trying to navigate a website or an app to purchase an item. You might be used to a seamless experience but consider how your experience would be if you had to use assistive technology like a screen reader. If the buttons weren’t keyboard friendly or if the layout was cluttered with images or videos without captions, it would be extremely difficult to purchase that item. And furthermore, you might even reconsider purchasing the item at all.

Inclusive and accessible design doesn’t just benefit those who use assistive technology, it improves the experience for everyone. Faster load times, clear messaging, intuitive navigation are all standards of accessible design. But these priorities also help improve the user experience for those not using assistive technology. During the frenzy of holiday shopping, these small enhancements can have a major impact on your user experience, which then improves your company’s bottom line.

So how can you implement accessible design practices in time for the holidays? Here are a few starting points:

• Making sure all text is clear, readable, and concise.

• Adding alternative text to all images, especially product images.

• Including keyboard navigation that allows for smooth browsing and checkout.

• Checking color contrast to ensure readability for all devices and conditions.

• Incorporating descriptive link text and form labels that make sense without needing visual cues.

• Creating and implementing video captions and transcripts for all holiday promotions and advertisements.

Shoppers and consumers remember how your website made them feel. If it’s frustrating, takes a long time to load, and difficult to navigate, you’ve possibly lost a sale and even a customer. But if its welcoming, seamless, and easy to navigate, you’ve won so much more than a sale – you’ve built trust and potentially gained a lifelong customer. The bottom line is that accessibility isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a crucial component of digital success, especially in November and December when content consumption and shopping are at their peak for the year. This holiday season, let accessibility be part of the gift you give to every visitor.

At Splash Box Marketing, we specialize in accessible web design. For help at all stages of your accessibility journey, contact us at info@splashbox.com or visit our website at splashbox.com/accessibility to learn more about our capabilities.