The European Accessibility Act (EAA), a new directive aimed at creating a more inclusive digital landscape in the EU, takes effect in June 2025. For EU citizens with disabilities, the new EAA promises to dismantle accessibility barriers and standardize digital experiences across all member states. For businesses that operate within the EU, the new legislation brings with it stricter design requirements and harsh potential fines — but it also offers an opportunity to tap into a highly loyal customer base worth more than $8 trillion globally.
Would you buy clothing online without knowing key product details like size, color, or material?
If you pressed the “buy” button at checkout and received no feedback from the webpage, would you feel confident that your order went through?
If you received your clothing but it was the wrong size, and there was no way for you to contact customer service, what would you do?
Unfortunately, people with disabilities are confronted with questions like these every day. Research shows that:
- 73% of people with disabilities encounter barriers on 1 in 4 websites.
- 65% of consumers with a disability say their purchasing options are limited by accessibility issues.
- 81% of people with disabilities say they face issues that are frustrating while shopping online.
For too long, digital products and services have been built without this population in mind, and finally, the EAA expands on previous legislation aimed at making the web more accessible to people with disabilities. Standards have been set, the scope is broad, and penalties for non-compliance are harsh. Here’s what you need to know.
The European Accessibility Act is a directive designed to improve and harmonize accessibility standards throughout the European Union. It applies to businesses that sell products and services most important to people with disabilities, like computers, ATMs, smartphones, e-commerce websites, and audio/visual equipment. Its key objectives include:
- Making products and services more accessible to people with disabilities.
- Standardizing accessibility requirements across the European Union.
- Stimulating innovation and employment in the EU.
- Facilitating the free movement of accessible goods and services across member states.
Up until now, each EU member state has held businesses to its own unique standards for accessibility. This made compliance difficult to achieve for companies operating in multiple member states, created roadblocks to cross-border trade, and produced inconsistencies across the EU for those in need of accessible products and services.
By June 2025, companies operating the European Union will have to meet a standard recommended by the EU and enforced by each member state or face hefty penalties. But avoiding fines and lawsuits shouldn’t be the only motivation for businesses to get compliant. There’s also an incredible business opportunity for those who promote inclusivity through accessible products, services, and initiatives.
There are nearly 2 billion people in the world with disabilities who globally maintain a spending power that exceeds 8 trillion dollars. When you account for friends and family of people with disabilities, that spending power increases by more than 50% to 13 trillion dollars. What was once thought of as a consumer segment too small to cater to is now too large, and too valuable to e-commerce companies, to ignore.
And these aren’t your average consumer. Research shows they’re more loyal to companies that make their goods and services accessible, choosing to limit their shopping to websites they already know cater to their needs. Not only that, but they’re willing to spend more for fewer barriers.
This research considered, achieving compliance isn’t just a matter of avoiding fines or even fulfilling a moral obligation. There’s a business case for prioritizing accessibility and the rewards are hard to ignore.
To learn more about how you can remove disability barriers on your website, promote inclusivity, and grow your business with accessibility initiatives ahead of the EAA deadline, get the new Cloudinary eBook today.
