Every marketer today feels the pressure to do more with less: more reach, more conversions, more loyalty, all with tighter budgets and increasingly distracted consumers. But beneath the noise of channels and performance dashboards lies a systemic issue shaping the future of digital: accessibility. And most brands are still overlooking it.
At AccessiWay, we recently surveyed 5,000 consumers across the EU and the UK to understand how digital experience gaps affect their behavior. What we found should concern every digital leader.
Consumers aren’t just frustrated by inaccessible experiences: they’re leaving
In our study, 61% of users reported abandoning digital purchases due to poor accessibility, with younger consumers (under 35) being the most likely to quit. Most brands underestimate how widespread these problems are. 85% of people reported encountering digital barriers, including text that’s too small, confusing navigation, intrusive pop-ups, and poor mobile usability.
The leaky funnel
Across Europe, we estimate that more than €50 billion in annual transactions are affected by accessibility barriers. For marketers tasked with pipeline growth, this is a silent leak, and one that’s far easier to fix than acquiring new traffic.
Recent research from Semrush reinforces this: accessible websites see 23% more organic traffic and rank for 27% more keywords than their less accessible competitors. Yet more than 70% of websites still fail to meet basic accessibility standards.
Post-EAA reality: compliance alone isn’t enough
Despite the European Accessibility Act coming into force in June, accessibility gaps remain widespread. Consumers won’t wait for brands to catch up; they’ll simply go elsewhere.
The message is clear: digital accessibility is a competitive advantage and not just a compliance issue.
Three integration approaches, real results
At Digital Marketing World Forum, we’ll be sharing real examples from global brands, on how they’ve baked accessibility into their marketing and customer experience. No copy-paste solutions, just an overview of what actually worked for them.
What AccessiWay is bringing to DMWF Europe 2025 (25-26 November, RAI Amsterdam)
Our end-to-end model blends expert accessibility audits, user testing by people with disabilities, remediation planning and implementation support, and automated monitoring with actionable insights, as well as AI-based technology. Grounded in WCAG and EN 301 549, our approach is built for modern marketing teams working under pressure with fragmented tech stacks.
See us at Booth 264 for live accessibility demos, insights from our 5,000-consumer study, and practical frameworks for embedding accessibility into digital strategy. We’re also running a competition, and 2 lucky attendees will walk away with a pair of Meta Quest 3S glasses.
