Increase Market Share
Accessible sites are generally more usable to everyone – including people with disabilities, older people, people with low literacy, people who are not fluent in the language of the site, people with low bandwidth connections to the internet, people with older technologies, and new and infrequent web users – thus increasing the market segments and number of people who can successfully use the site. Increased usability means users achieve their goals more effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily. When users have a positive experience they are more likely to use the site or application more thoroughly, return more often, and share their experience with others.
Worldwide, over 650 million people have a disability with some estimates as high as one billion or around 15% of the global population. In the United States alone, the estimated 64 million disabled persons have a purchasing power of 175 billion dollars.
According to the article, “How the Internet Is Improving the Lives of Americans with Disabilities,” these users spend more time logged on and surfing the internet than non-disabled users. On average, they spend 20 hours per week online. This population is a significant and growing market, says the National Organization on Disability – and they are turning to the internet to shop.
An accessible site can be an opening to a greater market share which includes those in the broader disabilities community. Organizations should also factor in people who use older devices, have slower internet connections, as mobile devices. All of these user segments can benefit from web pages with image alternatives, structural markup, proper linearization, and so on. Improving the accessibility and usability of sites will enhance the user experience for all users and improve customer acquisition, satisfaction, and loyalty.