Site Implementation
Most e-commerce retailers still fail to accommodate the 1.3 billion people worldwide who live with disabilities. In the UK alone, businesses lose an estimated £17.1 billion every year because their websites simply do not support roughly 16% of the global population. People with visual, auditory, cognitive, motor, and hidden disabilities are not the only ones affected by inaccessible design. When any customer struggles to navigate a website, they will quickly turn to a competitor that meets their needs instead. The result? Lost conversions, lost sales, declining customer loyalty, and the growing risk of redesign costs, reputation damage, fines, and legal action.
To avoid these consequences, companies must shift toward a proactive approach that places customer needs at the centre of design. Accessibility isn't a luxury or an afterthought—it’s a fundamental part of doing business responsibly and competitively.
The Financial Power of Accessibility
Investing in accessibility unlocks one of the biggest revenue expansion opportunities in modern e-commerce. It enables brands to reach a significantly larger customer base while cultivating stronger loyalty and long-term trust. Accessibility improvements also boost SEO, improve search rankings, reduce customer support costs, and create a powerful competitive advantage in a crowded market.
Most importantly, building accessibility early is far more cost-effective than retrofitting it later. Accessibility acts as a long-term risk-mitigation strategy—far cheaper than litigation and far more effective at building positive brand equity.
Beyond Compliance: Why a Custom Accessibility Toolbar Matters
Making a website standard-compliant ensures the basics are in place: clean, semantic code, proper accessibility foundations, and seamless performance across browsers. But truly inclusive websites go further—delivering enhanced support, flexibility, and usability for a wide range of users.
This is where a custom accessibility toolbar transforms the experience.
A toolbar adds meaningful, user-focused features such as adjustable text size, improved contrast options, keyboard-friendly navigation, reading guides, content simplifiers, and more. These enhancements empower users to interact with a site in the way that suits them best—without forcing businesses to rebuild their core infrastructure. Instead of simply functioning, your website becomes exceptional: more intuitive, more supportive, and more engaging.
A toolbar isn’t just a nice feature. It is an essential layer of innovation that elevates your platform, differentiates your brand, and ensures your website doesn’t merely meet expectations but surpasses them.
Accessibility Pays Off: The Tesco Example
The financial value of accessibility is already proven. One of the most powerful case studies comes from Tesco. In collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Tesco built a simpler, more accessible version of their site. They invested just £35,000 in accessibility improvements for blind and partially sighted users—and generated £13 million in additional annual revenue as a result. This wasn’t only a substantial financial win; it was the ethically right decision, one that strengthened their reputation and demonstrated genuine commitment to customer care. As John Browett, then Tesco CEO, said:
“Not only do we get the satisfaction of doing the right thing, but it's a great market opportunity in its own right.”
And via our toolbar, your business can achieve the same.
Key takeaways
Accessibility is not just a moral imperative- it's a strategic business opportunity. With 1.3 billion customers facing significant barriers on inaccessible websites, e-commerce businesses that ignore accessibility risk losing tens of billions in revenue each year. Enabling accessibility standards compliancy as a foundation alongside implementing a custom accessibility toolbar gives users control over how they experience your site, improving usability without requiring a full redesign.
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