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 long run 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 know 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 as a consequence of poor accessibility, with younger consumers (under 35) being the probably to quit. Most brands underestimate how widespread these problems are. 85% of individuals 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 greater than €50 billion in annual transactions are affected by accessibility barriers. For marketers tasked with pipeline growth, this is a silent leak, and one which’s far easier to repair than acquiring new traffic.
Recent research from Semrush reinforces this: accessible web sites see 23% more organic traffic and rank for 27% more keywords than their less accessible competitors. Yet greater than 70% of internet sites still fail to satisfy 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 only 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 outline 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 individuals with disabilities, remediation planning and implementation support, and automatic monitoring with actionable insights, in addition to AI-based technology. Grounded in WCAG and EN 301 549, our approach is built for contemporary 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 a couple of lucky attendees will walk away with a pair of Meta Quest 3S glasses.
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