Attentive readers of our blog are already well informed about accessible digital communication – and, as we have already mentioned, this is a topic that is constantly evolving.
The Accessibility Enhancement Act requires online shops to be accessible by June 28, 2025. The e-commerce sector is not really prepared for this, which makes timely planning all the more important.
When the GDPR came into force in 2018, there was enough time to prepare so that everything would be ready last year. Many companies have still not started to comply with the 2018 regulations. And now the e-commerce sector has less than three years – parallels are to be expected. Often, it is legal factors, a lack of awareness, and ignorance of how much work is involved that are to blame.
The purpose of this law...
...is to establish clear and uniform standards for all producers, sellers, and service providers. The technical requirements for accessibility and thus also the information obligations for certain products have been in place since the end of July. The Federal Accessibility Agency has defined the purpose and scope of application in Section 1 (2) and (3) of the BFSG.
What micro-enterprises now need to bear in mind
The regulation also provides exceptions for micro-enterprises: Micro-enterprises are companies that employ fewer than 10 people and either have an annual turnover of no more than €2 million or whose annual balance sheet total does not exceed €2 million. These are excluded from the scope of application. Advisory services are available for this group to help them meet the requirements.
Be open to inclusion!
Inclusion is an important issue; our society is diverse, and everyone wants to be considered and heard. The closer we look, the more people we discover who rely on accessible websites. And, as we all know, people are getting older, their eyesight is deteriorating, etc. So be open, look around, think for yourself, and help your fellow human beings. Sometimes it's just a click away for another person, or a traffic light that we cross, or simply speaking a little louder.
Plan correctly
Speaking of thinking ahead: If you use an online shop and don't like it, or if the conversion rate is too low, plan your relaunch with accessibility in mind. When thought through from the outset, accessibility is much easier to implement. Expand your target group and give them the opportunity to make full use of your products. Google also takes the accessibility of your website into account when ranking pages. We have gained a wealth of experience in various projects with great designs and customized solutions – write to us or, better still, give us a call.
More details on this topic:
- If you are interested in reading the entire regulation, click here: https://bit.ly/3CdqMyA(content in German)
- The Accessibility Strengthening Act can be found here: https://bit.ly/3K5HQbY(content in German)
- A good article can be found at https://bit.ly/3A7apRp (content in German)
