Transform your BigCommerce store with web accessibility

Making sure that consumers with disabilities can easily navigate and make purchases from your BigCommerce store is both the right thing to do and a strategic business decision. There are many ways your business can benefit from an inclusive website, including growing your reach to a wider audience, boosting organic traffic and sales, and improving your brand image. It also mitigates legal risk.

BigCommerce is a popular e-commerce platform, providing users with a wide range of resources for building their online stores. It is often the platform of choice for larger e-commerce businesses, since it offers scalability, too. When it comes to accessibility, however, it’s your responsibility to make sure your BigCommerce store meets the accepted standards.

accessiBe provides BigCommerce sellers who aim for a compliant, inclusive website with a trusted, AI-powered accessibility solution: accessWidget. accessWidget scans your online store, identifies accessibility issues, and remediates them in real-time, helping make your website accessible to everyone. It also conducts ongoing scans to keep your website accessible as you update and change your content.

You have two options when it comes to installing accessWidget on your BigCommerce store: accessiBe’s BigCommerce app and code installation.

accessiBe’s BigCommerce app

Installing accessWidget on your BigCommerce store is easier than ever with accessiBe’s app for BigCommerce.

You can install the app, known as Web Accessibility by accessiBe, directly through BigCommerce with just a few clicks. It seamlessly integrates with online stores of all sizes, improving user experience and allowing all consumers to make purchases from your store.

All you have to do is navigate to the BigCommerce apps and integrations marketplace and search for Web Accessibility by accessiBe. Click on the app and follow the simple installation instructions. Alternatively, click the link below.

Check out Web Accessibility by accessiBe on BigCommerce now

Code installation

Another way for BigCommerce sellers to install accessWidget on their online store is by entering their personalized code snippet in their BigCommerce site’s script manager. This option is often preferred by agencies that work with BigCommerce as well as some users with a background in coding.

You can find your code snippet after signing up for accessWidget through accessiBe’s website. Log in to your account and open the tab labeled “Installation”. Copy your code snippet and follow these instructions to paste it into your BigCommerce script manager.

Mitigate legal risk with WCAG adherence and ADA, Section 508, & AODA compliance

As our modern society relies more and more on the internet for our daily activities, it’s vital that people with disabilities can use websites. Governments worldwide have therefore enacted legislation requiring that websites be accessible to users with disabilities including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Businesses must comply with these laws to mitigate legal risk.

Web Accessibility Laws

The United States government signed the ADA into law in 1990. The law prohibits discrimination of people with disabilities in public life, and courts and the Department of Justice (DOJ) later agreed that websites are included. In addition, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that federal agencies and departments make all technology they use accessible to people with disabilities.

The province of Ontario, Canada also enacted legislation to remove barriers to accessibility. The AODA mandates that businesses make all information and communication accessible to people with disabilities. This means that businesses with inaccessible websites risk litigation.

The WCAG

While the ADA doesn’t explicitly mention what websites should include to ensure that they are accessible, the DOJ and other regulatory agencies reference the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at the 2.1 AA level. These guidelines are considered the international standard of web accessibility, and consist of hundreds of scenarios, best practices, and rules to follow in order to make your website accessible. Examples of these requirements include:

Ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies including screen readers
Allowing for keyboard-only navigation
Adding alternative text to meaningful images such as product carousels
Providing captions for videos
Ensuring sufficient contrast between text and its background color

Section 508 and the AODA require that your BigCommerce store meet the WCAG 2.0 at the AA level. accessWidget, once installed on your website, helps your online store adhere to the WCAG and comply with these laws.

Digital Accessibility Litigation

Businesses with websites that don’t adhere to the WCAG and comply with the ADA face a serious risk of lawsuits. This is often very costly for businesses, ranging from $5,000 - $20,000.

There has been an increase in digital accessibility lawsuits recently, with over 4,600 ADA-related lawsuits filed in 2023, breaking previous records. What’s more, e-commerce businesses are at a particularly high risk of legal action. 82% of digital ADA lawsuits filed during 2023 were against businesses in the e-commerce sector.

You can mitigate legal risk by implementing accessibility solutions, like accessWidget, on your BigCommerce site.

Create an inclusive shopping experience for all customers

E-commerce businesses that don’t ensure that their websites include consumers with disabilities also risk missing out on a large consumer market with massive spending power. One in four adults in the United States has a disability of some kind, and together with friends and family, the global disability community has an estimated $13 trillion in annual disposable income.

A study conducted by accessiBe in collaboration with Open Inclusion found that consumers with disabilities have strong buying intent, too. During the 2023 holiday season, shoppers with disabilities planned to spend an estimated $22 billion in online purchases.

The research also showed that when consumers with disabilities run into accessibility challenges while shopping online, they may abandon their purchase and are less likely to return to that website or app in the future. This can result in lost sales, and brands that failed to provide inclusive shopping experiences risked losing $8 billion in sales during Q4 of 2023 alone.

By making your website accessible, you improve user experience for all customers, giving everyone the opportunity to purchase from your business. This not only fosters inclusion and benefits your brand reputation, but it can also increase sales.

Installing accessWidget on your BigCommerce store is a great way to make sure everyone is included and unlock the benefits of an accessible website.

Web accessibility, WCAG and ADA Compliance for BigCommerce