Inaccessible omnichannel experiences can create compliance concerns while making it harder for retailers to acquire and retain customers. A lack of keyboard navigation or color contrast or screen-reader compatibility can prevent shoppers from completing purchases. With more than 1 in 4 U.S. adults (27%) living with a disability, accessibility barriers can exclude a significant portion of the shopper population and contribute to missed revenue opportunities. 

So, how do these missed opportunities affect customer acquisition and retention? Below, we dive into practical ways retailers can reduce that friction. 

Influence on Acquisition  

Accessibility barriers can limit market reach and prevent retailers from converting the traffic they’ve already acquired. 

Smaller Market Reach  

Inaccessible websites or apps – and the tools within them – pose major issues to customers reliant on captions, screen readers, keyboard navigation, alternative input devices, or accessible payment options. These barriers limit discovery and remain widespread: WebAIM’s 2026 analysis of one million homepages found an average of 56.1 detectable accessibility errors per page, with low-contrast text present on 83.9% of pages and missing form labels on 51%.  

To offset this friction area, retailers should begin with the shopping journeys customers use most, from product search through checkout. That review should include store locator tools and account creation. Test whether shoppers can complete those tasks using assistive technologies, including screen readers, and with keyboard-only navigation.  

From there, build accessibility into common design components like navigation, forms, buttons, and product cards, so teams aren’t fixing the same issues page by page. These improvements can help shoppers find product information and complete purchases without preventable barriers. 

Wasted Marketing Spend 

Paid campaigns may bring shoppers to a retailer’s site or app, but inaccessible forms or difficult checkout flows can prevent that traffic from converting. These barriers reduce the return on the retailer’s investment. 

To counteract this issue, accessibility should be incorporated as a central part of campaign quality assurance (QA) alongside existing checks for tracking and page performance. Before larger campaigns, retailers should also test the full path from ad click through checkout, including things like promotional codes, pop-ups, forms, and payment fields.  

Including accessibility requirements in campaign briefs helps teams address potential barriers throughout development instead of treating accessibility as a final-stage correction. Resolving issues before launch helps retailers make better use of the traffic they’re paying to acquire. 

Lower Search Rankings  

Sites with hard-to-read content – missing image alt text, unclear headings, poor page structure, inaccessible videos, or weak mobile usability – experience lower search rankings, as search engines struggle to interpret the substance within them.  

To solve this problem, retailers should incorporate accessibility into their broader SEO and content strategies. Semantic HTML elements and logical headings, for example, make pages easier to navigate, while descriptive alt text for images, transcripts, and captions help communicate the purpose of informative pages and improve access to multimedia content. Teams should also present important product information clearly across mobile devices. All of these practices can support better search visibility while helping customers access the information they need.  

Influence on Retention  

Accessibility barriers also affect repeat purchases and the support needed to keep customers engaged.  

Cart Abandonment  

With approximately 70% of eCommerce users abandoning purchases after adding items to their cart, checkout is already a critical point of conversion loss. Accessibility barriers can add another layer of friction for shoppers with disabilities.  

To reduce cart abandonment caused by accessibility barriers, retailers should test end-to-end purchasing journeys and prioritize accessibility in product pages, shopping carts, loyalty offers, payment flows, and error messages. When customers enter information incorrectly, they should receive clear, accessible instructions for correcting it rather than ambiguous visual indicators. Addressing these issues helps shoppers who’ve successfully navigated the earlier stages of the journey to complete their purchases. 

Undone Brand Loyalty  

Repeated accessibility barriers can leave customers dependent on others to shop or switch to other brands. When customers lose their loyalty to a brand because of an unreliable shopping journey, even a strong product or price won’t be enough to retain them.  

Retailers should respond promptly to accessibility feedback and work toward consistent experiences across eCommerce, mobile, customer service, and in-store touchpoints. They should also review the handoff from online purchases to in-store pickup, including whether pickup instructions and related notifications are accessible.  

Treating accessibility as an ongoing part of the customer experience helps teams identify recurring problems and prioritize improvements. Maintaining that consistency can make the overall shopping experience more predictable for customers with disabilities and reduce the friction that discourages repeat purchases.  

Customer Service Costs  

Accessibility gaps create avoidable obstacles that push shoppers to seek help in placing orders, understanding product information, resolving checkout issues, or managing returns. This friction can increase service volume and handling time, raising customer service costs. 

To alleviate this, equip customer support teams with accessible tools and training on how to assist shoppers who encounter accessibility barriers. They should also offer more accessible self-service options to independently manage orders, returns, and account information. Tracking recurring accessibility-related requests can help teams identify where the digital experience is creating avoidable support demand. Addressing these areas reduces handling time while creating a more frictionless customer experience for all. 

Building More Accessible Omnichannel Experiences 

Accessible omnichannel experiences help shoppers complete purchases and return with confidence. Maintaining them requires clear ownership and consistent expectations across channels. Retailers should incorporate accessibility into ongoing design and testing, using customer feedback to guide improvements. Including people with disabilities in that evaluation can help teams identify barriers that automated checks may miss. 

If you’re evaluating your digital shopping experience, Clarkston’s eCommerce consulting team can help you align your approach with customer needs. 

Contributions from Spencer Simco