How Important Is Accessibility in Retail?

While accessibility concerns are often spoken about by retail leadership figures, concrete plans to enhance accessibility for those facing unique challenges as consumers often fall short of the mark.

In the latest news, Target has announced what it is calling the "first-of-its-kind" accessible self-checkout experience, particularly aimed at those who may face hurdles when it comes to vision. The company noted that, as soon as this coming holiday season and continuing into 2026, this self-checkout experience will be installed in locations nationwide.

"This season brings so much joy for our guests, but we know it can be overwhelming, too. That is why even small wins matter — like an accessible self-checkout that helps guests shop their way, with confidence," said Adrienne Costanzo, EVP and chief stores officer for Target, via a press release.

"Shopping with us should be easy, move fast and feel good — period," she added.

The added tech seeks to enhance accessibility on certain checkouts, both for those who are blind or who have low vision, as well as those with motor disabilities. The integrated systems include: Braille and high-contrast button icons, a headphone jack with volume control, physical nav buttons and a standalone information key, a custom tactile controller, and an audio stream during scanning and payment.

"Target's new accessible self-checkout experience is unique not only because it is a first in the industry, but because it was designed through collaboration with the blind, incorporating our technical expertise and lived experience," said Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind.

"The rollout of this innovation further establishes Target as an industry leader in accessibility and a true partner of the blind in our quest for equal access to all aspects of modern life," he added.

Target joins IKEA — which established a Digital Inclusive Design, Equity & Accessibility Centre of Expertise in 2021 — as well as other retailers in this broader movement.

What the Numbers Say About Accessibility and Inclusive Retail

According to some sources, an increased focus on accessibility in retail isn't only about driving revenue: Per a Level Access survey, the top three reasons cited as to why professionals began prioritizing digital accessibility were: legal compliance (25%), improving usability for all (25%), and expanding revenue opportunities (19%). When it comes to the motive for the continuation of these priorities, the numbers looked somewhat similar: improving usability for all (29%), legal compliance (20%), and expanding revenue opportunities (19%).

And when it comes to strictly online shopping, Fable data indicated that — of those consumers who use assistive technologies — barriers remain. Citing Cloudwards figures, Fable noted that 50% persons with disabilities shop online for physical products on a weekly basis, versus just 22% of general consumers.

"But as the industry has expanded, has it abandoned its roots? Though originally intended to help people with disabilities, many disabled consumers find themselves increasingly frustrated, limited, and abandoned by the E-tail industry," Fable's intro to the study read.

While accessibility (frictionless experiences being key), variety (those facing disabilities being more keen to become expert in a single app versus navigating the idiosyncracies of many), and of course price being prime concerns for consumers who use assistive tech — and Amazon being cited as the top choice on these metrics — a vast majority (81%) of respondents indicated that they regularly experience frustrating accessibility issues. A quarter of those polled (27%) stated that accessibility issues force them to abandon a purchase at least once per month, with 8% saying that this occurs on a weekly basis.

“Sometimes the description of a product isn’t enough for me to determine if the product is what I need and almost all the time, product images are not described. Also, poorly coded webpages can make buying things frustrating because it takes a long time sometimes to figure out how to work around them,” user Ka L said.

"I've noticed many buttons don't provide auditory feedback when I press them with my screen reader. If the button reads, 'Place Order,' it makes me even more nervous since I don't want to accidentally order the same thing multiple times." a second user, anonymized as Josh, added.