Ecommerce has been steadily growing in popularity now that more and more consumers are shopping online. As a result, business owners both small and large are focusing their efforts on establishing an online presence and giving their customers the option to search for and buy their products online.
Given that convenience and time is a factor for many shoppers, it’s important that businesses focus on streamlining their online shopping platform to make it as user-friendly, accessible and secure as possible, so that customers can search for and buy items in as fewer steps as possible. This article will look at how some major online payment platforms are making their payment systems more accessibility friendly.
The growing importance of web accessibility
Making online payment systems accessible to people with disabilities is an important factor in order to attract more customers and make it inclusive for all. According to CompTia, businesses are now beginning to realize that not only does IoT deliver a good RoI, but it has helped technology move to the center of business strategies. This allows companies to integrate IoT into their systems and processes from how their products are created or services delivered to online accessibility. The drive to improve RoI through technology includes maximizing customer and client access to their digital platforms and payment services.
PayPal accessibility
The PayPal website is among the most accessible. Web browsers are automatically redirect to the Pay Pal site when PayPal is chosen as a payment method. As soon as the consumer is logged in and the accessible web form has been filled in the purchase is completed, without the merchant even needing to see any bank information.
The few stages involved in the process have been simplified and made accessible to visually impaired shoppers using screen reading technology. The PayPal app is also very accessible, allowing customers through location services to see a list of local merchants such as restaurants and different retail outlets that accept PayPal.
Alternative payment methods
Google wallet and Apple pay are probably the most exciting developments in alternative payment method technology for the visually impaired, as they make it much easier for customers to shop safely and independently. These platforms make it easier for visually impaired customers to find the card they wish to use as everything is in one place. Screen reading technology can help the customer identify their chosen card, as well as allow them to verify the price of an item and give access to their purchase history so that it is possible to independently keep track of their finances. The tap to pay function is also much easier than having to use chip and pin for payments over £30.
Amazon accessibility is lacking
Despite being one of the largest and most successful online shopping platforms in the world, the Amazon website and payment services still need to be improved on the accessibility front. Recent efforts to make it more accessible were criticised. Instead of improving access to the main site, critics have said that the outcome has been creating a second-best alternative to their main site.
Critics in opposition of an alternative site
The Amazon Access Site was designed with the intention of meeting the demands of visually impaired customers by creating a simple interface for finding and buying items. While Amazon have managed to reduce page clutter by including fewer links and search results and reducing page graphics so visually impaired users can navigate it more quickly, accessibility experts have argued that the site is lacking in some of the most basic aspects of accessibility design, such as alt text for reading images and labelling input methods.
While text versions of the site have been available to download since 1995, this doesn’t help the payment process as it is not embedded into the site. Some critics believe that Amazon should focus on creating one fully accessible website rather that an alternative.
