70% of Consumers Need Accessibility Features: What the New Forrester Data Means for E-Commerce

Key Takeaways

• 70% of consumers report experiencing difficulty with daily tasks related to vision, hearing, cognition, mobility, or mental health—meaning accessibility benefits far more than just users with diagnosed disabilities
• 66% of consumers would use assistive tools more often if enhanced with AI capabilities, signaling a massive opportunity for e-commerce innovation
• 55% of employees feel stronger commitment to employers who prioritize accessibility, directly impacting retention and productivity
• Employers are underinvesting: 50% of workers with disabilities bring their own accessibility tools, while only 21% receive them from employers
• Vision difficulties increased from 27% in 2003 to 42% in 2025—driven by smartphone and tablet dependency
• The business case is clear: 72% of users report greater confidence and 64% feel more authentic when using accessible products

The assumption that accessibility is a niche concern affecting only users with diagnosed disabilities is not just outdated—it's provably wrong. New research from Forrester and Microsoft reveals that 70% of all consumers experience some level of difficulty with daily tasks that accessibility features can address.

For e-commerce brands, this isn't just a compliance issue. It's a fundamental question of whether your digital storefront is actually usable by the majority of your potential customers.

The 2025 Microsoft-Forrester Accessibility Study surveyed 3,901 U.S. consumers—including 891 with specific disabilities—about their daily activities and use of assistive technology. The findings challenge everything most businesses assume about who needs accessibility and why.

Who Actually Benefits from Digital Accessibility?

The traditional framing of accessibility focuses on users with diagnosed disabilities. While this population certainly benefits most—reporting an average of 7.9 activities using assistive features in the past month—the data reveals something far more significant: users without diagnosed disabilities still average 6.5 activities using these same features.

This isn't a marginal gap. It represents near-universal adoption of accessibility features across all user populations.

The Forrester study categorized respondents into three groups based on their reported difficulties:

┌─────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────┐
│          Category           │                              Description                               │ Percentage │
├─────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│  Very Likely to Benefit     │ Experience "a lot of difficulty" or "extreme difficulty"              │    24%     │
│                             │ with at least one function                                             │            │
├─────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│  Somewhat Likely to Benefit │ Experience "some difficulty" with at least one function               │    46%     │
├─────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│  Not Likely to Benefit      │ Experience "no difficulty" for any function                           │    30%     │
└─────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────┘

Here's the number that should concern every e-commerce operator: 42% of people classified as "very likely" to benefit from assistive technology did not self-identify as having a disability.

These are customers who need accessibility features but don't think of themselves as needing "accessible" websites. When your checkout process fails a screen reader test or your color contrast makes text illegible, these users don't file ADA complaints—they simply abandon their carts and shop elsewhere.

The Vision Problem Is Getting Worse

One of the most striking findings from the longitudinal comparison is the dramatic increase in vision-related difficulties. The percentage of the population with vision difficulties categorized as "somewhat likely" to benefit from assistive technology rose from 27% in 2003 to 42% in 2025.

This 56% increase isn't surprising when you consider how dramatically our relationship with screens has changed. In 2003, the iPhone didn't exist. Today, the average American spends over 7 hours per day looking at digital screens.

The most commonly used assistive features reflect this reality:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────┐
│                      Assistive Feature                       │ Usage Rate │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Zoomed in on phone/tablet to make something easier to read   │    75%     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Set reminders, timers, or calendar alerts                    │    74%     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Used spelling or grammar checker                             │    67%     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Used dark mode or blue light reduction                       │    58%     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Used voice assistant                                         │    56%     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Used closed captioning                                       │    54%     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Adjusted brightness/contrast                                 │    52%     │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────┤
│ Changed font size or style                                   │    47%     │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────┘

When three-quarters of your potential customers are regularly pinching to zoom on their phones, your mobile checkout experience better accommodate that behavior. When 58% are using dark mode, your contrast ratios need to work in both light and dark contexts.

Mental Health as a Digital Accessibility Concern

The 2025 study introduced a category that wasn't tracked in 2003: mental health difficulties. The findings are significant—42% of consumers now report some level of mental health difficulty that affects their daily activities.

This reframes how we think about accessible design. It's not just about screen readers and keyboard navigation. It includes:

• Cognitive load: How much mental effort does your checkout require?
• Distraction management: Do your notification settings respect user preferences?
• Anxiety reduction: Are error messages helpful or anxiety-inducing?
• Decision fatigue: How many steps stand between intent and purchase?

According to the World Health Organization, mental health conditions affect 1 in 8 people globally. E-commerce sites optimized for users experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, or other conditions aren't just more accessible—they're more usable for everyone.

This aligns with what accessibility advocates have long called the "curb cut effect": features designed for users with disabilities benefit all users. Curb cuts help wheelchair users, but they also help parents with strollers, delivery workers with hand trucks, and travelers with rolling luggage.

The Workplace Gap: Why Employers Are Leaving Money on the Table

The Forrester data reveals a troubling disconnect between accessibility's proven value and employer investment.

The usage reality:

• 91% of employees with disabilities frequently use assistive tools in their personal lives
• 88% use them at work
• But only 21% receive these tools from their employer
• 50% bring their own accessibility tools to work

Compare this to employees without disabilities:

• 83% use assistive tools personally
• 78% use them at work
• 26% receive tools from their employer
• 35% bring their own tools

The business impact is clear: 55% of all respondents said they feel a stronger commitment to employers who prioritize assistive tools. Among employees with disabilities, this rises to 58%.

When half your workforce with disabilities is bringing their own accessibility solutions because you haven't provided them, you're creating friction that affects productivity, retention, and loyalty.

According to Accenture's research on disability inclusion, companies that champion disability inclusion achieve:

• 28% higher revenue
• 30% higher economic profit margins
• 2x higher net income

The tools already exist. The research proves the ROI. The question is whether employers—and by extension, the e-commerce brands serving them—will close the gap.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┬─────────────────────┐
│                          Metric                             │ With Disabilities │ Without Disabilities│
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────────┤
│ Frequently use assistive tools in personal life             │       91%         │        83%          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────────┤
│ Frequently use assistive tools at work                      │       88%         │        78%          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────────┤
│ Receive assistive tools from employer                       │       21%         │        26%          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────────┤
│ Bring their own accessibility tools to work                 │       50%         │        35%          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┴─────────────────────┘

AI Is the Next Accessibility Multiplier

Perhaps the most forward-looking finding from the Forrester study concerns artificial intelligence. The data shows significant appetite for AI-enhanced accessibility:

• 73% of consumers are aware of AI use cases for assistive technology
• 41% have actually used AI for accessibility purposes
• 66% say they would use assistive tools more often if enhanced with AI
• Among users with disabilities, 34% would increase usage "significantly more"

The most compelling AI use cases for accessibility include:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┐
│               Motivation                 │ Users with Disabilities │ Users without Disabilities│
├──────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Managing difficulties                    │          60%            │           44%             │
├──────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Getting things done more efficiently     │          58%            │           61%             │
├──────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Making tools easier to use               │          52%            │           48%             │
├──────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Discovering new available features       │          51%            │           45%             │
├──────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Faster learning curve                    │          48%            │           41%             │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┘

For e-commerce, this has immediate implications. AI-powered features like:

• Intelligent alt text generation for product images
• Natural language search that accommodates varied input styles
• Personalized interface adaptation based on user behavior
• Real-time transcription for product videos
• Predictive form completion to reduce cognitive load

These aren't theoretical—they're technologies that exist today and that consumers are actively requesting.

As noted by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, AI can augment existing assistive technology by learning user preferences over time and automatically suggesting or implementing optimized solutions. The opportunity for e-commerce brands to differentiate on AI-powered accessibility is significant and largely untapped.

The Emotional Value of Accessibility

Beyond functional benefits, the Forrester study reveals significant emotional and psychological impacts of accessible design:

┌────────────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┐
│           Emotional Benefit            │ Users with Disabilities │ Users without Disabilities│
├────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Greater confidence in daily activities │          76%            │           67%             │
├────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Helps me be myself                     │          72%            │           56%             │
├────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Helps me feel empowered                │          67%            │           58%             │
├────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ Greater sense of belonging             │          56%            │           44%             │
└────────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┘

These numbers matter for brand perception. When your e-commerce experience makes users feel confident and empowered rather than frustrated and excluded, you're not just facilitating transactions—you're building emotional connections that drive loyalty.

The Harvard Business Review has extensively documented the business value of emotional customer connections. Customers who are emotionally connected are:

• 52% more valuable than highly satisfied customers
• More likely to recommend your brand
• Less price-sensitive
• More forgiving of mistakes

Accessibility directly contributes to these emotional connections by communicating that your brand values all customers equally.

What This Means for E-Commerce Compliance

The timing of this research coincides with escalating legal and regulatory pressure on digital accessibility:

Federal enforcement is increasing. The Department of Justice has consistently affirmed that websites and mobile applications are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The April 2024 DOJ rule requiring state and local governments to make web content accessible signals broader federal attention to digital accessibility.

Private litigation continues to grow. According to UsableNet's 2024 analysis, e-commerce remains the most-sued industry for ADA website violations. The number of federal website accessibility lawsuits has exceeded 4,000 annually for several consecutive years.

State laws are expanding. California, New York, and other states have enacted or proposed additional digital accessibility requirements beyond federal minimums.

International standards are harmonizing. The European Accessibility Act takes effect in June 2025, requiring accessibility compliance for e-commerce services to European consumers. WCAG 2.2 became an ISO standard (ISO/IEC 40500:2025), further solidifying global accessibility expectations.

The Forrester data provides the business case that complements these legal requirements. It's no longer possible to argue that accessibility serves only a small minority of users when 70% of consumers report difficulty with daily tasks.

Practical Steps for E-Commerce Brands

The Forrester study's recommendations for technology providers apply directly to e-commerce operations:

1. Engage directly with users who have disabilities.

The research found that 78% of users with disabilities believe simple changes to process and/or tools could make a big difference in improving accessibility. These users have specific, actionable insights about what isn't working. Formal user testing with assistive technology users should be standard practice, not an afterthought.

2. Trust the spillover effect.

Accessibility improvements designed for users with disabilities consistently benefit all users. The data proves this—62% of people without recognized disabilities still reported some difficulty with certain tasks. Design for your most constrained users, and everyone benefits.

3. Address the employer gap.

If you're a B2B e-commerce operation, recognize that your customers' employees are likely underserved by their employers' accessibility investments. Products that reduce friction for these users solve a real problem.

4. Build AI with accessibility as a foundation, not a feature.

The Forrester study explicitly recommends that most AI tools should include multimodal input options from the beginning. E-commerce AI features—chatbots, search, recommendations—should be designed with diverse user needs from the outset.

5. Prioritize source-code compliance over quick fixes.

The study notes that 79% of users agree assistive tools are better now than they used to be, but 46% of users with disabilities also agree that technology providers aren't putting enough attention into assistive tools. Surface-level fixes don't build the trust that drives loyalty.

The Bottom Line

The 2025 Microsoft-Forrester Accessibility Study demolishes the notion that digital accessibility is a niche concern. With 70% of consumers reporting difficulty with daily tasks and 66% eager for AI-enhanced accessibility tools, the question isn't whether to prioritize accessibility—it's how quickly you can close the gap.

For e-commerce brands, the implications are straightforward:

• Accessibility is conversion optimization. If 70% of your potential customers experience some difficulty with daily digital tasks, accessibility isn't charity—it's customer experience.
• Compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA standards is the minimum. The brands that win will treat accessibility as a competitive advantage.
• AI will accelerate expectations. Consumers are already anticipating AI-enhanced accessibility. Brands that deliver it first will capture both market share and loyalty.

The tools, research, and business case are all aligned. The only remaining question is execution.

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of consumers actually benefit from accessibility features?

According to the 2025 Forrester study commissioned by Microsoft, 70% of U.S. consumers report experiencing some level of difficulty with daily tasks related to vision, hearing, learning/cognition, mobility, or mental health. This means the vast majority of consumers—not just those with diagnosed disabilities—can benefit from accessibility features.

How has the need for accessibility changed since 2003?

The original Microsoft-Forrester study in 2003 found that 61% of users were likely or somewhat likely to benefit from assistive technology (24% very likely, 37% likely). The 2025 study found this has increased to 70% (24% very likely, 46% somewhat likely). Vision difficulties in particular increased from 27% to 42% of the population, driven by increased smartphone and tablet usage.

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────┬───────┐
│                      Metric                       │ 2003  │ 2025  │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────┼───────┤
│ Very likely to benefit from AT                    │  24%  │  24%  │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────┼───────┤
│ Likely/Somewhat likely to benefit from AT         │  37%  │  46%  │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────┼───────┤
│ Not likely to benefit                             │  37%  │  30%  │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────┼───────┤
│ Vision difficulties (somewhat likely to benefit)  │  27%  │  42%  │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────┴───────┘

Do accessibility features only help users with disabilities?

No. The Forrester data shows that users without diagnosed disabilities still use an average of 6.5 assistive technology activities per month, compared to 7.9 for users with disabilities. Common features like zoom, dark mode, voice assistants, and closed captions are used widely across all user populations.

How does accessibility affect employee retention?

The study found that 55% of all employees feel a stronger commitment to employers who prioritize assistive tools and features. Among employees with disabilities, this rises to 58%. Additionally, 72% of users report that accessibility tools give them greater confidence in daily activities.

What role will AI play in future accessibility tools?

The Forrester study found that 66% of consumers would use assistive tools more often if enhanced with AI capabilities. Among users with disabilities, 34% said they would increase usage "significantly more." Key AI use cases include personalized interface adaptation, intelligent content generation, and natural language interaction.

How does digital accessibility affect e-commerce specifically?

E-commerce is the most-sued industry for ADA website accessibility violations, with over 4,000 federal lawsuits filed annually. Beyond legal risk, the Forrester data suggests that 70% of potential customers may experience difficulties that accessibility features address—meaning accessibility directly impacts conversion rates, cart abandonment, and customer lifetime value.

Related Resources

• The Business Case for Digital Accessibility
• WCAG 2.2 AA Compliance Guide
• 13 Essential WCAG Compliance Statistics
• Preventing E-Commerce ADA Compliance Lawsuits
• The Hidden Cost of Audit-Only Web Accessibility
• Shift-Left Accessibility for Development Teams
• Automated Accessibility Remediation
• Retail E-Commerce Accessibility Guide

Sources

• Forrester Research, "Oh, The Things We Can Do Together: How Assistive Technology Is Unlocking Human Potential In The Era Of AI," November 2025
• Microsoft Accessibility Research, 2025
• U.S. Department of Justice, ADA Web Accessibility Guidance
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
• World Health Organization, Mental Health Statistics
• Accenture, "Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage"
• UsableNet, Annual ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit Report

Last updated: December 2025

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