Accessibility means empowering all individuals to operate independently as part of society. In e-commerce, this translates to enabling each of us to purchase travel tickets, electricity contracts, or even trainers without requiring assistance from another person. The online retailer benefits from accessibility by reaching a wider customer base, thereby enhancing the user experience for everyone.

It's important to understand that up to 15% of the world's population suffers from some issue that hinders accessibility, such as motor limitations or cognitive disorders. An ageing population will further increase this group (WHO). Accessibility also holds business significance.

Each of us may encounter temporary accessibility limitations – bright daylight, background noise, extreme emotional states, medication, or even a broken arm can significantly reduce our ability to use online services.

The terms accessibility and inclusivity often appear together in this discussion and are easily confused. In this context, accessibility can be considered a blanket term that encompasses inclusivity. Accessibility can also refer to physical environments and buildings.

Inclusivity here refers to the "intangible" environment, such as online services.

Why now?

In 2019, a law regarding the provision of digital services came into force in Finland, requiring certain private sector entities, in addition to the public sector, to adhere to WCAG 2.1. AA level accessibility. These requirements apply to sectors such as water, energy, banking, postal, and transport.

The current change is related to the EU Accessibility Directive, which mandates that authorities and the private sector make certain products and services accessible. The directive will be implemented in Finland through new legislation on accessibility requirements for certain products as well as amendments to the Digital Services Act, the Act on Electronic Communications Services, the Transport Services Act, the Market Surveillance Act, and the Emergency Response Centre Act.

The laws came into force on 1 February 2023, but their application mainly begins on 28 June 2025*.

The new legislation expands previously known accessibility requirements to cover most online retailers.

Micro-enterprises, defined as companies with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding 2 million euros*, are exempt from the law's oversight.

The legislation primarily applies to online retail directed at consumers, meaning B2B online stores are not generally covered. However, if a B2B store is also accessible to individual customers, digital service law accessibility requirements may apply to it as well.

Accessibility should be a part of good online service design and implementation, irrespective of legislation. It is often an integral part of corporate responsibility strategies.

How to get started? 

Recognising the state and needs of your online services is crucial to begin right now. The task may initially seem overwhelming, and the temptation to postpone is strong.

However, you can start small. A carefully planned and phased process allows for seamless progress within schedule and budget.

Initial steps

1. Identify the legal obligations pertaining to your online service. 

2. Document any known accessibility shortcomings.

3. Add a minimal version of the accessibility statement to your site, indicating awareness of the law's requirements and any identified deficiencies. Also, document planned actions and their timetable.

4. Provide users with a feedback channel to inform you about any shortcomings in your online service (an email address or a simple form is sufficient for this purpose).

What next?

1. Audit the accessibility of your online service and update the findings in your accessibility statement.

2. Prioritise and initiate corrective actions.

3. Update the accessibility statement as work progresses.

4. Embed accessibility maintenance into a continuous way of working.

5. Invest in quality assurance and regular recurring audits. A good tool for ongoing accessibility maintenance could be a monitoring tool like Accessibility Keeper.

Law enforcement begins in June 2025 – it's high time to react! Contact us to assist you in evaluating your online service's accessibility and, if necessary, making your service accessible.

*) The directive allows for some transitional periods, for example, for emergency communication, self-service terminals, and products for service provision contracted before 28 June 2025. See Accessibility Directive – Ministry of Social Affairs and Health