Superdrug has unveiled new accessibility features for its website in an effort to make the online shopping experience more inclusive for those with disabilities.
70% of customers with disabilities are said to abandon their cart when shopping online due to inaccessibility, according to the AS Watson-owned retailer.
Common hindrances include missing alt text to describe images for visually impaired users, as well as insufficient text resizing options and no skip links to ease navigation.
Superdrug’s new changes will allow users to make content adjustments such as changing word or letter spacing, which is designed to make it easier for those with dyslexia.
They can also change the style of the website to make it easier to navigate for people with impaired vision or colour blindness, including high saturation, dark and light contrast and inverted colours.
Visitors will also be able to mute sounds, stop animations and highlight sections of text to help them to concentrate, which is said to be helpful for consumers with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
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“We are thrilled to be updating our e-commerce site with these accessibility tools,” said Matt Walburn, Superdrug’s E-commerce, Customer and Marketing Director.
“We believe that true accessibility needs to be both offline and online and are proud to be one of the major high street retailers who are making e-commerce shopping more inclusive.
“This technology will allow our customers to modify the website to their own personal needs, helping them to navigate the thousands of health and beauty products we sell with ease and overall have a more enjoyable online shopping experience.”
Superdrug previously introduced a ‘quiet shopping hour’ in its stores in 2021, with the aim of providing a more inclusive shopping experience for neurodiverse consumers, including those with ADHD and autism.
This included turning off store radios and staff being mindful of noise, in an effort to allow people to process information in a less stimulating environment.
Other beauty giants have also stepped up their inclusivity efforts, with Unilever recently pledging to increase the number of disabled people working behind the camera in its advertising productions.
Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) also launched its AI-powered Voice-Enabled Makeup Assistant app designed to help visually impaired users apply their make-up more confidently.
P&G, meanwhile, appointed blind BBC broadcaster and disability activist Lucy Edwards as ambassador for its Pantene brand in 2021 and has also released a disability-friendly Easy Open Lid for its Olay skin care brand.
Visitors to Superdrug’s website can change the accessibility settings by clicking on the Accessibility icon at superdrug.com.
