Guide
The Deal Breaker: Why Digital Accessibility Decides Who Wins SaaS Contracts
Win more deals by creating digital experiences and products that work for everyone
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Why do enterprise buyers demand accessible Saas?
While most businesses invest in accessibility because it gives them access to new audiences, improved compliance, and better brand reputation, SaaS companies are finding a much larger opportunity cost: Winning (or losing) deals directly tied to the accessibility of their platforms and products.
Federal agencies are legally required to purchase accessible software under Section 508, which mandates compliance with WCAG standards for all technology procurement. Many enterprise, education, and healthcare organizations have adopted similar accessibility requirements as internal policies, making VPATs and WCAG compliance increasingly standard in RFP processes—even when not legally mandated.
What is accessibility in SaaS, and why is it important?
A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT): A standardized document that rates how well your product meets accessibility standards like WCAG 2.1. Includes compliance ratings for 50+ criteria and explanations of how your product meets each requirement.Required by government agencies and enterprises during procurement to assess accessibility compliance.
Digital accessibility compliance and adherence to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): the international standards that define how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities. Created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), these guidelines ensure websites and applications work with assistive technologies like screen readers and are usable by people with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities.
Can you deliver your VPAT when procurement teams request it? Do you have confident answers to buyers' questions about whether your platform supports keyboard navigation, screen readers, or proper color contrast ratios?
Here's what they're really asking: Can users with disabilities successfully complete key workflows in your product? Can they navigate your onboarding, access your dashboards, and use your core features without barriers?
If the answer is "we're not sure," you may already be losing deals.
And those deals are getting harder to win back…
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Illustration of legal items: scales, books, gavel, magnifying glass on paper, and a pen, symbolizing justice and law.
What new accessibility laws are coming for websites and software?
Website and software accessibility is already required under established laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and international standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). These existing regulations mean that if you're selling to healthcare, education, or government, accessibility compliance is no longer optional; it's now a legal requirement.
New accessibility regulations in the EU (June 2025) and expanded ADA enforcement mean procurement teams are asking harder questions now. If you're selling to healthcare, education, or government, accessibility isn't optional.
Thankfully, AudioEye's approach, combining automated and expert testing, finds and fixes more issues than other digital accessibility solutions. As measured by legal valid claim rates, our approach is 300% better than any traditional consulting approach and 400% better than competitors with an automation-only approach.
Why do SaaS purchases get stuck in procurement?
Here's what accessibility experts across the industry know: SaaS companies regularly lose enterprise deals because they can't provide a VPAT. It happens in government contracts, education sales, and Fortune 500 procurement processes every day.
But here's the challenge: these stories rarely go public. Lost deals are commercially sensitive. Companies don't announce when they've been disqualified from procurement processes, and buyers don't publicize their vendor rejections.
What happens if a SaaS product is not accessible?
You lose deals. What we do know from accessibility consultants, procurement specialists, and industry leaders is this: the pattern is consistent and costly. Companies get deep into sales cycles, sometimes investing months in proposals and demos, only to hit the same wall: "We need proof of accessibility compliance."
Without a VPAT? Deal dead.
The business impact is real, even if the specific company names stay confidential. Accessibility consultants report that their clients regularly come to them after losing significant contracts—deals worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars—because they couldn't demonstrate WCAG compliance when it mattered most.
If your product isn't accessible, you're disqualified before you even start.
→ Not sure where you stand? Use our free Website Accessibility Checker to scan your product in 30 seconds and see what enterprise buyers will find.
Accessibility in ActionA SaaS Success Story: How AppFolio Turned Accessibility Into a Revenue Driver
When AppFolio, a leading SaaS provider for real estate and property management, prioritized accessibility, it didn't just avoid risk—it created new business value.
AppFolio's clients were already paying for separate accessibility tools to ensure their property management websites met compliance standards. This fragmented approach was costly for clients and created support headaches.
AppFolio partnered with Duda and AudioEye to build accessibility directly into their platform. The integration automatically ensured that all client websites—both new and existing—met accessibility standards while providing the compliance documentation customers needed.
The business impact was immediate and measurable:
Surge in website sales as accessibility became a competitive differentiator
Increased traffic across client websites
Reduced client turnover as customers valued the integrated solution
Higher revenue from value-added services
Clients embraced the change. Many were already paying separately for accessibility tools, so they welcomed AppFolio's centrally managed solution as genuine added value. When AppFolio bundled accessibility into a scheduled price increase, customers appreciated both the practical enhancements and the compliance assurance they received.
The compliance documentation—including AudioEye's reports—gave clients confidence they could demonstrate accessibility compliance to any regulatory body or concerned party.
Since the initial implementation, AppFolio has continued to witness a surge in website sales. They have also realized increased traffic to the published websites, a reduction in client turnover, and a rise in revenue from value-added services.
AppFolio proved that accessibility isn't just about avoiding legal risk—it's a business opportunity. By making accessibility a core feature rather than an afterthought, they increased sales, reduced churn, and strengthened customer relationships.
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How accessibility helps win enterprise deals
Government and enterprise buyers require documentation. Federal agencies must purchase accessible software under Section 508. Fortune 500 companies, healthcare systems, and educational institutions increasingly require VPATs and WCAG compliance in RFP processes.
Accessibility creates competitive advantage. While competitors scramble to produce last-minute VPATs or explain accessibility gaps, accessible products move smoothly through procurement. You're qualified while others are disqualified.
Protect and expand revenue. Accessible products can compete across government, education, healthcare, and enterprise segments. They drive higher user adoption, reduce support burdens, and enable account expansion opportunities.
How can SaaS teams improve their odds of closing enterprise deals? 3 things you can do this week
Before diving into comprehensive solutions, here are immediate steps to assess and improve your position:
Run a free accessibility scan on your key user flows using AudioEye's Website Accessibility Checker
Audit your digital experiences and product with people who experience disabilities, who can help identify immediate gaps in your product.
Use our VPAT resource to see exactly what buyers expect and identify your documentation gaps
How AudioEye fits into your existing SaaS workflows
Accessibility works with your development process, not against it. AudioEye's Accessibility Testing SDK integrates directly into your CI/CD pipelines and QA environments, and can be configured to work with GitHub repositories through CI/CD workflows and webhooks, enabling your team to catch and fix accessibility issues before they reach production.
For development teams:
Developer Tools provide real-time accessibility testing during development
Automated testing identifies issues across your entire platform
Pre-production scanning prevents costly post-launch rework
Custom Fixes automatically resolve common accessibility violations
For product and UX teams:
Expert audits from accessibility specialists and disability community members
Continuous monitoring detects new issues as your product evolves
VPAT documentation ready for enterprise procurement processes
Comprehensive reporting tracks accessibility improvements over time
For legal and compliance teams:
Up to 400% more protection from valid legal claims compared to other solutions
Proactive risk mitigation through ongoing monitoring and fixes
Legal support when accessibility issues arise
Documentation that demonstrates good-faith compliance efforts
Your Next Move
Enterprise buyers are making purchasing decisions right now, and accessible competitors are winning deals you could have closed.
Every day you delay accessibility is revenue left on the table.
The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in accessibility—it's whether you can afford not to.
Ready to win more deals? [Get Your Accessibility Readiness Score: Free 15-minute audit call to identify your biggest procurement risks and quick wins]
In a crowded SaaS market, AudioEye helps you differentiate and scale by integrating accessibility into your product lifecycle. Ensure compliance, improve the user experience, and be ready for enterprise demands — all without slowing innovation — with AudioEye.