How to tap into summer's e-commerce spending surge by optimizing your site's shopping experience

This July, U.S. shoppers spent more than $24 billion online in just four days during a retail stretch dubbed “Black Friday in July,” Adobe reported. The record-setting moment was driven by steep discounts, streamlined mobile checkouts, and early back-to-school promotions. Adobe also noted that more than half of those purchases were made on smartphones, highlighting just how mobile-first the shopping experience has become.

Retailers should see this summer’s spending surge as a sign of what’s ahead and a wake-up call for brands that still need to catch up to the expectations of today’s digital-first shoppers.

When looking to improve online performance, brands often focus on speed, design, and checkout flow. But one area that’s still overlooked is digital accessibility, despite its growing impact on reach, usability, and revenue. With 1 in 4 U.S. adults living with a disability, accessibility represents a business opportunity that supports better personalization, smoother user experiences, and stronger customer loyalty.

From shifting shopper expectations to untapped audience opportunities, here are six key trends shaping the next era of e-commerce and how forward-thinking retailers are responding.

1. Mobile Is the New Mall

Shopping no longer means driving to a store or sitting at a computer. Today, most purchases happen between tasks throughout the day: on a phone, in the car, or during a lunch break.

Online retail purchases have increased 0.32% every year since 2021, according to SellersCommerce, and it is expected that 22.6% of all retail purchases will be made online by 2027. These numbers reflect a major shift in how people shop that will only continue to grow as more brands invest in their mobile experience.

Mobile shoppers expect fast load times, clear navigation, and checkout flows that are quick and easy. If your site doesn’t meet those expectations, you're likely losing customers. Brands that prioritize their mobile shopping experience can expect to see better results and fewer abandoned carts, according to Shopify.

2. Promotions Only Work If People Can Access Them

Retailers continue to rely on urgency to drive sales, so flash discounts, short campaigns, and eye-catching subject lines still get attention. But many shoppers can’t engage with those offers if the content isn’t accessible.

Emails with low-contrast text, missing alt text on product images, or buttons that don’t work with assistive tech are all common problems. One in four U.S. adults lives with a disability, and these types of issues often block them from taking advantage of a promotion.

Simple updates such as improving contrast or fixing broken navigation can help more people engage with your content without increasing your ad spend.

3. Social Commerce Is Exploding

TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are now key channels for retail. Shoppers are discovering products on social media and making purchases quickly, often without visiting a brand’s main website. Hostinger reports that about 86% of people have made a purchase on social media in the past month, and 82% rely on social media for product research. 

But the pace of content creation often leads to shortcuts. Videos without captions, missing alt text, and unclear messaging can limit reach and hurt performance.

Adding basic accessibility features like captions and descriptions makes content easier to engage with. It also improves how it performs in-platform, especially with algorithms that reward completion and clarity.

4. Accessibility = Loyalty

Getting new traffic is important. But long-term success comes from keeping customers, and loyalty is earned through their experience.

Many retail sites still have basic issues: hard-to-use navigation, unlabeled forms, and checkout processes that don’t work with screen readers or keyboard navigation. These problems frustrate users and cause them to leave.

AudioEye’s 2025 Digital Accessibility Index  scanned 85,966 pages across 2,543 retail websites, and found an average of 350 issues per page – the highest of any industry examined. Many struggled with fundamental accessibility challenges like color contrast, alt text, and descriptive links.  A large portion (88%) of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience, proving that fixing these issues is key to building loyalty.

5. Accessibility Helps You Reach More Customers

Most retailers want to expand their reach, but many are overlooking a large group of ready-to-buy customers.

Along with their friends and family, people with disabilities represent a  major market that comprises nearly $13 trillion in spending power, according to the World Economic Forum. Yet many are blocked from shopping online because of small, preventable barriers. The good news is that most of these fixes are easy to implement.

Adding alt text, improving contrast, and fixing keyboard issues are low-effort changes that lead to better usability for everyone. They also make your site available to more people without increasing your advertising costs.

6. Legal Requirements Are Increasing

Accessibility is quickly becoming a legal requirement rather than just a best practice. New regulations like California’s Unruh Act and the European Accessibility Act are raising the stakes.

At the same time, legal action related to inaccessible websites is on the rise. Retailers that wait to react risk higher costs and reputational damage.

Those who take action now are better prepared. They’re auditing their sites, fixing key issues, and making accessibility part of their ongoing digital strategy.

The Takeaway: Accessibility Is the Advantage

The retail landscape has changed. Shoppers are already online, making purchases on their phones, and expecting fast, easy, and reliable experiences. That shift isn’t coming, it’s already here.

For retailers, the opportunity is clear: meet customers where they are, remove friction from the digital experience, and make it easier for more people to shop. That includes reaching shoppers with disabilities, which is a large and often overlooked segment that’s ready to engage but too often blocked by preventable barriers.

Improving accessibility is a way to serve more customers, convert more sales, and build stronger digital experiences across the board. The brands that act now will be better positioned to compete not just during high-traffic shopping seasons, but in the future of retail as consumer preferences continue to grow and evolve.