Report Says UK Internet Accessibility Market to Grow by 25% This Year

The combined UK Internet usability and accessibility market is to be worth more than $181 million USD in 2005, according to new research published by E-consultancy, a London-based Internet marketing group.

The UK market, worth $163 million USD in 2004, will grow by a further 25 per cent in 2005, to between $195 and $211 USD million, driven by increased awareness of the benefits of improved website usability and accessibility.
 
“Accessibility services have quickly grown to account for at least a fifth of market revenues. Our research shows that spending in this area has risen rapidly on concerns about being prosecuted, with companies obliged to comply with the [recently instituted] Disability Discrimination Act,”said Ashley Friedlein, CEO of E-consultancy.
 
Overall, revenues earned by specialist usability and accessibility consultants or agencies amounted to around $36 million USD for 2004; a figure projected to rise to $45 million USD in 2005. Interactive agencies and in-house teams account for the remainder of this market.
 
The consultancy also reports that accessibility spending driven by legal concerns, with the researchers predicting the accessibility market has a limited shelf life of three years or so and that the accessibility market will be threatened if there are no high-profile prosecutions when companies fail to comply with the DDA. The analysts predict that ongoing growth will be determined by litigations or the lack thereof.
 
E-consultancy also reports that blue chips and the public sector are currently leading the way in spending on accessibility, while SMEs lag way behind, with the biggest spenders being found in the financial services, online retail, and public sector/e-government sectors.
 
Source: DM Europe