Market analysis report

Research Brief: Impact of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) on Digital Compliance for Organisations Globally

We request a comprehensive report on the European Accessibility Act (EAA), focusing on its global impact, particularly concerning web and mobile applications. The EAA applies to organisations providing digital content to EU consumers, excluding only those with annual revenues below 2 million EUR or fewer than 10 employees. The legislation aligns with the European Standard EN 301 549, which builds upon the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Objective: To deliver actionable insights on the EAA for enhancing investor confidence, supporting strategic market positioning, and optimising our market approach.

Key Areas to Cover:

1. Compliance Scope

   • Estimate the total number of companies (global and EU-based) that fall within the scope of EAA compliance for web and mobile applications.
   • Breakdown of industries most affected by this requirement, particularly those serving a significant EU consumer base.
   • Highlight key non-EU markets (e.g., Canada, Australia, Japan) that have adopted or are moving towards similar accessibility standards, providing a comparison to the EAA where relevant.

2. Financial Impact

   • Detail the average cost of achieving compliance with EN 301 549 and WCAG standards for affected companies, specifying differences based on company size or industry.
   • Outline potential financial penalties or business risks (e.g., loss of EU market access, reputational damage) for companies failing to meet EAA standards.
   • Provide data on expected budget allocations towards accessibility, particularly in technology, retail, and public service sectors.

3. Market for Accessibility Audits and Tools

   • Cost of comprehensive accessibility audits for web and mobile applications, identifying average rates across Europe and globally.
   • Competitive landscape: Identify key companies offering accessibility audit solutions, their pricing models, and unique selling points.
   • Growth projections for the accessibility audit and compliance industry over the next 5–10 years, given the EAA and similar legislation worldwide.

InnoMinds' Insights

The client would be happy to collaborate with you on the whole project or parts of it. Feel free to submit your proposal by clicking on the Apply button. We have a few suggestions that could be helpful for this project:

Understanding the EAA and its Context

Before you apply, try to gain a general understanding of the EAA legislation itself, its scope, definitions, and specific requirements.
To accelerate your analysis you can:
Compare it with similar legislation in other regions (e.g., the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in Canada, and the Disability Discrimination Act in Australia) to identify trends and best practices.
WCAG & EN 301 549: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the European Standard EN 301 549 are good examples of similar legislation that created a new opportunity for clients like IMAGINaiTION. The impact scope of those regulations might help you to speculate the EAA's market.

Academic Frameworks

Some academic frameworks can help you with your analysis:
PESTEL Analysis
On the one hand, PESTEL creates an opportunity for the client, Legal and technology, while it can pose a threat to smaller app developers. An in-depth PESTEL analysis can help you with the financial impact.
STP
The 3rd section of this project can be done by a comprehensive STP (Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning). The more data you use in this section the better your reports become.
Additional Framework
Utilising Porter's 5 forces you might bring an argument about the industry itself (Power of substitutes- what are the alternatives for customers).
AIDA model or the Defusion of Innovation can provide interesting insights for Go-to-market strategy and help with market segmentation! Competitor analysis would be a crucial aspect of this analysis.

Data Sources

Consider assessing main players and competitors including:

• deque.com
• abra.ai
• sofy.ai
• wave.webaim.org

Further discussion with the client can provide you with better insights into the market.
Utilise market research databases to estimate the number of companies globally and in the EU that meet the EAA's revenue and employee thresholds.

• Statista
• Eurostat
• IBIS world (App developer industry report)
• Passport
• FAME (Financial data of the UK's companies- could be helpful for estimating their budget)