“Plan early, design inclusively, and make 2026 the year every shopper feels welcome.”
Every year the holiday season gets busier and competition intensifies; thus, the brands are already setting their sights on 2026 campaigns. But amidst marketing strategies, design refreshes, and tech upgrades, accessibility often gets pushed to the end of the checklist - or worse, overlooked.
In 2026, inaccessible approach won’t be sustainable for brands. With WCAG 2.2 now the global accessibility benchmark and the European Accessibility Act (EAA) enforcement already approached its deadline in June 2025, accessibility has evolved from a compliance checkbox to a customer experience necessity. Integrating it early in digital properties can save time, reduce extra costs of remediation & litigation, and strengthen inclusivity and trust in a brand.
Steps that can be taken!
- Start with accessibility-focused campaign goals
The first step in early integration is defining what accessibility success looks like for the next holiday season.
Brainstorm on:
- How will the campaigns cater to users with diverse abilities?
- Are the landing pages, forms, and seasonal discounts accessible to users with assistive technologies?
- How to add captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions to promotional videos?
By embedding these considerations into campaign goals, organizations ensure that every department – from creative to development – aligns on inclusion from the outset.
- Build accessibility into design and UX workflows
Holiday campaigns often feature new landing pages, interactive elements, and festive visuals. But vibrant doesn’t have to mean inaccessible.
Integrate accessibility from the wireframe stage by:
- Ensuring high color contrast and text readability across festive themes.
- Using accessible typography and responsive design principles.
- Testing navigation with a keyboard and screen reader early in design mock-ups.
- Avoiding motion-heavy elements that can trigger discomfort or seizures.
Collaborate with designers and developers to ensure the campaign’s aesthetics and accessibility work hand in hand - not as afterthoughts.
- Involve accessibility experts and tools early
Early collaboration with accessibility consultants or using automated tools help prevent costly retrofits. What happens:
- Automated checkers catch issues like missing alt text or incorrect heading hierarchy.
- Manual audits by accessibility experts help address complex usability concerns.
- The external accessibility plugins like All in One Accessibility widget offer immediate improvements for seasonal microsites or promotional pages.
Proactive steps ensure that accessibility validation is ongoing, not a rushed step before launch.
- Make content creation inclusive
Content plays a major role for businesses in holidays’ strategies - from festive emails to social media stories and product videos each element matters. Thus, accessibility should be part of every content decision.
Key inclusivity practices:
- Add alt text to all product and campaign images.
- Provide captions and transcripts for video content.
- Use plain, inclusive language that’s easy to read and understand.
- Ensure call-to-action buttons are descriptive (“Shop Winter Sale” instead of “Click Here”).
A tip that is a help: By training content teams in accessible communication, the organization’s messaging reaches a wider, more diverse audience.
- Test early, test often
There shouldn’t be only one phase of testing. Integrate various testing checkpoints throughout the campaign lifecycle to ensure lesser to no accessibility issues:
- Pre-launch testing: Use accessibility simulators to mimic user experiences with different disabilities.
- Beta testing: Involve real users with disabilities for authentic feedback.
- Post-launch monitoring: Track accessibility performance using analytics tools (for example, monitoring bounce rates from screen reader users or keyboard navigation sessions).
Testing early and often ensures no accessibility barrier is left unresolved before the campaign peaks.
- Build accessibility awareness across teams
Holiday campaigns typically involve collaboration across multiple teams - designers, marketers, developers, and content creators. Thereby they ought to be on the same page when it comes to accessible content creation.
- Conduct regular accessibility workshops or quick training sessions.
- Share accessibility checklists and brand accessibility guidelines.
- Celebrate accessibility wins within the team to reinforce its value.
Embedding accessibility into team culture ensures consistency and accountability.
- Use data from the 2025 campaign as a benchmark
Before setting accessibility targets for 2026, review the website/campaign’s 2025 performance. Analyze:
- How inclusive was the website or campaign experience?
- Accessibility issues reported in 2025 by users or tools.
- Engagement differences between accessible and non-accessible campaign elements.
This data can guide smarter accessibility investments and create a roadmap for more inclusive campaigns.
Read more: Accessibility Strategies for ecommerce stores Christmas
Accessibility is for holiday period advantage!
Starting accessibility planning early is not just a compliance move - it’s a smart business strategy. By designing with inclusion from the ground up, brands can reach more customers, enhance user satisfaction, and strengthen their reputation for empathy and innovation.
As 2026 approaches, the most successful holiday campaigns will be those that combine creativity with accessibility - making every festive moment truly open to all.
If your team is preparing for next year’s holiday campaigns, this is an ideal time to strengthen accessibility across digital touchpoints. The All in One Accessibility® widget offers a quick, cost-effective way to elevate website usability, while Skynet Technologies provides comprehensive accessibility audit, WCAG remediation, consulting, and ongoing support for long-term compliance. Reach out hello@skynettechnologies.com to build an accessible foundation that helps 2026 campaigns reach a wider audience.
