CEO Ed Barton shares why dealerships who provide a seamless experience for customers in their transition from online to offline in the buying process achieve more success.

That feeling of dread – the letter arrives at the dealership with a return address from an attorney you don’t recognize, addressed to "Owner" or "General Manager." Inside is a demand letter indicating that your website or mobile application is inaccessible as required under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). You need to contact them right away to correct it and pay their fee, or their client will file suit.

Hundreds of businesses experienced this feeling in the last year, and every company with a web presence has exposure to lawsuits for ADA non-compliance. While I could cover the legal issues, defenses, and remedies for these suits (and I have elsewhere), I want to emphasize here that accessibility is just good business.

The threat of a lawsuit is not the only reason to make your digital environment more accessible. Having a site or app that meets most of the accessibility guidelines improves website and app usability, likely enhances conversion rates and opens you up to more customers.

The immediate thought is, "Why would a blind person shop for a car online?" and while that's a logical thought, accessibility is more than just for blind people. A few examples to think about:

1. Elderly buyers often have hearing or sight challenges where captioning and large print is useful.

2. Today’s retirees were in their mid-30’s when the internet exploded and are likely proficient users of the web.

3. Most adults under age 75 used a computer and the internet regularly and are reasonably tech-savvy.

4. Potential buyers with epilepsy may be challenged by flashing buttons and video.

5. Individuals with colorblindness require higher contrasts and colors to see the information.

6. Accessibility also helps those consumers with temporary disabilities, like injury or surgery.

Digital accessibility can be a complicated process. There are no clear regulations, and accessibility standards can feel overwhelming and confusing. A few basic steps to make your digital environment more inviting include:

1. Keep the site "clean." Focus on your call to action and critical information. Clutter makes it hard to navigate and hard to access – ADA or no ADA.

2. Make sure your images all have "alt-tags" and that your tagging conveys the meaning. Images, including banners that contain offers and disclosure language, need detailed alt-tags that express the full meaning. Consider simple images and put your offers and disclosure language in plain text

3. Good technical SEO helps with accessibility. Proper heading structures, page layouts, and tagging help organize a site for both a search engine and accessibility tools.

4. Make sure your entire site is keyboard navigable. Some people can’t use a mouse.

5. Make sure your forms can be accessed and read using a screen reader.

6. Have an accessibility statement with valid contact information and someone willing to help on the other end of the email or phone.  

A bit of research into the alternatives and a commitment to basic accessibility will go a long way to help make your digital environment more accessible, which will get you better customer engagement and, ultimately, more sales. 

As ADA lawsuits become commonplace in the industry, FZA Digital releases a solution for auto dealers to combat this frustrating issue.

Lakeland, FL, October 22, 2019 – With the recent news that the supreme court is allowing  cases to move forward against retailers if their websites are not accessible, FZA Digital, LLC, the digital marketing and technology sister company to fusionZONE Automotive, LLC., today announced the release of ADAPT, a practical Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) toolkit to help protect its auto dealers.

fusionZONE Automotive’s websites comply with WCAG 2.1 standards right out of the box, but there is increasing litigation regarding compliance. FZA Digital has created a multi-level toolkit that gives auto dealer websites a higher level of protection. Automotive websites change rapidly and often (third party content, OEM marketing collateral, images, and more), and are edited by both internal developers and dealership staff. Accessibility functionality can be impacted quickly and remain unnoticed until it’s too late. To solve this frustrating situation, ADAPT was created. Designed for accessibility and minimal legal exposure, ADAPT includes practical hands-on tools and fully automated web accessibility technical tools, ensuring full compliance at any time.

"The recent refusal by the United States Supreme Court to hear the Domino's ADA case means there will be no consistent legal standard to meet ADA requirements. We designed ADAPT by analyzing case law and applying legal as well as technical expertise. The four elements of ADAPT are designed to meet or exceed all published legal standards for ADA accessibility. There is no 'magic bullet' solution to ADA Compliance. Having just one element is not enough," said Ed Barton, fusionZONE Automotive Chief Executive Officer, and President.

FZA Digital designed the ADAPT Toolkit Solution to be deployable on any website and can integrate the tools as long as the vendor agrees to install it.

ADAPT includes four primary elements that work together to provide a strong defense and real capabilities for consumers with disabilities. ADAPT addresses the website itself, displaying legal statements that offer alternative communication methods, and technology that enables efficient, real-time accessibility features. It goes well-beyond the WCAG 2.1 A compliance requirements, ensuring continuous ADA accessibility for consumers and legal protection for FZA Digital clients. FZA Digital’s ADAPT Toolkit Solution includes:

1. A Real-Time Accessibility & Auditing Tool. The fully automated, accessibility technology performs two distinct functions; a) a real-time, on-site rendering tool, and b.) automated AI Analysis. A highly visible Accessibility Icon anchored to every page on the website allows consumers with disabilities to toggle a rendering tool on and off, tailoring the site to their personal needs. The interface acts as an overlay on the dealer’s website, which is specific to the user's session. The user is presented with over 50 features from which to choose. At the time the site is rendered for the user, ADAPT makes any necessary adjustments in real-time. This provides an additional layer of compliance that acts as a safety net for any custom content that was not developed in strict accordance with the guidelines.

The automated AI analysis technology uses both AI and Machine Learning Technology to analyze the website. Once installed, it begins working right away, resolving accessibility compliance gaps in as little as 48 hours. After the initial 48 hours, ADAPT technology re-scans and re-analyzes the website every 24 hours to ensure that any new content, widgets, or pages are also adapted and thereby compliant.

 2. A Screen Reader. This element resides on the website and can also be toggled on or off by clicking on the Accessibility Icon. While turned on, individual copy snippets can be read out loud directly from the site without the need for installation of a third-party screen reader. This is both mobile and desktop-friendly, working across all devices.

3. An Accessibility Policy Statement. Adding this customized Accessibility Policy Statement to the website encourages consumers to reach out to the dealership first if they have any issues. It welcomes their feedback and lets them know their accessibility is a top priority, thus avoiding potential legal action.

4. Monthly Audits. FZA Digital staff consistently evaluate the website for compliance, ensuring any new creative, copy, or design change incorporates the principles of accessibility as best as possible.

"While the guidelines offered by the WCAG for ADA compliance are comprehensive, they can also be overwhelming to understand as well as implement, especially for small teams. Utilizing tools that encompass the requirements for compliance and leaning on the knowledge and expertise of a team experienced with the pitfalls of balancing design and technical requirements is important. Full compliance is difficult, if not near impossible, to achieve. But reasonable and timely efforts must be continually made,” stated Alex Papadopulos, fusionZONE Automotive Chief Technology Officer  

For more information visit https://www.fzadigital.com/.

About FZA Digital, LLC:

FZA Digital, LLC is the digital marketing and technology sister company to fusionZONE Automotive, LLC and is focused on leading-edge digital marketing technology solutions. For more information visit: https://www.fzadigital.com/ or, https://www.fzautomotive.com/about-us/

Advisors from a mix of dealers and dealer groups will help shape future company processes & product development

Lakeland, FL, July 8, 2019 - fusionZONE Automotive, LLC today announced the formation of a dealer advisory council to gather feedback and insights directly from its dealer clients to help shape future product development based on the exact needs of its dealers.

“Our dealership has been with fusionZONE for four successful years. I believe gathering feedback and insights directly from their dealerships via the 'Advisory Council' is just one more level of commitment and dedication,” said Laura Morse, eCommerce Manager/Assistant to the GM at Jim Norton Toyota. “The ultimate results will help shape future processes and products based on their client’s needs -- that’s a win-win for all! After attending the first council meeting, I am suitably impressed and look forward to seeing what comes next.”

The advisory council will have quarterly calls and an annual off-site meeting. It is made up of a solid mix of dealer groups and single point dealers from a variety of brand franchises, which helps provide a perspective from users at many different levels.

“It has long been our mission to ensure our dealers enjoy numerous competitive advantages and dominate their digital market areas with advanced, all-inclusive digital marketing services packages,” stated Ed Barton, fusionZONE President & Chief Executive Officer. “With the acquisition of MotorWebs a year ago we added nearly 300 dealerships, which provided scale to add management and support functions in both Seattle and Florida and service coverage from 7 am Eastern until 10 pm Eastern. We transitioned to a 24/7/365 live, onshore customer service line in 2018 and regular development service coverage six days, per week. The Advisory Council is a natural extension of our growth. It will help us continue to listen to our dealers and to meet and exceed their needs, which should make them even more profitable," Barton added.

fusionZONE Automotive is an award-winning automotive website provider that helps car dealers streamline the ever-evolving digital process. Founded in 2009, the company has created powerful, responsive digital web solutions and successfully grown in a competitive industry by hosting both single-point dealerships and large, top-performing, multi-roof franchise dealerships. The full-service digital marketing provider offers websites, 24/7 live sales chat, social media management, technical SEO services, and mobile applications.

For more information or to schedule a demo visit www.fzautomotive.com

About fusionZONE Automotive, LLC

For more information visit: https://www.fzautomotive.com/about-us/

In this blog I’d like to talk a little bit about American with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility and your websites, quickly covering some emerging issues and simple corrective actions you can take.

If you are an auto dealer in Florida or New York, your website is likely under scrutiny by lawyers representing potential customers. They review your site to see if it is accessible to potential customers with disabilities, as required by the Americans With Disabilities Act. In 2018, there were over 2,200 ADA compliance lawsuits filed – with almost 1,600 of them being in New York alone. The challenge of accessibility for dealers is made harder by a lack of agreement on the definition of “ADA Compliant” in the courts. Also, sites with large inventories and technical details, such as VIN numbers, are particularly difficult to make accessible.

As a dealer, what are you to do? The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) developed a set of standards – Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – which are now on their second version. Dealer websites should meet at least WCAG 2.1 Level A accessibility guidelines at a minimum and should strive to meet Level AA guidelines where practical. These guidelines focus on four areas known as POUR:

• Perceivable – the tags and directions on the site should be evident and give the user a sense for what the form, button or link does.
• Operable – the site should be navigable with a keyboard or a mouse.
• Understandable – any messages and directions should be written clearly.
• Robust – the design should work with most browsers and assistive technologies.

The W3C has a quick review checklist to assess your current website for accessibility against WCAG requirements. As a dealer, you should take a few minutes and check your sites, identify any obvious areas of weakness, and work with your website provider and digital marketing agency to bring the site in line with the WCAG 2.1 A Standards.

When you build a website, I recommend that you check that your website provider can start with an approach that is designed to meet WCAG 2.1 A Standards as follows:

• * All uploaded images can be configured with an ‘alt’ text by the user.
• * You should not be forced to use PDFs. Choose a responsive web platform that is designed and built using text-based formats and is compatible with leading assistive technologies.
• * Your provider should supply you with the tools necessary to ensure your websites have every opportunity to remain compliant with this standard. However please note that brand compliance standards impact the ability of some solutions to always meet optimal standards right out of the box. Think colors and red-green color blindness, for instance.
• * Your provider should give you the tools and options to choose colors, sizing and font settings, and the ability to implement color schemes to align with your brand, where possible. As a dealer, you should maintain ultimate control over your website visitors’ web experience, and as such, can override brand and compliance guidelines, if and when it is needed.
• * Your provider’s website tools should enable you to frame in a video on your website and to also include related videos on your Vehicle Details Page (VDP). In both cases, if the video includes an audio description (text captions, etc.), the video and supporting elements should render correctly on your website.

Will this prevent an enterprising lawyer from suing your dealership? No. Will a website that focuses on accessibility in design and applies available accessibility tools reduce your exposure and risk? Yes.