Merkle Partners with Siteimprove to Build First-Ever Accessibility Practice

Siteimprove was selected as the partner of choice based on Siteimprove Inclusivity’s unique product strengths and being listed as a “Strong Performer” in “The Forrester Wave™: Digital Accessibility Platforms, Q4 2023.”

Siteimprove, the leading platform empowering brands to stand out with accessible, high-performing digital content experiences, today announced that Merkle, Dentsu’s leading customer experience management (CXM) company, will partner with Siteimprove to build their first-ever accessibility practice. Through this partnership, Merkle will leverage Siteimprove Inclusivity as the foundational technology for building their accessibility practice. This initiative is part of Merkle’s efforts to ensure they can properly support their European customer base when the European Accessibility Act goes into effect in June 2025.

The goal of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) is to harmonize and standardize accessibility rules, so that products and services use a “design for all” approach.  Previously, each member state in the EU had different accessibility standards for products and services, which resulted in poor selection and expensive products for consumers, as well as small markets with little incentive for companies.

Under the EAA, EU member states must adhere to a unified set of accessibility rules. This standardization simplifies the process for private companies to sell compliant products and services throughout the EU and broadens the range of options available to consumers.

Marketing Technology News: Microsoft Unveils New Generative AI and Data Solutions Across the Shopper Journey, Offering Copilot Experiences Through Microsoft Cloud for Retail

As the foundational technology, Siteimprove Inclusivity will be Merkle’s trusted platform to manage the accessibility review and mediations process for Merkle’s European customer base. By leveraging Frontier, Siteimprove’s learning management system, certified by the International Association of Accessibility Professional’s, Merkle will upskill its new team members to ensure a solid baseline understanding of the positive impact they will be driving for their users. The goal is for Siteimprove to help Merkle deliver an accessibility program at scale and ensure their customers have inclusive and compliant websites that support any current and future accessibility aims.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Merkle as they take the first step in building a truly accessible practice,” said Izabela Misiorny, Chief Marketing Officer at Siteimprove. “With two decades of expertise in the field, we know that accessibility is not only about compliance – it’s about enhancing user experience and opening markets to a broader and more diverse customer base.  Working with Merkle ensures that customers from both Siteimprove and Merkle can use the data and insights we provide to build inclusive and optimized content experiences that empower every person to experience, engage, and thrive in a digital world.”

“At Merkle, we believe that web accessibility is not just a technical requirement: it’s a social imperative,” said Luis Nunes, Chief Strategy Officer at Merkle. “Our partnership with Siteimprove is a key element of continued efforts to bring services to our customers that enable them to have websites, applications and other touchpoints accessible to all. By working with industry leaders like Siteimprove, we are ensuring that the solutions we provide are designed and built with accessibility in mind from the start.”

Marketing Technology News: MarTech Interview with Karen Ng, SVP of Product and Partnerships at HubSpot