In France, the e-commerce podiums have become a media ritual: sales figures are soaring, as is the associated traffic. Every year, Decathlon, Veepee, Fnac Darty, La Redoute, Leclerc Drive and ManoMano vie for the top spots.
Ranking after ranking, most of them similar, almost always based on sales or traffic volume. But behind these trophies of modernity and conversion records, one question almost always goes unanswered: Are these top 100 French e-commerce platforms accessible to everyone?
Accessibility missing from the rankings
The classic podium indicators measure traffic, speed and business volume, but do not yet measure a site's ability to be used by the visually impaired, dyslexic or colour-blind. Nor do they reflect the clarity of the language, the consistency of the forms or the compatibility with the screen readers that are essential for blind people.
In other words, these podiums ignore digital accessibility It's about enabling everyone, whatever their situation, to access information and act independently. And isn't this where the digital maturity of an e-commerce company comes into play: being able to say that it meets all the needs of the users of its incoming traffic, even those with disabilities?
Assessing a company's maturity through digital accessibility
Digital accessibility should be the order of the day as a true barometer of organisational excellence. Beyond its regulatory dimension, it reveals a company's ability to adopt a truly universal and inclusive approach to the design of its products and services.
An organisation that incorporates accessibility at the design stage demonstrates that it is not content to meet the needs of a typical user, but rather it anticipates the real diversity of usage situations These include people with permanent or temporary disabilities, senior citizens, mobile users and a wide range of user contexts.
Digital accessibility thus becomes an indicator of organisational maturity, a concrete marker of structured thinking and values that are truly embodied internally.
Towards a new definition of digital quality
In conclusion, the major digital rankings place great value on what is visible: speed, beauty, ergonomics. However, true digital maturity is also measured by what is not always visible: the structure of content, the visual hierarchy, the logic of interactions, the precision of alternative texts and the relevance of language.
Gradually integrating these criteria means recognising that the quality of a website is not just down to its appearance or technical performance, but also in its fairness of use.
The day that e-commerce rankings include accessibility as a significant criterion, the French digital sector will have reached an important milestone: inclusion as an integral dimension of quality, no longer as an option or a peripheral commitment.