Voices - Allegro
Allegro is a founding member of BAF and Poland's largest e-commerce platform, serving millions of customers across Central Europe. They joined our 2023 report, and two years later, we wanted to know what's changed.
From grassroots initiatives to company-wide compliance, from WCAG to parcel lockers you can open with your smartwatch: we asked their team how accessibility has evolved and what it really takes to make an entire shopping journey inclusive.
Paulina Materna is a QA specialist turned accessibility advocate, believes digital inclusivity is a standard, not a trend. Agnieszka Sławek-Helwin , a legal counsel bridging the gap between compliance and tech, translating regulation into business language. Tadeusz Joniewicz: an ESG expert combining sustainability reporting with practical accessibility implementation.
Allegro took part in our 2023 report. What has changed in your accessibility approach since then – and what drove those changes?
The past two years have been a period of significant growth for digital accessibility at Allegro. When comparing our current framework to the situation in 2023, we observe a higher level of maturity in implementation, with a strategic shift from grassroots initiatives toward accessibility becoming an integral part of our Compliance and Technology operations.
A key difference from 2023 is the transition from dispersed activities to a more formalized approach, driven by the implementation of the European Accessibility Act (EAA). Ensuring accessibility across individual processes and its improvement within existing components has been assigned to the respective business teams, who are supported by representatives from various technological areas.. This effort is no longer limited to selected pilots; it now covers all Allegro sales platforms across various Central European markets.
At the same time, we have not abandoned our grassroots initiatives, such as the Accessibility Festival, and we continue to draw on the enthusiasm of our internal community of accessibility advocates, who serve as our in-house innovation hub. We have also maintained and continue to develop our standards for parcel locker accessibility, which serve as a benchmark for physical inclusivity in public spaces.
Implementing accessibility at every stage of platform development requires continuous upskilling. The foundation of this change is our digital accessibility training program, available to every employee and mandatory for those developing our platform. The program fulfills three key objectives:
- Legal Compliance: Building competencies in creating products aligned with the new regulations that came into force in June 2025.
- Empathy and Understanding: Providing insight into the barriers faced by people with disabilities, which translates into solutions that are friendly to everyone.
- Practical Implementation: Delivering concrete solutions to avoid technical debt in new projects and enhance accessibility for our customers.
In summary, the transformation achieved since 2023 represents a transition toward building systemic accessibility that is designed to encompass the entire organization.
Allegro operates in Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia. Each country implements EAA slightly differently, has a different regulatory culture, and varying levels of accessibility awareness. How does Poland compare to other CEE countries?
Allegro's experience in implementing the EAA across different countries shows that the key differences relate primarily to the prominence of the topic in public debate and, consequently, the approach of regulatory authorities and other stakeholders.
In Poland, what is unique is not only the immense awareness of these regulations but also the openness to dialogue between regulatory authorities, representatives of economic entities, and key stakeholders. Efforts to develop joint positions, understand each other's perspectives, and provide guidance on how to implement the EAA in a practical manner are at a very high level.
It is connected to the fact that awareness of these regulations among consumers is also significantly higher in Poland than in other regions, where we have not observed a similarly intense mobilization and cooperation between various market representatives.
E-commerce accessibility goes beyond WCAG, it's about finding products, understanding descriptions, completing payments. What's the hardest part of the user journey to make truly accessible?
It is true that accessibility in e-commerce extends far beyond the framework of WCAG standards. In an ecosystem as vast as Allegro’s, the greatest challenge is not any single element, but maintaining context and user autonomy (the ability to fully utilize the service) across four critical stages:
- Search and Listings: Combating Cognitive Overload. The main barrier is managing many filters and dynamically appearing results without losing orientation on the page. The technical challenge lies in implementing features such as live regions for critical updates. A screen reader must notify blind users of important changes on the page, regardless of their current focus. A best practice here is predictive design, which anticipates user actions and allows for the storage of accessibility preferences.
- Product Selection: Quality of Sellers Data. A significant challenge is merging the platform’s infrastructure with content created by third-party sellers. A potential solution lies in AI support, which can automatically generate alternative texts or evaluate the semantic structure of descriptions. Seller education is crucial here—improving the accessibility of listings directly expands their market reach.
- The Cart: Managing Complex Logic from Multiple Selling Partners. Communicating complex page logic involving numerous sellers and varied delivery costs to users with visual or cognitive impairments requires grouping information in a clear and precise manner. The screen reader must explicitly state which items form a single package and which generate separate costs, ensuring the user navigates the entire purchase path safely.
- Checkout: The 'High-Stakes' Barrier. The transaction finalization stage can also be challenging, particularly when it requires the use of graphical interfaces (e.g., parcel locker maps).. The solution is to create accessible alternatives, such as text-based lists of pickup points. It is also essential to programmatically link error messages to specific form fields, so the user knows exactly what needs correction.
It is worth remembering that in the shopping process, the key is to enable the user to complete the entire journey, up to and including the final purchase. Even the most accessible content remains useless if the process becomes inaccessible and blocked at any stage.
What's one accessibility improvement you've made that had an unexpectedly positive impact on all users, not just those with disabilities?
One of the most significant change introduced by Allegro, which brought unexpected benefits to the entire user community, was the implementation of the remote locker opening feature for One Box parcel machines via mobile app and smartwatch.
While the foundation of this solution was the desire to eliminate barriers for people with disabilities, it has become a prime example of Universal Design, redefining the parcel pickup process for every customer.
Key Aspects of the Implementation:
- Remote Opening via Smartphone (Eliminating Physical Barriers): This feature was designed for users with mobility impairments (eliminating the need to interact with a main screen that might be positioned too high) and those with visual impairments (addressing difficulties in reading menus on glossy screens in bright sunlight).
- Benefit for all: This solution was adopted by many users as the most convenient way to collect parcels in poor weather, when their hands are full, or to avoid touching shared screen surfaces.
- Smartwatch Ecosystem: Moving the "Open Locker" function to the wrist was a response to the needs of people with limited mobility or those using assistive devices (crutches, canes), for whom retrieving a smartphone in front of a parcel machine was risky or difficult.
- Benefit for all: The ability to open a locker with a single tap on the wrist has become a "premium feature" for parents carrying children, couriers, or athletes who don’t want to dig for a phone buried deep in a backpack.
- Clear Information for the Customer: The use of vibration (haptic feedback) in smartwatches confirms a successful locker opening, which is crucial for blind users.
- Benefit for all: In noisy urban environments, sensory confirmation on the wrist gives every user immediate certainty that the process was successful, without the need to listen for the lock mechanism or look at the machine.
The introduction of remote logistical access via wearables and mobile devices has proven that by solving problems for users with specific needs, we create a better product for everyone. What began as a tool to support inclusivity has become the standard for a modern, frictionless shopping experience enjoyed by many—regardless of their physical capabilities.
This is a natural continuation of our approach to parcel machine design. The physical infrastructure of One Box is a natural extension of our digital accessibility. When designing our machines, we eliminate architectural barriers by ensuring step-free access and adequate maneuvering space. Another vital convenience is the option to choose the locker height—a critical solution for wheelchair users that has become a convenience standard for everyone. As a result, a parent with a child in their arms or a person of shorter stature does not have to struggle with high-mounted doors. This is further proof that design inclusivity enhances comfort for the entire society, making logistics intuitive and effortless.
Interview by Karolina Mendecka
Business Accessibility Forum Director