Chapter 8
In the past, or rather in the beginning, email deliverability was mostly about infrastructure. If your IP was warm and your reputation was decent, and you had basic SPF and DKIM you were fine. But the definition of deliverability is evolving. Authentication, compliance, and now accessibility all factor in, and user experience is shaping the standard for email sending.
Our survey and the data in this report show the inbox has become more selective, more regulated, and more focused on recipient experience. And the trend is only continuing. With the European Accessibility Act now active, senders have a new layer of responsibility when communicating with audiences in the EU.
The truth remains: if you’re a good sender, creating good emails, and caring about your perceived trust and sender reputation, you’re going to be just fine.
First it was Yahoogle. Then Microsoft. Now accessibility has taken the headlines.
As of June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) is in effect, legally requiring brands sending email to EU consumers to meet digital accessibility standards. That means the structure, content, and design of your email must be usable for people with disabilities. In other words, it’s time for email for all.
“Most of the accessibility issues in email are fixable with structure, hierarchy, and color contrast. That means your email templates matter. So do your fallback experiences. And your design system, your copy, and your development tools all need to support a more inclusive experience.”
Accessibility in email often gets reduced to alt text and ARIA labels, but it goes deeper than that. Think visual hierarchy, color contrast, meaningful headings, and assistive tech compatibility.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide have disabilities, or about 16% of the global population. With roughly 4.6 billion people using email, that means around 736 million email users have disabilities.
And it’s not just a user experience stat. If you’re not thinking about accessibility, you’re leaving roughly 59 million dollars on the table.
Accessibility isn’t just a moral or legal expectation; it’s now part of what defines good sending. Accessible emails are easier to read, faster to understand, and build trust with your audience.
These messages tend to load faster, be more scannable, and improve engagement metrics like opens, clicks, and unsubscribes. Since mailbox providers use recipient behavior to decide if you belong in the inbox, accessibility directly supports your deliverability performance.
And that’s the hidden benefit of getting ahead of EAA. You’re not just complying, you’re optimizing.
Accessibility compliance under the EAA is an ongoing standard, not a one-and-done task. To maintain email security compliance and deliver consistently user-friendly messages:
How will you know if your emails are accessible?
What if you could catch accessibility issues, broken links, and inbox render problems before you ever hit send?
With automated testing for accessibility, subject lines, CTA performance, and client rendering across 100+ environments, Mailgun Inspect helps senders identify potential barriers before the inbox ever sees them.
This testing suite is available to all Mailgun customers and free to try in our open pilot program. Contact the Sinch Mailgun team to get started.
“Accessibility isn’t about checking a box it’s about making your email readable and functional for everyone. That’s just good sending.”
Deliverability used to be all about reputation and infrastructure. Now it’s also a responsibility to your subscribers, to regulations, and to make the inbox a better, safer place.
Mailbox providers are raising the bar. Users expect better. Governments are enforcing accessibility. But the senders who embrace this shift, those who design with everyone in mind, will be the ones who stay trusted and visible in the inbox.
We’re seeing a shift that’s more than just technical updates or policy changes. The future is looking like a long-term movement toward user-first email. That means putting transparency, usability, and identity at the center of every message.
Authentication, Compliance, Accessibility, these are the three foundational pillars. Senders who invest in that foundation now will not only stay ahead of changes like the EAA; they’ll be better positioned for whatever inbox expectations come next.
The future of email is not about finding new tricks. It’s about getting the basics right and keeping them right.
The future of email is not about finding new tricks. It’s about getting the basics right and keeping them right.
See what you can accomplish with the world’s best email delivery platform.
