Accessibility in Ecommerce: Why It Matters

Making Your Store Welcoming to Everyone

Accessibility in ecommerce isn’t just about compliance or avoiding lawsuits—it’s about ensuring everyone can shop on your site regardless of disabilities or limitations. Approximately 15% of the global population lives with some form of disability, representing a massive market often overlooked by ecommerce businesses. Beyond the moral imperative and business opportunity, many countries have legal requirements for digital accessibility. An accessible website benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities—clear navigation, readable text, and logical structure improve user experience for all customers. Yet most ecommerce sites have significant accessibility barriers that prevent people from browsing, purchasing, or even accessing basic information. Whether you’re building a new store or improving an existing one, implementing accessibility best practices creates inclusive experiences, expands your market, reduces legal risk, and demonstrates your values. Let’s explore why accessibility matters and how to make your ecommerce store accessible to all customers.

Why Accessibility Matters

The Business Case

Massive untapped market:

1 billion+ people worldwide have disabilities
$13 trillion in annual disposable income (disability market)
People with disabilities often have higher brand loyalty when accommodated
Accessible sites rank better in search engines
Improved usability benefits all customers

Competitive advantage:

Most ecommerce sites have accessibility issues
Being accessible differentiates your brand
Demonstrates social responsibility
Builds trust and loyalty
Positive brand reputation

Legal Requirements

Global regulations:

United States:

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to websites
Increasing lawsuits against inaccessible sites
No specific technical standard but WCAG 2.1 AA recommended
Settlements often $50,000-$100,000+

European Union:

European Accessibility Act (EAA) requires compliance by 2025
Applies to ecommerce selling in EU
WCAG 2.1 AA standard
Significant fines for non-compliance

Australia:

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) covers websites
WCAG 2.1 AA recommended
Complaints can lead to legal action

Canada:

Accessible Canada Act (ACA)
Provincial accessibility laws
WCAG 2.1 AA standard

Other countries:

UK, Japan, Israel, and many others have accessibility laws
Global trend toward mandatory accessibility

The Moral Imperative

Beyond business and legal reasons:

Everyone deserves equal access to commerce
Disabilities don’t diminish purchasing power or needs
Inclusion is the right thing to do
Your products could improve someone’s life
Accessibility reflects your values

SEO Benefits

Accessibility and SEO overlap significantly:

Alt text helps search engines understand images
Clear heading structure improves crawlability
Descriptive links benefit both users and search engines
Fast load times help everyone
Mobile accessibility crucial for rankings
Accessible sites often rank higher

Understanding Disabilities

Visual Disabilities

Types:

Blindness (complete vision loss)
Low vision (partial vision loss)
Color blindness (difficulty distinguishing colors)
Age-related vision decline

How they browse:

Screen readers (software that reads content aloud)
Screen magnification
High contrast modes
Keyboard-only navigation

Common barriers:

Images without alt text
Poor color contrast
Text in images
Unlabeled form fields
Complex navigation

Hearing Disabilities

Types:

Deafness (complete hearing loss)
Hard of hearing (partial hearing loss)

Common barriers:

Videos without captions
Audio-only content
No transcripts for podcasts
Phone-only customer service

Motor/Physical Disabilities

Types:

Limited hand mobility
Tremors or spasms
Paralysis
Arthritis

How they browse:

Keyboard-only navigation
Voice control
Switch devices
Eye-tracking technology

Common barriers:

Small clickable areas
Time-limited interactions
Hover-only menus
Drag-and-drop requirements
Mouse-only functionality

Cognitive Disabilities

Types:

Dyslexia
ADHD
Autism spectrum
Memory impairments
Learning disabilities

Common barriers:

Complex language
Cluttered layouts
Distracting animations
Inconsistent navigation
Time pressure
Lack of clear instructions

Temporary and Situational Disabilities

Accessibility helps everyone:

Broken arm (temporary motor disability)
Eye surgery recovery (temporary vision disability)
Bright sunlight (situational vision difficulty)
Noisy environment (situational hearing difficulty)
Holding a baby (situational motor limitation)

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Understanding WCAG

What it is:

International standard for web accessibility
Developed by W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
Current version: WCAG 2.1 (2.2 released 2023)
Organized into principles, guidelines, and success criteria

Conformance levels:

Level A: Minimum accessibility (basic)
Level AA: Recommended standard (most laws require this)
Level AAA: Highest level (often not fully achievable)

Target: WCAG 2.1 Level AA for ecommerce

Four Principles (POUR)

Perceivable:

Information must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive
Provide text alternatives for non-text content
Provide captions and alternatives for multimedia
Make content adaptable and distinguishable

Operable:

Interface components must be operable
Make all functionality keyboard accessible
Give users enough time to read and use content
Don’t design content that causes seizures
Help users navigate and find content

Understandable:

Information and operation must be understandable
Make text readable and understandable
Make content appear and operate predictably
Help users avoid and correct mistakes

Robust:

Content must be robust enough for assistive technologies
Maximize compatibility with current and future tools
Use valid, semantic HTML

Essential Accessibility Improvements

Images and Alt Text

Provide meaningful alt text:

Describe what’s in the image
Be concise but descriptive
Don’t start with “image of” or “picture of”
For decorative images, use empty alt=””

Examples:

Bad: alt=”product”
Good: alt=”Navy blue cotton t-shirt with crew neck”
Bad: alt=”Click here”
Good: alt=”Add to cart button”

Product images:

Describe product, color, key features
Include relevant details for purchasing decision
Update alt text if image changes

Color and Contrast

Sufficient contrast ratios:

Text and background: minimum 4.5:1 ratio
Large text (18pt+): minimum 3:1 ratio
UI components and graphics: minimum 3:1 ratio

Don’t rely on color alone:

Use icons, patterns, or text in addition to color
Error messages: don’t just turn fields red
Charts and graphs: use patterns or labels
Links: underline or use other indicators beyond color

Tools to check contrast:

WebAIM Contrast Checker
Colour Contrast Analyser
Browser developer tools

Keyboard Navigation

All functionality must work with keyboard:

Tab through all interactive elements
Enter/Space to activate buttons and links
Arrow keys for menus and dropdowns
Escape to close modals and menus

Visible focus indicators:

Show clear outline when element is focused
Don’t remove default focus styles without replacement
Make focus indicator high contrast
Ensure focus order is logical

Skip links:

“Skip to main content” link at top of page
Allows keyboard users to bypass navigation
Can be visually hidden until focused

Headings and Structure

Use semantic HTML:

Proper heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
Only one H1 per page
Don’t skip heading levels
Use headings for structure, not just styling

Semantic elements:

<header>, <nav>, <main>, <footer>
<article>, <section>, <aside>
Helps screen readers understand page structure

Lists:

Use <ul>, <ol>, <li> for lists
Screen readers announce number of items
Helps users understand content organization

Forms and Labels

Label all form fields:

Use <label> element associated with input
Labels must be visible (not just placeholder text)
Describe what information is needed
Required fields clearly marked

Error messages:

Clearly identify errors
Explain what’s wrong and how to fix
Don’t rely on color alone
Associate errors with specific fields
Provide suggestions for correction

Example:

Bad: “Invalid email” (vague)
Good: “Email address must include @ symbol. Example: name@example.com”

Links and Buttons

Descriptive link text:

Avoid “click here” or “read more”
Link text should make sense out of context
Describe destination or action

Examples:

Bad: “Click here for our return policy”
Good: “View our return policy”
Bad: “Learn more”
Good: “Learn more about organic cotton”

Buttons vs. links:

Use <button> for actions (submit, add to cart)
Use <a> for navigation (go to page)
Proper semantics help assistive technology

Video and Audio

Captions for videos:

Provide accurate captions for all speech
Include relevant sound effects
Synchronized with audio
Use proper caption formatting

Transcripts:

Provide text transcripts for audio and video
Include all spoken content
Describe important visual information
Searchable and accessible to all

Audio descriptions:

Describe important visual information
For videos where visuals convey meaning
Narrate actions, settings, expressions

Mobile Accessibility

Touch targets:

Minimum 44×44 pixels for tap targets
Adequate spacing between clickable elements
Easy to tap without zooming

Responsive design:

Content adapts to screen size
No horizontal scrolling required
Text remains readable when zoomed
All functionality available on mobile

Orientation:

Support both portrait and landscape
Don’t lock orientation unless essential
Content adapts to orientation changes

Ecommerce-Specific Accessibility

Product Pages

Product images:

Descriptive alt text for all product images
Image zoom accessible via keyboard
Multiple images clearly labeled
360-degree views with keyboard controls

Product information:

Clear heading structure
Specifications in accessible tables or lists
Size charts with proper markup
Reviews accessible and navigable

Add to cart:

Clear, descriptive button text
Confirmation message announced to screen readers
Quantity selectors keyboard accessible
Variant selection (size, color) properly labeled

Shopping Cart

Cart updates:

Announce changes to screen readers
Quantity changes clearly communicated
Remove item buttons clearly labeled
Total updates announced

Cart table:

Proper table markup with headers
Each row clearly associated with product
Actions (edit, remove) clearly labeled

Checkout Process

Form accessibility:

All fields properly labeled
Required fields clearly marked
Error messages clear and helpful
Autocomplete attributes for common fields

Progress indication:

Clear steps in checkout process
Current step clearly indicated
Ability to review before submitting

Payment:

Payment options clearly labeled
Security information accessible
Confirmation clearly communicated

Search and Filters

Search functionality:

Search field properly labeled
Autocomplete suggestions keyboard accessible
Results announced to screen readers
“No results” clearly communicated

Filters and sorting:

Filter controls keyboard accessible
Applied filters clearly indicated
Results update announced
Clear way to remove filters

Testing for Accessibility

Automated Testing Tools

Browser extensions:

WAVE: Free browser extension, visual feedback
axe DevTools: Comprehensive testing, free and paid versions
Lighthouse: Built into Chrome DevTools, accessibility audit

Online checkers:

WebAIM WAVE: Enter URL for instant report
AChecker: Checks against WCAG guidelines
Accessibility Insights: Microsoft tool

Limitations:

Automated tools catch only 30-40% of issues
Can’t test subjective criteria (clarity, usefulness)
Manual testing still essential

Manual Testing

Keyboard testing:

Navigate entire site using only keyboard
Tab through all interactive elements
Ensure focus is always visible
Test all functionality (forms, menus, modals)

Screen reader testing:

NVDA: Free screen reader for Windows
JAWS: Popular paid screen reader for Windows
VoiceOver: Built into Mac and iOS
TalkBack: Built into Android

What to test:

Can you navigate and understand content?
Are images described adequately?
Are forms usable?
Can you complete checkout?

Color and contrast:

Use contrast checker tools
Test with color blindness simulators
Ensure information isn’t conveyed by color alone

Zoom and magnification:

Zoom to 200% – content should remain usable
No horizontal scrolling
Text remains readable
Functionality still works

User Testing

Test with people with disabilities:

Most valuable feedback
Reveals real-world issues
Hire accessibility testers
Services like Fable connect you with testers

Accessibility Tools and Resources

Shopify Accessibility Features

Built-in accessibility features in themes
Skip to content links
Keyboard navigation support
Semantic HTML structure
Choose accessibility-focused themes

Accessibility Apps and Services

Accessibility overlays (use with caution):

AccessiBe, UserWay, AudioEye: Automated accessibility widgets
Pros: Quick implementation, some improvements
Cons: Don’t fix underlying issues, can create new problems, not substitute for proper accessibility
Recommendation: Focus on fixing actual code, not overlays

Accessibility auditing services:

Professional accessibility audits
Detailed reports and recommendations
Ongoing monitoring
$2,000-$10,000+ depending on site size

Learning Resources

WebAIM: Comprehensive guides and articles
A11y Project: Community-driven accessibility resources
W3C WCAG: Official guidelines and documentation
Deque University: Accessibility training courses
Inclusive Design Principles: Design guidance

Common Accessibility Mistakes

Relying on Automated Tools Alone

Automated tools catch only 30-40% of issues. Manual testing and user testing are essential.

Using Accessibility Overlays as Solution

Overlays don’t fix underlying problems and can create new issues. Fix the actual code.

Removing Focus Indicators

Keyboard users need to see where they are. Never remove focus styles without replacement.

Using Placeholder Text as Labels

Placeholders disappear when typing and aren’t always read by screen readers. Use proper labels.

Images of Text

Text in images can’t be resized or read by screen readers. Use actual text with CSS styling.

Auto-Playing Media

Auto-playing videos or audio are disruptive and problematic. Provide controls and don’t auto-play.

Time Limits Without Options

Timed sessions or actions disadvantage many users. Provide options to extend or disable time limits.

The Bottom Line

Accessibility in ecommerce opens your store to 1 billion+ people worldwide with disabilities representing $13 trillion in annual disposable income while reducing legal risk from increasing ADA lawsuits and compliance requirements in the US, European Accessibility Act in the EU, and similar laws globally. Target WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance following the four POUR principles—Perceivable (provide text alternatives, captions, adaptable content), Operable (keyboard accessible, sufficient time, navigable), Understandable (readable, predictable, error prevention), and Robust (compatible with assistive technologies).

Implement essential improvements including meaningful alt text for all images describing products and features concisely, sufficient color contrast ratios (4.5:1 for text, 3:1 for large text and UI components), complete keyboard navigation with visible focus indicators and logical tab order, proper heading hierarchy using semantic HTML (H1, H2, H3 without skipping levels), labeled form fields with clear error messages and correction suggestions, descriptive link text that makes sense out of context, and captions plus transcripts for all video and audio content.

Focus on ecommerce-specific accessibility including product pages with descriptive image alt text and keyboard-accessible zoom, shopping carts with screen reader announcements for updates and proper table markup, checkout processes with properly labeled required fields and clear progress indication, and search and filters that are keyboard accessible with results announced to screen readers. Test using automated tools like WAVE, axe DevTools, and Lighthouse to catch 30-40% of issues, then conduct manual testing with keyboard-only navigation, screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), contrast checkers, and zoom to 200%, and most valuably test with actual users with disabilities through services like Fable.

Avoid common mistakes including relying solely on automated tools without manual testing, using accessibility overlays (AccessiBe, UserWay) as solutions instead of fixing underlying code, removing focus indicators without replacement, using placeholder text instead of proper labels, creating images of text that can’t be resized or read by screen readers, auto-playing media without controls, and imposing time limits without extension options. Accessibility isn’t just compliance—it’s good business that expands your market, improves SEO through better structure and alt text, enhances usability for all customers including those with temporary or situational disabilities, and demonstrates your commitment to inclusion and social responsibility.

Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to accessibility testing tools and services. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend tools we genuinely believe will help you create accessible ecommerce experiences for all customers.