Short answer: since 28 June 2025 the European Accessibility Act requires most online shops that sell to consumers in the EU to be usable by people with disabilities. In practice that means meeting WCAG 2.1 level AA, the level behind the European standard EN 301 549, across the whole buying journey, and publishing an accessibility statement. Microenterprises that sell services, with fewer than 10 staff and no more than EUR 2 million in turnover, are exempt. Shops outside the EU are covered when they sell to EU consumers.
We are web developers, not lawyers. This article explains what the Act means for the site itself and what we fix on WordPress and WooCommerce shops. For legal questions about your business, ask a lawyer in your market.
Who the Act applies to
| Business | Covered? |
|---|---|
| Online shop selling to consumers in the EU | Yes, the whole buying journey |
| Shop outside the EU selling to EU consumers | Yes |
| Microenterprise providing services (under 10 staff, turnover or balance sheet up to EUR 2 million) | Exempt from the service requirements |
| B2B-only shop | Generally outside the consumer e-commerce scope; check with a lawyer |
| Brochure site with no sales | Not covered as e-commerce, though accessibility still affects every visitor |
Each EU country enforces the Act through its own authority and sets its own penalties, so the consequences differ by market. Complaints and first court cases have already started in some countries.
What an accessible shop has to do
The legal text is written in principles; the practical checklist is WCAG. For a shop, these are the areas where we find most problems:
- Keyboard use. Every menu, filter, product option, cart button and checkout field must work without a mouse, with a visible focus outline.
- Screen readers. Images need alt text, buttons need names, form fields need labels, and errors must be announced, not only shown in red.
- Contrast and text size. Text and buttons must stand out from their background; pages must work when zoomed to 200%.
- Checkout. Clear labels, error messages that say what to fix, no time limits that cannot be extended, and no CAPTCHA without an accessible alternative.
- Media. Videos with captions; no autoplay with sound.
- Pop-ups and banners. Cookie banners and newsletter pop-ups that can be reached, read and closed by keyboard and screen reader.
- Accessibility statement. A page that says how the shop meets the requirements and how customers can report problems.
What we check on a WordPress or WooCommerce shop
- Automated scan of the main templates: home, category, product, cart, checkout, account.
- Manual keyboard test of the full journey from landing page to order confirmation.
- Screen reader test of product pages and checkout.
- Contrast check of the colour palette and every button state.
- Review of plugins that inject their own front end: sliders, filters, reviews, chat, cookie banners.
- Written report with each issue, where it occurs and how it was fixed.
Automated tools catch only part of the problems. The keyboard and screen reader passes are where checkout issues show up, and they are the ones that stop real customers.
Overlays are not a fix
Accessibility overlay widgets promise compliance by adding a script to the page. They do not fix missing labels, broken focus order or inaccessible checkouts, and they can get in the way of the assistive tools disabled visitors already use. Fixing the site itself is the reliable route.
Why this helps sales too
The same fixes help everyone: clear labels and error messages reduce checkout abandonment, good contrast helps on phones in daylight, and keyboard-friendly forms help power users. Accessibility work also overlaps with speed work, because lighter pages with fewer third-party scripts are easier to make accessible. We cover speed in why your WordPress site is slow.
Where to start
- Confirm with a lawyer whether and how the Act applies to your business.
- Test the checkout with only a keyboard. If you cannot complete an order, start there.
- Replace or fix plugins that cannot be made accessible.
- Publish an accessibility statement with a contact for problems.
- Include accessibility checks in every future change to the site.
Accessibility is one of the cost factors covered in what a small business website costs. The shops we have built are on our retail case studies page. We audit and fix shops on our WooCommerce service and company sites on our WordPress website service. If you want your checkout tested, get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
If you sell to consumers in the EU, most likely yes, including shops based outside the EU. Microenterprises providing services, with fewer than 10 staff and turnover up to EUR 2 million, are exempt. Check your case with a lawyer.
Its requirements have applied to products and services placed on the EU market since 28 June 2025.
The Act refers to the European standard EN 301 549, which is based on WCAG 2.1 level AA. Building to WCAG 2.2 AA covers it and the newer version.
No. They do not fix missing labels, broken keyboard navigation or inaccessible checkouts, and they can interfere with assistive technology. The site itself has to be fixed.
Shops covered by the Act must provide information on how their service meets the accessibility requirements, usually as an accessibility statement with a way to report problems.
