Guide · updated October 2026

The European Accessibility Act for online shops

Since 28 June 2025, online shops selling to consumers in the EU must be accessible to people with disabilities. Here is what that means in practice, without the legal jargon.

Does it apply to my shop?

The EAA (Directive (EU) 2019/882) covers e-commerce services: any website or app where consumers can buy products or services online. It applies if you sell to consumers in the EU, wherever your company is based. A UK or US shop shipping to Germany is in scope.

The main exemption: micro-enterprises providing services, meaning fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million. If you're above either threshold, plan to comply.

What does "accessible" mean?

In practice, the benchmark is the harmonised European standard EN 301 549, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 level AA for web content (and WCAG 2.2 is quickly becoming the expected baseline). The requirements boil down to four principles. Your shop must be:

• Perceivable: text alternatives for images, sufficient colour contrast, captions for video.
• Operable: everything works with a keyboard, no time traps, visible focus, adequate touch targets.
• Understandable: clear labels on forms, helpful error messages, predictable navigation, declared page language.
• Robust: clean, valid code that works with screen readers.

You must also publish information about how your service meets the requirements (Annex V), usually an accessibility statement linked from your footer or terms.

The most common failures on online shops

1. Low-contrast text (grey on white, white on light buttons, sale badges).
2. Product images without alt text.
3. Icon-only buttons and links (cart, search, menu, social icons) with no accessible name.
4. Form fields without labels: newsletter sign-ups, search boxes, quantity selectors.
5. Variant pickers (size/colour swatches) that can't be used with a keyboard or screen reader.
6. Pop-ups and cart drawers that trap keyboard focus or can't be closed.
7. No accessibility statement.

The first six are exactly what an automated scan finds quickly. Run a free scan to see which apply to you.

What happens if I don't comply?

Each EU country sets its own penalties and enforcement body. Fines range up to hundreds of thousands of euros in some member states, and authorities can order non-compliant services to be fixed or withdrawn. In 2026 enforcement became concrete: courts have ordered large retailers to make their shops accessible under daily penalties, and in Germany shops have received warning letters over accessibility failures. Consumers and disability organisations can also file complaints.

A practical checklist

1. Scan your key pages (home, category, product, cart, checkout) with an automated tool.
2. Fix critical and serious issues first. It is usually a handful of theme templates.
3. Test manually: keyboard-only shopping, 200% zoom, a quick screen reader pass.
4. Publish an accessibility statement with a contact for accessibility feedback.
5. Re-test after theme updates and at least yearly.
6. Avoid overlays: widgets that claim instant compliance don't fix the underlying code.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the national law of the countries you sell to.