Retail & E-commerce Accessibility
E-commerce and retail websites are the #1 target for accessibility lawsuits. Proactive compliance protects your business and opens your market to millions of customers with disabilities.
Highest Risk Industry
Retail accounts for 30% of all accessibility lawsuits - the highest of any industry. In 2024, thousands of e-commerce sites faced legal action.
The Business Case
$500B+
Annual spending power of people with disabilities in the US
71%
Of customers with disabilities leave inaccessible websites
$6.9B
Revenue lost annually by UK retailers due to accessibility barriers
Critical E-commerce Elements
Product Discovery
Must Have:
- Accessible search functionality
- Keyboard-navigable filters
- Proper heading structure
- Skip links to results
Common Failures:
- Search autocomplete not keyboard accessible
- Filter changes not announced to screen readers
- Infinite scroll without alternatives
Product Pages
Must Have:
- Alt text for ALL product images
- Color/size selectors accessible
- Price clearly associated with product
- Reviews accessible to screen readers
Common Failures:
- Missing or generic alt text ("product image")
- Zoom features not keyboard accessible
- 360° views without alternatives
- Color-only indicators for selection
Shopping Cart
Must Have:
- Cart updates announced via ARIA live regions
- Quantity controls keyboard accessible
- Remove item functionality accessible
- Clear pricing and totals
Common Failures:
- Mini-cart not keyboard accessible
- Add-to-cart confirmation not announced
- Complex quantity steppers
Checkout (Highest Priority)
Must Have:
- All form fields properly labeled
- Error messages clearly associated with fields
- Address autocomplete accessible
- Payment form fully accessible
- Order review screen reader friendly
Common Failures:
- Credit card fields in iframes not accessible
- Error messages not programmatically associated
- CAPTCHA without accessible alternatives
- Time-limited sessions without warnings
Critical: An inaccessible checkout process is the #1 reason for retail accessibility lawsuits. If users can browse but not buy, you're losing customers AND facing legal risk.
Mobile Commerce
Mobile shopping now accounts for over 70% of e-commerce traffic. Mobile accessibility is essential:
- Touch target size: Minimum 44x44 pixels for buttons and links
- Gesture alternatives: Swipe actions must have button alternatives
- Screen reader support: Test with VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android)
- Orientation: Don't lock to portrait or landscape
- Zoom: Allow pinch-to-zoom on all content
Platform-Specific Considerations
- Choose themes labeled as "accessibility-optimized"
- Test third-party apps for accessibility
- Customize checkout accessibility within Shopify limits
- Use Shopify's built-in accessibility checker
- Use accessible WordPress themes
- Review and test all plugins for accessibility
- Customize templates for WCAG compliance
- Consider accessibility-focused checkout plugins
- Extensive customization capability for accessibility
- Review and customize theme accessibility
- Third-party extensions need careful testing
- Consider accessibility-specific development
- Built-in accessibility features in newer themes
- Review Stencil theme accessibility
- Test all apps and integrations
- Customize checkout page accessibility
Priority Checklist
Focus on these high-impact areas first:
Critical
Checkout process fully accessible
Critical
All product images have descriptive alt text
Critical
Shopping cart keyboard accessible
High
Search and navigation keyboard accessible
High
All forms properly labeled
Medium
Color contrast meets WCAG standards
Medium
Videos captioned
Retail Quick Stats
- Lawsuit Share
- 30% - Highest of any industry
- Key Focus Areas
- Checkout, product pages, navigation
- Applicable Law
- ADA Title III
- Standard
- WCAG 2.1 Level AA
- Typical Settlement
- $10,000 - $100,000+
Testing Tools
Test your e-commerce site for accessibility issues.
Access Testing Tools