EAA Compliance for E-Commerce: The Essential Accessibility Checklist
E-commerce websites are a primary target of the European Accessibility Act. If you sell products or services online to EU consumers, your website must comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Here's what to check.
Product pages
- Product images have descriptive alt text (colour, material, use)
- Price information is in real text, not images
- Size/colour selectors are keyboard accessible
- Product descriptions use proper heading hierarchy
- Image galleries and zoom features work with keyboard
Search and filters
- Search input has a visible label or aria-label
- Search results announce the number of results to screen readers
- Filter controls are keyboard operable
- Applied filters are announced via ARIA live regions
Shopping cart and checkout
- Cart updates are announced to screen readers
- Form fields have associated labels
- Error messages identify which field has the problem
- Payment forms are keyboard accessible
- Order confirmation is accessible
The cost of non-compliance
Beyond fines (up to €1M in Spain, €900k in the Netherlands), inaccessible e-commerce sites lose customers. The disability market represents over 120 million people in the EU — their spending power, and that of their families and friends, is estimated at over €800 billion annually.
Accessibility isn't just compliance — it's market access.