European Accessibility Act: What Online Shops Must Do
Since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act requires many online shops selling to EU consumers to make their websites, apps and checkouts usable by people with disabilities. If you run an ecommerce store, you need to know whether you are in scope, what "accessible" means in practice and how to get there without rebuilding everything. This guide covers the essentials. It is general information, not legal advice, and enforcement is national, so check your country's rules or ask a specialist.
Key takeaways
- The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) applies from 28 June 2025, and ecommerce services to consumers are in scope.
- Your website, app, checkout and product information all need to be accessible.
- In practice, requirements follow standard EN 301 549, which aligns with WCAG 2.1 AA.
- Microenterprises providing services are exempt from the service requirements, but not from product requirements.
- You need an accessibility statement explaining how your service meets the requirements.
Accessibility used to be seen as something for public sector websites and large brands. The European Accessibility Act, often shortened to EAA, changed that for private businesses selling certain products and services to consumers, including ecommerce. The goal is that people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disabilities can find products, understand them and buy them without unnecessary barriers.
For a small shop, this is also a business opportunity. An accessible store is usually easier for everyone to use, including older shoppers, people on small phone screens and anyone browsing in bright sunlight or with one hand. Many accessibility fixes are the same things that make a checkout smoother.
Who the European Accessibility Act applies to
The EAA is a directive, which means each EU country has written it into national law. Enforcement is handled nationally, for example through Germany's BFSG. The core scope for online shops is the same across the EU: ecommerce services offered to consumers are covered.
That includes your website, your mobile app if you have one, the checkout and payment flow, and the product information you show. It applies to businesses selling to EU consumers, so sellers based outside the EU that target EU consumers should take it seriously too.
The microenterprise exemption
Microenterprises providing services are exempt from the service requirements. A microenterprise here means a business with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million. Many very small online shops fall into this group.
Two cautions apply. First, the exemption covers the service requirements, not product requirements, so if you make or sell products covered by the EAA, such as certain consumer electronics, separate rules may still apply. Second, growing past the thresholds brings you into scope, and accessibility work takes time. Building good habits now is cheaper than a rushed fix later.
Common mistake
Assuming that a small shop is automatically exempt. The exemption depends on both headcount and financial thresholds, and it only covers service requirements. Check your figures and your product range before you decide the EAA does not apply to you.
What "accessible" means for an online shop
The EAA sets out functional requirements: information must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust, and the service must work with assistive technologies such as screen readers. In practice, compliance is measured against the harmonized standard EN 301 549, which aligns with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA.
Here is what that usually means on a store, area by area:
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Images | Product photos have meaningful alt text; decorative images are hidden from screen readers |
| Color and contrast | Text and buttons have enough contrast; color is never the only way to show information, such as stock status or errors |
| Keyboard use | Menus, filters, size pickers and checkout work with a keyboard alone, with a visible focus indicator |
| Forms | Every field has a clear label; errors are explained in text and linked to the field |
| Structure | Headings are in a logical order; pages have clear titles and landmarks |
| Media | Product videos have captions; nothing flashes rapidly or autoplays with sound |
| Time limits and pop-ups | Session timeouts can be extended; cookie banners and pop-ups can be closed by keyboard and screen reader |
| Payment | Payment widgets and authentication steps are usable with assistive technology |
Pro tip
Try buying something from your own store using only the Tab, Enter and arrow keys, without touching the mouse. If you get stuck on a filter, a size selector or a pop-up, you have found a real barrier. Then turn on the screen reader built into your phone or computer and repeat the test on one product page.
How to bring your store into line
You do not have to fix everything at once, but you need a plan that starts with the most important journeys. A practical order of work for a small shop looks like this:
- Check your scope. Confirm whether you are a microenterprise for service requirements, and whether any products you sell have their own accessibility rules.
- Map your key journeys. Home page, search, category page, product page, cart, checkout, account login and contact. These are the paths that matter most.
- Run automated checks. Free browser tools can flag missing alt text, low contrast and unlabeled fields. They catch only part of the issues, but they are a quick start.
- Test manually. Use keyboard-only navigation and a screen reader on each key journey. Note where you get stuck or confused.
- Talk to your platform and theme provider. Many issues come from themes, apps and plugins. Ask what accessibility work they have done and whether they meet EN 301 549 or WCAG 2.1 AA.
- Fix in order of impact. Start with barriers that block checkout, then product information, then everything else.
- Publish an accessibility statement. Explain how your service meets the requirements, any known limitations and how customers can contact you.
- Make it routine. Check new products, campaigns and apps for accessibility before they go live.
Example
Imagine a small homeware shop on a hosted ecommerce platform. A keyboard test shows that the color swatches on product pages cannot be selected without a mouse, and the newsletter pop-up traps focus. The owner switches to a theme whose swatches are proper form controls, replaces the pop-up app, adds alt text to the top 50 products (a made-up number) and writes clear error messages for the address form. The checkout now works with a keyboard from start to finish.
Product information and content
The EAA is not only about code. The information you write also needs to be accessible. Product descriptions should be clear and structured, with key facts such as size, materials and care in text, not only inside images. If a size chart is an image, provide the same information as a text table.
- Write alt text that describes what matters for buying, such as color, shape or pattern.
- Use real headings and lists in descriptions instead of bold lines and dashes.
- Keep sentences plain and avoid jargon where you can.
- Add captions or transcripts to product videos.
- Make sure prices, delivery costs and stock status are readable as text.
If several people add products to your store, write a short content guide with these rules and a few good examples of alt text and descriptions. A one-page guide shared with everyone who edits listings prevents new barriers from creeping in every time you launch a collection.
Risks and how to stay on track
Because enforcement is national, the authority, procedure and possible penalties depend on the country. Consumers and organizations can also raise complaints. Beyond legal risk, an inaccessible checkout simply loses sales from customers who cannot complete it.
Benefits of acting early
- More customers can complete a purchase
- Cleaner pages often help usability for everyone
- Fixes are cheaper when built into routine work
- You are ready if you grow past the thresholds
Challenges to expect
- Themes and apps may be outside your control
- Automated tools miss many problems
- National rules and enforcement differ
- New content can quietly add new barriers
Your accessibility action plan
- Check whether you meet the microenterprise thresholds for services
- List your key shopping journeys from search to payment
- Run an automated check and a keyboard-only test on each journey
- Test your product page and checkout with a screen reader
- Ask your platform, theme and app providers about EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 AA
- Fix checkout barriers first, then product information
- Publish an accessibility statement with a contact option
- Add accessibility checks to your launch routine for new content
Frequently asked questions
Is an accessibility overlay widget enough?
Usually not on its own. Overlay tools can change some settings, but they rarely fix underlying problems in code, structure and forms. Focus on making the site itself accessible, and treat any widget as an extra at most.
Does the EAA apply to sellers outside the EU?
If you offer ecommerce services to consumers in the EU, the EAA can apply to you even if you are based elsewhere. Check the national rules of the countries you target, and consider the microenterprise thresholds.
What goes in an accessibility statement?
In general terms: how your service meets the accessibility requirements, any known limitations, and how customers can contact you or get help. Check national guidance for the exact content expected in each country.
Do I need to rebuild my whole store?
Rarely. Many shops can make big progress by choosing an accessible theme, fixing forms and alt text, and testing key journeys. Larger changes may be needed if your theme or checkout cannot be made accessible.
Related reading
The bottom line
The European Accessibility Act makes accessible ecommerce a legal requirement for many shops selling to EU consumers, with EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 AA as the practical yardstick. Check whether the microenterprise exemption applies, test your key journeys with a keyboard and a screen reader, fix checkout barriers first and publish an accessibility statement.
Enforcement and details vary by country, and this article is general information rather than legal advice. Check the European Commission's pages on the Act, your national authority's guidance and, if needed, an accessibility specialist before you rely on any single checklist.
