From Requirement to Competitive Advantage: Understand the EU Accessibility Legislation and Drive Growth

From June 2025, the EU's Accessibility Act will come into force, requiring both public and private companies to ensure their digital services and products are accessible to everyone. This law opens the door to a more inclusive digital society, where both people with and without disabilities can have equal access to online services.
For businesses, including e-commerce platforms, the law represents not just a legal obligation but also an opportunity to enhance market potential, improve customer experience, and future-proof their digital presence. This article provides a thorough introduction to the accessibility law, its requirements, and practical examples of how businesses can implement and benefit from accessibility.

What is accessibility, and why is it important?

According to Eurostat, one in four adults in the EU has a disability, and in Denmark, the Digital Agency estimates that 15-20% of the population faces challenges in the digital society due to impairments such as visual disabilities, hearing loss, motor difficulties, and cognitive challenges. For people with disabilities, accessibility is not just a "nice-to-have" feature—it's a necessity to participate in society on an equal footing with others.

However, the benefits of accessibility extend much broader:

  • People with impaired vision, hearing, or mobility gain easier access.
  • Temporary challenges, such as injuries or illness, are addressed.
  • All users benefit from better user experiences, such as in situations with poor lighting or noisy environments.

The Accessibility Law and its Requirements

The new EU Accessibility Act encompasses a wide range of digital services and products, including e-commerce. For businesses, this means that their websites and services must meet the standards outlined in EN 301 549, based on WCAG 2.1.

The four basic principles of WCAG:

  1. Perceivable: All content must be perceivable by users, for example, through alt-texts and correct color contrast.
  2. Operable: Navigation and functionality must be accessible through multiple methods, such as keyboards and screen readers.
  3. Understandable: Information and user interfaces must be intuitive and easy to understand.
  4. Robust: Content must be compatible with various assistive tools and technologies.

5 Good Reasons to Act Now

Waiting until the last moment to implement accessibility can lead to high costs and potential sanctions. Moreover, accessibility offers significant advantages:

  1. Expanded Customer Base: Approximately 1 in 4 Europeans has a disability, representing significant purchasing power.
  2. Better User Experience: Accessibility makes navigation easier for all users.
  3. SEO Benefits: Google prioritizes accessible websites, which can enhance your online visibility.
  4. Enhanced Reputation: A company actively working on accessibility signals social responsibility.
  5. Future-Proofing: Acting now allows businesses to adapt to future updates like WCAG 2.2 and WCAG 3.0.

The Shopify Platform and Web Accessibility

The Shopify platform largely meets the basic requirements of the web accessibility act and WCAG guidelines, but there are areas where as a shop owner, you need to take responsibility to ensure full compliance. Here is an overview of how Shopify supports web accessibility by default and what requires additional attention:

Shopify's Strengths in Accessibility

  • Semantic HTML and WCAG Compatibility: Shopify themes are built with semantic HTML, ensuring that screen readers and other assistive tools can understand the page structure.
    • Many standard themes follow WCAG 2.0 or 2.1 level AA, which are the minimum requirements in the EU Accessibility Act.
    • The HTML structure ensures that important elements like headers, forms, and buttons are coded correctly.
  • Responsive Design: All Shopify themes are responsively designed and optimized for use on desktop, mobile, and tablet, supporting accessibility by ensuring content is easily navigable across devices.
  • Keyboard Navigation: Most Shopify themes allow navigation via keyboard without the need for a mouse, crucial for people with motor challenges.

Photo: Example of a theme where it is possible to specify for screen readers what is displayed in the image and/or slideshow

  • Built-in Support for Screen Readers: Shopify themes support screen readers such as NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver. With correct setup, screen readers can efficiently navigate and interact with the shop.
  • Alt-texts for Images: Shopify makes it easy for shop owners to add alt-texts to product images and other visual elements directly in the admin panel.
  • Customization Options: Shopify provides access to theme code (Liquid) and options to customize HTML and CSS, allowing you to address specific accessibility issues.

Shopify's Limitations and Your Responsibility

While Shopify offers strong tools by default, there are certain areas where you must take further action to ensure you meet the new requirements:

  • You need to manually add meaningful alt-texts to images and ensure that buttons and links have descriptive names.
  • Not all Shopify themes meet the requirements for sufficient color contrast. Shop owners should test contrast levels and adjust color schemes if necessary.
  • Apps from the Shopify App Store may have varying levels of accessibility. You should choose apps that meet WCAG standards or test them thoroughly before implementation.
  • You need to ensure subtitles for videos and transcripts for audio files as Shopify does not automatically generate these.
  • Shopify supports the use of ARIA roles, but implementation depends on how you and the developer set up the site. Incorrect or missing ARIA roles can create accessibility issues. ARIA roles (Accessible Rich Internet Applications roles) are part of the WAI-ARIA standard (Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications). They are used to make web content and applications more accessible to users with disabilities, especially those using screen readers or other assistive tools. ARIA roles define what type of element a specific component on a website is and how users should interact with it.
  • Shopify themes include basic forms, but it's important to add clear error messages and ensure that all fields have labels accessible to screen readers.
  • You should test whether all interactive elements (such as links, buttons, and dropdowns) can be navigated using the keyboard.

Recommendations for Fully Complying with the Web Accessibility Act

  • Use Shopify themes designed with accessibility in mind.
  • Use tools like Google Lighthouse or QualWeb to test your Shopify shop for accessibility issues and identify areas requiring improvement.
  • Collaborate with developers or use Shopify's development documentation to customize the theme and fix any accessibility issues.
  • Ensure all media content is provided with alternative texts, captions, or transcripts.
  • Choose only apps that meet accessibility requirements or test them thoroughly before implementation.
  • Invite people with disabilities to test the shop and provide feedback on the experience.

Shopify provides a solid foundation for meeting the requirements of the web accessibility act, but it requires an active effort from the shop owner's side to ensure full compliance. By using Shopify's built-in tools, combining them with manual improvements, and continuously evaluating accessibility, owners can create a shop that not only complies with the law but also offers a better experience for all users.

How to Implement Accessibility?

1. Conduct an Accessibility Audit
We recommend using QualWeb to identify technical issues. Combine this with manual tests, for example, by involving people with disabilities in user tests. Learn more about this in the next section.

2. Prioritize Improvements
Begin with areas that have the greatest impact on user-friendliness, such as:

  • Make navigation accessible via keyboard.
  • Ensure all images have alt-texts.
  • Implement high color contrast between text and background.

3. Involve the Entire Organization
Accessibility is a collective task. Educate employees on accessibility and integrate it into the company's processes.

4. Implement Ongoing Improvements
Accessibility is a dynamic process. Conduct regular tests and updates to ensure compliance with applicable requirements.

How to Test Your Website for Web Accessibility

QualWeb is a free yet advanced tool designed to evaluate whether a website complies with WCAG standards (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). The platform is developed to help both developers and organizations identify and fix accessibility issues. QualWeb performs automated tests based on over 70 rules from Accessibility Conformance Testing (ACT), covering various aspects of web accessibility.

QualWeb tests across multiple categories of accessibility requirements to ensure that all users—regardless of their disabilities—can navigate and interact with web content.

How does QualWeb Help?

  • QualWeb can quickly evaluate a website and identify a range of accessibility issues, saving time compared to manual testing.
  • Test results are grouped into categories, making it easier for developers to prioritize and fix errors.
  • By addressing issues identified by QualWeb, the website becomes more accessible and user-friendly for everyone.

The new EU Accessibility Act is not just a legal obligation—it's an opportunity to create a better and more inclusive digital future. By implementing accessibility, companies not only ensure compliance but also build stronger relationships with customers and strengthen their market position.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who does the Accessibility Act apply to? 
The law applies to both public and private companies offering digital services or products, including e-commerce.

2. What is WCAG 2.1, and why is it important?
WCAG 2.1 is a global standard for web accessibility, outlining requirements for designing digital solutions to be accessible to all.

3. Which tools can I use to test accessibility?
You can use tools like WAVE, Google Lighthouse, and SiteImprove to identify issues and areas needing improvement.

4. What happens if I don't comply with the law?
Companies failing to comply may face sanctions, including fines and demands for changes.

5. How can I start the process?
Begin with an audit of your website and develop an action plan prioritizing the most critical areas.

6. What are the biggest mistakes companies make regarding accessibility?
The biggest mistakes include a lack of employee training, over-reliance on automated tools, and treating accessibility as an afterthought.

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