EAA compliance for online stores: what changes and what to fix first
The European Accessibility Act applies to ecommerce services offered to consumers in the EU since June 28, 2025. In practice, your whole buying journey, from search to payment, must work for everyone, including keyboard and screen reader users. The technical benchmark is WCAG 2.1 Level AA, via the European standard EN 301 549.
Many merchants spent the first year waiting to see what enforcement would look like. That phase is over. France's consumer protection authority (DGCCRF) opened a dedicated investigation into online shops and apps in January 2026, and Germany's market surveillance body adopted its monitoring strategy early in 2026, including automated checks of web-based services.
This guide is for store owners, ecommerce managers and companies that outsource development but sell into Europe. It covers who is in scope, which issues to fix first and how to approach them on WooCommerce, Shopify and Webflow.
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to your store?
Directive (EU) 2019/882 covers a list of products and services, including ecommerce services provided to consumers. If you run a B2C store that sells in the EU, you are very likely in scope.
- Where you are based does not matter. A business in the UK, the US or Tunisia selling to EU consumers is covered for those sales.
- Microenterprises providing services are exempt: fewer than 10 people and annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million. Both conditions must be met.
- Pure B2B is outside this part of the law, since it protects consumers. A mixed B2B/B2C site is covered for its consumer-facing side.
Exceptions for "disproportionate burden" or "fundamental alteration" exist, but they must be assessed and documented. They are not a way to skip the topic.
Enforcement in 2026: France and Germany
Each member state transposed the directive with its own authorities and penalties. The two largest markets for most European merchants look like this:
| Topic | France | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| National law | Law 2023-171 of March 9, 2023, Decree 2023-931 and Order of October 9, 2023 | Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) |
| Authority for ecommerce | DGCCRF | Marktüberwachungsstelle der Länder (MLBF) |
| Technical reference | RGAA audit method, aligned with EN 301 549 | EN 301 549 (WCAG 2.1 AA) |
| Possible penalties | Compliance orders and fines per breach found | Fines of up to EUR 100,000 for offering a non-compliant service (Section 37 BFSG) |
| Announced checks | Investigation of online shops launched January 2026 | Monitoring strategy adopted early 2026, with automated pre-checks |
In its one-year review published on June 25, 2026, the DGCCRF said around one hundred businesses would be checked during 2026. One investigation also targets companies selling accessibility audits, so "instant compliance" promises are under scrutiny too.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your own situation with a lawyer.
The accessibility issues online stores fail most often
The WebAIM Million report tests the home pages of the top one million websites every year. In February 2026, 95.9% had automatically detectable WCAG failures, with an average of 56.1 errors per page. The most common ones show up on almost every store:
| Issue | Share of pages | Where it appears in a store |
|---|---|---|
| Low contrast text | 83.9% | Light-grey "was" prices, sale badges, text over hero images |
| Missing image alt text | 53.1% | Product photos, category tiles, payment logos |
| Missing form labels | 51% | Search, newsletter sign-up, checkout, filters |
| Empty links | 46.3% | Cart, account and social icons |
| Empty buttons | 30.6% | Quantity +/- buttons, carousel arrows, pop-up close buttons |
The upside: these problems are repetitive and usually live in the theme. Fix the product template once and you fix thousands of pages.
Key requirements along the buying journey
Navigation and search
Everything must work with a keyboard and show a visible focus indicator. Mega menus should open with Enter and close with Escape. Add a "Skip to content" link and declare the page language (lang="en"), which 13.5% of pages still miss according to WebAIM.
Category pages and filters
Faceted filters should use real form controls (checkboxes, buttons) and announce the updated number of results. A grid that silently reloads leaves screen reader users lost.
Product pages
Write useful alt text ("Navy linen dress, back view") rather than file names. Size and colour swatches must communicate their state, such as selected or sold out, without relying on colour alone. Good product content helps accessibility and SEO at the same time.
Cart and checkout
This is where an accessibility bug costs you an order. Every field needs a visible label, correct autocomplete values and clear error messages placed next to the field. WCAG 2.2 adds a Redundant Entry criterion: do not make shoppers type the same address twice. Our guide to WooCommerce checkout optimization covers these settings in detail.
Dynamic content
Slide-out carts, newsletter pop-ups, cookie banners and chat widgets must receive focus when they open, close with the keyboard and never trap the user. Auto-rotating carousels need a pause control.
WooCommerce, Shopify and Webflow: where to start
No platform is compliant out of the box. The core gives you a foundation; your theme, plugins or apps and your content decide the result.
| Platform | What you get | Common risks | First task |
|---|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce | Core and block checkout improved release after release (docs) | Heavy premium themes, filter plugins, sliders, page builders | Audit the theme and every plugin touching product pages and checkout |
| Shopify | Theme Store themes must reach an average Lighthouse accessibility score of 90 across four key pages (Shopify requirements) | Third-party apps (reviews, upsells, pop-ups) and customised themes | Test each installed app with a keyboard and remove what you do not need |
| Webflow | Audit panel flags missing labels, alt text and contrast issues (Webflow Help) | Custom interactions and animations, div elements used as buttons | Clear the Audit panel warnings, then test interactions manually |
A Lighthouse score of 90 or even 100 does not prove compliance. Automated tools catch only part of the WCAG criteria. The rest needs human testing: keyboard-only navigation, a screen reader such as NVDA or VoiceOver, and 200% zoom.
Why accessibility overlays are not the answer
"One-line" accessibility widgets promise instant compliance by adding a script. They do not fix your theme's code and can interfere with assistive technology users already rely on.
In 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission finalised an order requiring accessiBe to pay USD 1 million over misleading claims that its tool could make websites compliant. Budget for fixing the theme instead; the work also improves performance and SEO.
A 6-step EAA compliance plan
- Confirm scope: EU consumer sales, headcount and turnover.
- Audit a representative sample: home, category, product, search, cart, checkout, account and contact pages. Combine automated scanning with manual tests.
- Prioritise by impact: anything that blocks a purchase first (checkout, variant selectors, slide-out cart), then repeated template issues.
- Fix at the source: theme, components and plugins or apps. Replace extensions that cannot be fixed.
- Publish accessibility information: the directive requires you to explain how your service meets the requirements, typically in an accessibility statement or your terms.
- Keep it compliant: train the people adding products (alt text, banner contrast) and retest after every theme update.
If your store is several years old and full of add-ons, a website redesign can cost less than an endless list of patches.
Example: a WooCommerce brand selling into the EU
An illustrative case: a skincare brand with 15 employees sells through WooCommerce to customers in France and Germany. It is above the microenterprise threshold, so its consumer sales are in scope.
The audit finds pale pink sale prices on white, quantity buttons with no accessible name, a "skin type" filter that cannot be used with a keyboard and a newsletter pop-up that cannot be closed without a mouse. The fix list: adjust two brand colours, rebuild the quantity component, replace the filter plugin and reconfigure the pop-up. The catalogue team also gets a short alt text guideline for new product photos.
Every one of these changes also helps mobile shoppers using the store one-handed or in bright sunlight.
Conclusion: treat accessibility as engineering work
Accessibility for ecommerce is no longer optional in Europe. It is enforced, and it is good for conversion: clear buttons, labelled forms and a predictable checkout help every customer.
Our team audits and fixes WooCommerce, Shopify and Webflow stores for merchants in Europe and North Africa, from theme remediation to accessible redesigns. See our WooCommerce development services or learn how companies outsource web development to Tunisia.