European Accessibility Act: Is Your Shopify Store Compliant?

Since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) has required many online stores selling to EU consumers to be accessible to people with disabilities. Enforcement started slowly, but national authorities are now checking, and complaints from customers and advocacy groups are increasing.

If you run a Shopify store that sells to EU customers, this is worth understanding properly. The good news: most fixes are practical theme and content changes, not a full rebuild.

What the EAA Covers

The EAA applies to a list of products and services, and e-commerce services are one of them. In simple terms, if consumers in the EU can browse and buy from your website, your store is in scope, unless you qualify for the microenterprise exemption.

The technical benchmark most countries point to is the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which for websites lines up with WCAG 2.1 level AA. If your store meets WCAG 2.1 AA, you are in a strong position.

Who Is Exempt?

Microenterprises providing services are exempt. To qualify, a business must have fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than €2 million. Both conditions must be met.

Two cautions here. First, the exemption is for services; the product side of the EAA works differently. Second, even exempt stores benefit from accessibility: around one in five people has some form of disability, and accessible stores are simply easier for everyone to use, which usually means better conversion and better SEO.

What "Accessible" Means for a Shopify Store

WCAG is built on four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. On a real store, that translates to things like:

• Alt text on product and banner images, so screen reader users know what they show.
• Colour contrast strong enough to read, especially for prices, buttons and sale badges.
• Keyboard navigation: every menu, filter, variant picker, cart drawer and checkout step must work without a mouse.
• Visible focus states so keyboard users can see where they are on the page.
• Labelled form fields in newsletter popups, contact forms and search.
• Captions or transcripts for product videos with speech.
• No content that only works on hover, such as mega menus that disappear for keyboard users.
• Clear error messages when a form or variant selection fails.

The Most Common Problems We See on Shopify Themes

Shopify's checkout is maintained by Shopify and is generally well built. The problems are usually in the storefront, especially on older or heavily customised themes:

1. Variant swatches built as plain coloured circles with no text label or keyboard support.
2. Popups and cart drawers that trap keyboard focus or can't be closed with the Escape key.
3. Image sliders that autoplay with no pause button.
4. Icon-only buttons (search, account, cart) with no accessible name.
5. Low-contrast text placed over lifestyle images.
6. Third-party apps (reviews, upsells, chat widgets) that inject inaccessible code.

Apps are a hidden risk. Your theme might be fine, but a review widget or popup app can still fail basic checks.

Do Accessibility Overlay Apps Solve It?

Overlay widgets that add a toolbar to your site are popular, but they don't fix the underlying code. Many accessibility experts and disabled users criticise them, and they do not guarantee compliance. Use them as an extra at most, not as your solution. Real fixes happen in the theme code and the content.

An Accessibility Action Plan for Your Store

1. Run an automated scan with tools like WAVE or Lighthouse on your home page, a collection page, a product page and the cart. This catches roughly a third of issues.
2. Do a keyboard test: unplug your mouse and try to buy a product using only Tab, Enter and Escape.
3. Fix the theme: labels, focus states, contrast, swatches, popups.
4. Review your apps and replace any that can't be made accessible.
5. Fix content: alt text, heading order, link text that says more than "click here".
6. Publish an accessibility statement explaining your efforts and how customers can report problems.
7. Re-check after every theme update or new app install.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the EAA apply to non-EU businesses?

It applies to services offered to consumers in the EU, so UK, US and Australian stores selling into the EU should take it seriously.

What are the penalties?

Each EU country sets its own penalties. Germany's implementing law, for example, allows fines of up to €100,000, and authorities can also order changes or restrict services.

Is Shopify itself responsible for compliance?

Shopify is responsible for its own checkout and platform code. Your theme, content, and apps are your responsibility.

How long does an accessibility fix take?

For most stores, an audit plus theme fixes takes one to three weeks, depending on how customised the theme is and how many apps you use.

This article is general information, not legal advice.

Want your Shopify theme checked and fixed for accessibility? I audit and fix themes against WCAG 2.1 AA. Get a free quote or see my Shopify development services.