E-commerce is the most frequently sued category in ADA website litigation. Retail websites are high-volume targets because plaintiffs' firms can use automated scanning to identify accessible gaps across thousands of retail sites efficiently. If you run an online store — any size — your checkout flow, product filtering, and cart management are the highest-risk areas, and the areas where most e-commerce sites fail.
The highest-risk e-commerce areas
Product listings and filtering
Filter panels with custom checkboxes, range sliders, and accordion categories are consistently inaccessible. Custom select dropdowns for size, color, and variant selection frequently fail keyboard and screen reader access. Every interactive filter must be operable by keyboard and announce its current state to screen readers.
Product pages
Image galleries with thumbnail navigation, zoom functionality, and image carousels are common failure points. Product variant selectors (size, color swatches) often communicate selection state visually (border, checkmark) without programmatic state. All product images need meaningful alt text — not just the product name, but including color and relevant visual details.
Shopping cart
Quantity adjustment controls (plus/minus buttons) without labels, item removal without confirmation, and price total updates that are not announced to screen readers are the most frequent cart failures. The cart total and item count must be announced as a live region when it changes.
Checkout flow
Multi-step checkout is among the most complex accessibility challenges in e-commerce. Address autocomplete that traps focus, payment form fields without labels, error handling that doesn't direct users to specific failures, and time-limited sessions without warning all violate WCAG. The checkout flow is where inaccessibility causes the most direct business harm — an excluded user cannot complete a purchase.
Platform-specific considerations
- Shopify: Most default themes have reasonable accessibility but customize-heavy stores break it. Theme customizations and third-party apps (reviews, loyalty programs, chat) are the biggest sources of new barriers.
- WooCommerce: Varies dramatically by theme. The Storefront theme has good baseline accessibility; many marketplace themes do not. Test your specific theme and all plugins.
- Magento/Adobe Commerce: Enterprise implementations often involve heavy custom UI. A full audit is necessary — default Magento has known accessibility issues in filtering and checkout.
- Custom-built: You have full control and full responsibility. Evaluate every component against WCAG during development, not after.
A practical accessibility roadmap for retailers
- Audit your checkout flow first — it is the highest-impact, highest-risk user journey
- Fix product variant selectors — accessible color/size selection affects every product page
- Review all images for alt text — automated scanning will flag missing alt; a human needs to evaluate quality
- Test all custom interactive components (filters, carousels, modals) with keyboard and NVDA
- Establish a process for evaluating third-party apps before installation
- Train your content team on alt text — they add new images every week
The bottom line
An accessible e-commerce experience is not just a legal requirement — it is a revenue opportunity. Blind users shop online. Deaf users shop online. Users with motor disabilities shop online. Users who are temporarily injured, holding a baby, or using their phone in bright sunlight shop online. Accessibility improvements that make your site work for users with disabilities make it work better for everyone. The checkout flow that a screen reader user can complete is the checkout flow that converts better on mobile.
Priya Nair
Senior WCAG Auditor
A certified accessibility consultant at BuildWithAccess helping organizations achieve WCAG compliance and build more inclusive digital experiences.
Need help making your site accessible?
We offer free consultations to assess your current accessibility posture and recommend a path forward.
Get a Free Consultation