The European Accessibility Act and your online store
Many online shops and digital services selling to EU consumers need to meet accessibility requirements. I check checkout, forms, documents and navigation and give you a fix plan. This is not legal advice; check your own obligations. Quick check from €490.
Answer five questions on the right. Each answer can be changed; the result updates as you go.
Are you in scope?
Question 1 of 5One or more answers leave a question only an adviser can settle.
- You sell to consumers in the EU. Being based outside the EU does not change that.
- Online stores are e-commerce services, one of the services the EAA names.
- Fewer than 10 staff, figures unknown: the exemption turns on the turnover or balance sheet total.
- Customers order on your site or app: the typical e-commerce case.
Take your answers to a lawyer or the supervising authority. Meanwhile a quick check shows how far the site is from WCAG 2.2 AA, whatever the answer.
Not legal advice. This check simplifies the law to five questions; check your own obligations with the supervising authority or a lawyer.
The ecommerce EAA checklist
Six areas of a store, with the checks I run in each and the WCAG 2.2 criteria behind them. Shown with a sample store's markers; clear them and mark your own.
Product pages
Where the decision is made.
- Product images have alt text that names the variant shown
1.1.1 - Size and colour swatches have names and work by keyboard
4.1.2 2.1.1 - Stock and sale prices are not shown by colour alone
1.4.1
Cart
Where quantities change.
- Quantity steppers are labelled and at least 24 by 24 px
2.5.8 4.1.2 - Removing an item is announced, not only shown
4.1.3 - Totals stay readable at 400% zoom without sideways scrolling
1.4.10
Checkout
Where a failure costs the sale.
- Every field has a visible label and the right autocomplete
1.3.5 3.3.2 - Errors say what is wrong in text and point to the field
3.3.1 - The billing address can reuse the delivery address
3.3.7 - Payment and delivery choices work by keyboard alone
2.1.1
Account and log-in
Where customers come back.
- Password managers and paste work; no puzzle without an alternative
3.3.8 - Order history tables have proper headers
1.3.1
PDFs and documents
Terms, invoices, size guides.
- PDFs are tagged with a logical reading order, or offered as HTML
1.3.1 1.3.2 - Terms explain how the service meets the accessibility requirements
EAA info
Customer support
Where people ask for help.
- Contact and help links sit in the same place on every page
3.2.6 - The chat widget works by keyboard and never covers the focus
2.4.11 - Support can explain how the service works with assistive technology
EAA info
Sample store: 2 pass, 3 to fix, 1 not checked. Areas marked to fix are where the quick check starts.
Markers start from sample store, not a client. Nothing you mark is saved or sent.
What the EAA means in Finland
The EU directive sets the rules; each member state writes them into national law and names who supervises. These are the points that matter for a store. Laws change, so check the current text before you rely on any of them.
Not legal advice. I test websites, not legal obligations. For a decision on scope or exemptions, ask the supervising authority or a lawyer.
- EU law
- Directive (EU) 2019/882, the European Accessibility Act. Its requirements apply from 28 June 2025.
- Finnish law
- Act on the Accessibility Requirements of Certain Products and Services (laki eräiden tuotteiden ja palvelujen esteettömyysvaatimuksista, 102/2023). Check the current text in Finlex.
- Supervisor
- Traficom for services, per our understanding. owner to confirm
- Exemption
- Micro-enterprises providing services: fewer than 10 staff and an annual turnover or balance sheet total not over €2 million. It covers services, not products.
- Yardstick
- The harmonised standard EN 301 549, which builds on WCAG at level AA. I test against WCAG 2.2 AA, which includes every 2.1 criterion.
- Information
- Services are expected to explain how they meet the requirements, for example in their terms or an accessibility statement like this site's own. Check the current text for the exact duty.
- Transition
- Some existing services and products have transition periods. Whether one covers you depends on dates in your contracts; check the current text.
Likely in scope, or simply not sure? Start with the checkout.
Check my storeFrom quick check to full audit
Fixed prices in euros, excluding VAT 25.5%. Every option ends with a ranked fix plan you can hand to any developer.
EAA quick check
Where does the store stand on the parts customers cannot avoid?
- Checkout, forms, documents and navigation
- Keyboard and automated checks
- Ranked fix plan in plain language
Manual WCAG 2.2 audit
Screen-reader testing through the whole purchase.
- Product, cart, checkout and account
- NVDA and VoiceOver testing
- Evidence and fix for every finding
Full audit and statement
For stores that want the whole picture documented.
- All agreed templates and PDFs
- Prioritised fix report
- Accessibility statement draft
Fixes are separate, at €95 an hour excl. VAT or a fixed price per batch: see accessibility fixes. Templates included per option owner to confirm
How the quick check works
Read-only access is enough. A test order in your payment provider's test mode, if you have one, lets me check the whole checkout.
- 1
Send the store
Your URL and the answers from the scope check. You get a fixed price within one working day.
- 2
Walk the purchase
Product, cart, checkout and account, by keyboard and with automated checks, on desktop and a phone.
- 3
Read the plan
Findings ranked by how many customers they stop, each with the WCAG criterion and a fix.
- 4
Decide the fixes
Fix it yourself, with your developer, or with me. Nothing changes on your site until you decide.
Questions about the EAA
Does the EAA apply to my business?
Probably, if you sell to consumers in the EU through a website or app, but check your own obligations. E-commerce, consumer banking, e-books, passenger transport ticketing and communications services are covered, including businesses based outside the EU that sell to EU consumers. Micro-enterprises providing services are exempt. This is not legal advice.
What do I need to fix first?
Start where a failure stops a purchase: checkout fields without labels, payment steps you cannot reach by keyboard, error messages that are not announced, and log-in puzzles. Then product pages, the cart and the account area, then documents such as terms and invoices. The quick check ranks issues by how many customers they stop.
Are small businesses exempt?
Only micro-enterprises that provide services: fewer than 10 staff and an annual turnover or balance sheet total not over €2 million. Small and medium businesses above those figures are covered, and the exemption does not cover products. Linked or partner companies may count towards the figures, so check your own obligations.
When I would not recommend this
A check is only useful when it leads to fixes. Sometimes another step should come first.
- 01You need a ruling on whether the law applies. That is for a lawyer or the supervising authority; take the summary from the scope check to them first.
- 02You are replacing the store within months. Put the requirements into the new build instead, on the ecommerce route, and check it before launch.
- 03You want a badge, a certificate or an overlay widget. I do not sell any of them: an overlay does not change the code that fails, and no check is a compliance certificate.
Check my store
Send your store address and, if you like, what worries you. You get a written fixed price within one working day.
The quote is free and fixed. If you decide not to go ahead, you owe nothing and keep the scope list.
Prefer email? Write to [email protected]
The check reports how your store measures against WCAG 2.2 AA. It is not legal advice and not a certificate of compliance; check your own obligations.