As eCommerce continues to grow, ensuring your online store is accessible to everyone is not just a moral responsibility—it’s also becoming a legal requirement. The European Accessibility Act (EAA), set to take full effect by June 2025, mandates that all digital services, including eCommerce platforms, must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. For Shopify store owners, this means ensuring that your online shop meets the EAA’s stringent accessibility standards.
At Sweans, we’re not just experts in Shopify development; we’re also leaders in accessibility auditing and remediation. In this blog, we’ll explore why accessibility is crucial for Shopify stores, what the EAA requires, and how Sweans can help you ensure your store is fully compliant while enhancing your customer experience.
Why Accessibility Matters for Shopify Stores?
- Expanding Your Customer Base: Approximately 87 million people in Europe have some form of disability. Making your Shopify store accessible allows you to tap into this significant market, offering a better shopping experience for everyone, regardless of their abilities.
- Legal Compliance: Non-compliance with the EAA can lead to hefty fines, legal challenges, and damage to your brand’s reputation. By ensuring your Shopify store is accessible, you protect your business from potential legal issues and align with European standards.
- Improved User Experience: Accessibility features often enhance the overall user experience for all customers. For example, clear navigation and alternative text for images benefit not only users with disabilities but also those who use mobile devices or have slower internet connections.
- SEO Benefits: Accessible websites often perform better in search engines. Features like proper heading structures, alt text, and video transcripts can improve your site’s SEO, driving more organic traffic to your Shopify store.
What Does the EAA Require for eCommerce Platforms?
The European Accessibility Act outlines several key requirements for eCommerce platforms, including:
- Accessible Navigation: Your Shopify store’s navigation must be easily usable by everyone, including those using screen readers or other assistive technologies.
- Alternative Text for Images: All images must include descriptive alt text to ensure users with visual impairments can understand the content.
- Accessible Forms and Checkout Process: Every form on your site, from contact forms to the checkout process, must be fully accessible, allowing all users to complete transactions independently.
- Readable Content: Your content should be easy to read and understand, with options for font size adjustment and high-contrast modes.
- Accessible Multimedia: Videos and other multimedia should include captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions to ensure all users can access the information.
How Sweans Can Help Your Shopify Store Achieve Accessibility Compliance?
As a Shopify agency and an accessibility audit expert, Sweans is uniquely positioned to help your store meet the EAA’s requirements. Here’s how we can support your journey to compliance:
1. Accessibility Audits
- What We Do: Our team conducts a comprehensive audit of your Shopify store, identifying areas that do not meet accessibility standards. We use a combination of automated tools and manual testing by accessibility experts to ensure no issue goes unnoticed.
- Why It’s Important: An audit provides a clear roadmap of what needs to be fixed to achieve compliance, saving you time and resources in the long run.
2. Custom Shopify Development
- What We Do: If your store requires adjustments or new features to meet accessibility standards, our Shopify development experts can build custom solutions tailored to your needs.
- Why It’s Important: Our dual expertise in Shopify and accessibility ensures that any changes made to your store will enhance usability without compromising the design or functionality.
3. Remediation Services
- What We Do: After identifying accessibility issues, we work with you to fix these problems. This includes optimising your store’s navigation, ensuring all images have descriptive alt text, improving form accessibility, and more.
- Why It’s Important: Timely remediation ensures that your store meets the EAA standards well before the 2025 deadline, reducing the risk of penalties and enhancing your store’s inclusivity.
4. Ongoing Support and Monitoring
- What We Do: Accessibility is an ongoing process. We offer continuous monitoring and support to ensure your Shopify store remains compliant as new regulations and standards emerge.
- Why It’s Important: Regular updates and audits keep your store accessible to all users, ensuring you remain compliant and competitive in the market.
5. Training and Consulting
- What We Do: We provide training for your team on best practices for maintaining accessibility in your Shopify store. Our consulting services can help you integrate accessibility into your overall eCommerce strategy.
- Why It’s Important: Helping your team with knowledge ensures that accessibility becomes a core part of your business operations, leading to sustained compliance and a better user experience.
As the June 2025 deadline for the European Accessibility Act approaches, now is the time to ensure your Shopify store is fully accessible and compliant. Accessibility is not just about meeting legal requirements; it’s about offering a better shopping experience for all your customers and tapping into a wider market.
At Sweans, we’re here to help you navigate the complexities of the EAA and make your Shopify store a model of accessibility and inclusivity. From comprehensive audits to custom development and ongoing support, we have the expertise to ensure your business thrives in an accessible digital marketplace.
Ready to make your Shopify store accessible and compliant with the European Accessibility Act? Contact Sweans today to schedule an accessibility audit and take the first step toward a more inclusive and successful online business.
