WCAG E-commerce Audit

E-commerce accessibility after the 2025 deadline

E-commerce accessibility is not only about colour contrast and image alt text. If a user cannot find a product, use the cart, complete payment or recover from a form error, the service is not really usable.

From 28 June 2025, accessibility requirements apply to many services in Estonia and across the EU. The Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority explains that the requirements come from national legislation implementing the European Accessibility Act.

For an online shop, the practical question is simple: can a person complete the service if they do not use a mouse, use a screen reader, zoom the page or make a mistake in a form?

Do not test only the homepage

Many accessibility checks start with the homepage. In e-commerce, the real risk is usually inside the purchase journey.

At minimum, check:

  • the homepage and main navigation;
  • category and search result pages;
  • product detail pages;
  • the shopping cart;
  • checkout;
  • payment method selection;
  • shipping method selection;
  • account creation and login;
  • order confirmation;
  • emails and PDF invoices, if they are part of the service.

If one of these steps is inaccessible, the whole shop may be unusable for some customers.

Keyboard use

One of the most valuable tests is also one of the simplest: can the purchase be completed using only the keyboard?

Check whether:

  • menus open and close with the keyboard;
  • keyboard focus is always visible;
  • product filters are usable without a mouse;
  • quantity controls and add-to-cart buttons work;
  • modal dialogs do not trap focus incorrectly;
  • checkout fields follow a logical order.

If focus disappears, jumps unexpectedly or gets stuck inside a component, the user loses their place.

Forms and errors

Checkout forms are often the most fragile part of an online shop.

A good form:

  • connects every field with a clear label;
  • shows the error close to the affected field;
  • explains what is wrong and how to fix it;
  • does not rely on red colour alone;
  • preserves already entered data;
  • helps the user move back to the problem.

An error such as "Error" or "Fill in all fields" is not enough. The user must know which field needs attention.

Screen readers and invisible structure

An accessible shop must make sense even when the visual layout is not visible.

Check whether:

  • heading hierarchy is logical;
  • button names describe the action;
  • the cart icon has an accessible text alternative;
  • product images have useful alt text where needed;
  • filters, choices and states are exposed correctly;
  • dynamic changes, such as cart total updates, are announced.

An automated report is not enough here. The experience must be checked with a screen reader, or at least through semantic HTML and ARIA review.

WCAG 2.2 in practice

WCAG 2.2 gives the technical framework for evaluating web accessibility. In e-commerce, the most important areas include:

  • visible focus;
  • target size;
  • error prevention;
  • accessible authentication;
  • consistent navigation;
  • sufficient contrast;
  • keyboard operability.

These are not only legal checklist items. They directly affect whether a customer can complete a purchase.

What to check in a Drupal shop

For Drupal Commerce or another Drupal-based shop, the theme, contributed modules and custom code all matter.

A practical checklist:

  • does the theme output valid, semantic HTML;
  • are checkout steps logical;
  • do custom forms use Drupal Form API correctly;
  • do AJAX updates announce state changes;
  • are translations available in all active languages;
  • are error messages understandable;
  • are third-party payment flows usable;
  • does the cookie banner avoid blocking keyboard or screen reader users.

If payment is handled by an external provider, the responsibility for the whole user journey does not disappear. The customer experiences it as one service.

Automated tests help, but do not replace manual review

Automated checks can quickly catch missing labels, contrast issues, invalid ARIA relationships and obvious HTML problems.

For an online shop, it is worth automating at least:

  • homepage and category page accessibility smoke checks;
  • add-to-cart flow;
  • the first critical checkout path;
  • focus checks for important components;
  • form error rendering.

But automated tests cannot reliably judge whether text is understandable, whether the purchase journey is logical or whether a screen reader user can complete the process. That is why automated testing and a manual accessibility audit should work together.

Where to start

If the shop has not been checked systematically, the first step does not have to be a full rebuild.

A practical sequence is:

  1. map the most important user journeys;
  2. test them with keyboard and screen reader;
  3. run automated WCAG checks;
  4. classify findings by severity;
  5. fix issues that block purchase first;
  6. add regression tests so the same issues do not return.

Accessibility is not a one-time project. It has to become part of development, content management and maintenance.

WebPro can help assess a Drupal shop's purchase journey, technical implementation and WCAG compliance, then plan fixes without disrupting the existing business.

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Kaido Toomingas Kaido Toomingas WebPro Company OÜ

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