ADA Compliance for Ecommerce: Why Online Stores Are the #1 Target

If you run an online store, you are in the highest-risk category for ADA website lawsuits. The numbers are clear.

Ecommerce Is Target #1

According to EcomBack's reporting on digital accessibility lawsuits, ecommerce websites account for approximately 77% of all digital accessibility lawsuits. No other industry comes close.

This makes sense when you consider how courts view it: online stores are clearly places of public accommodation (they sell goods and services to the public), and an inaccessible checkout process directly prevents a person with a disability from completing a transaction.

Why Online Stores Are Vulnerable

Product Images Without Alt Text

The average ecommerce site has hundreds or thousands of product images. Each one needs descriptive alt text that conveys what the product looks like for users who cannot see the image. Alt text like "IMG_4523.jpg" or empty alt attributes are WCAG 1.1.1 violations.

For product images, effective alt text describes the item: "Women's black leather ankle boots, side zip, 2-inch block heel" rather than "boots" or "product photo."

Complex Interactive Features

Ecommerce sites rely on interactive elements that are often inaccessible:

• Product filters (size, color, price) that only work with a mouse
• Image carousels and zoom features without keyboard controls
• Quick-view modals that do not manage focus correctly
• Add-to-cart buttons that do not announce the action to screen readers
• Quantity selectors built as custom widgets without proper ARIA

Checkout Flow Problems

The checkout process is where accessibility failures cause the most direct harm. Common issues:

• Form fields without labels (name, address, credit card)
• Error messages that are not announced to screen readers
• Required field indicators that rely only on color (a red asterisk without text)
• Payment selection interfaces (credit card vs. PayPal) that are not keyboard navigable
• Order confirmation pages that screen readers cannot parse

Dynamic Content

Cart updates, wishlist additions, promo code validation, stock availability changes: these all modify the page dynamically. Without proper ARIA live regions, screen reader users have no idea these updates happened.

Notable Ecommerce ADA Settlements

This is the high end, but it illustrates the potential cost. Most ecommerce ADA settlements fall in the $5,000 to $75,000 range according to Accessible.org, plus attorney fees and mandatory remediation.

Platform-Specific Issues

Shopify

Shopify's default themes (Dawn, Refresh) have reasonable baseline accessibility. Common issues come from:

• Third-party themes with poor accessibility
• App widgets (reviews, upsells, popups) that inject inaccessible HTML
• Custom theme modifications that break keyboard navigation
• Product images uploaded without alt text (Shopify lets you add it, but does not require it)

WooCommerce / WordPress

WooCommerce inherits WordPress's accessibility, which varies by theme:

• Many WooCommerce themes are not built with accessibility in mind
• Plugin conflicts can break keyboard navigation
• The WooCommerce checkout has known accessibility gaps with some payment gateways
• Customizations to the cart and checkout templates often skip accessibility

BigCommerce, Magento, and Others

Similar patterns: the platform provides a baseline, but themes, customizations, and third-party integrations introduce issues. No ecommerce platform is automatically compliant out of the box.

What to Fix First

Prioritize the issues that affect the most critical user flows:

1. Product images: Add meaningful alt text to all product photos
2. Checkout forms: Ensure every field has a proper label
3. Keyboard navigation: Test that users can browse, add to cart, and check out without a mouse
4. Error handling: Make sure form errors are announced to screen readers and described in text
5. Color contrast: Check that all text meets WCAG AA contrast requirements
6. Dynamic updates: Add ARIA live regions for cart updates and status messages

How to Get Started

1. Run a free scan with OnePageAudit on your homepage and key product pages
2. Review the violations found and prioritize by severity
3. Fix critical issues (product image alt text and form labels are usually the quickest wins)
4. Test your checkout flow with keyboard-only navigation
5. Set up ongoing monitoring to catch regressions from new products or theme updates

Do not use an accessibility overlay as a substitute. 22.6% of sued sites had overlays installed, and the FTC has taken enforcement action against the largest overlay company.

• ADA Website Lawsuits in 2025
• ADA Compliance for Small Business
• How to Do a Website Accessibility Audit