WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 in e-commerce - how to adapt an online shop to the new regulations and increase sales?

Key changes in WCAG 2025 regulations for online shop owners

Digital accessibility is one of the most important aspects of modern e-commerce. From 28 June 2025 online shops in Poland and throughout European Union will be obliged to comply with WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 standards at level AA. This is part of European Accessibility Act (EAA), which aims to make the internet easier to use for people with disabilities.

Does your website already comply with these requirements? Or are you not sure what these regulations mean and what consequences you may face for ignoring them? In this article, I explain what WCAG is, who is subject to the new regulations and how to effectively adapt your online shop.

Who is affected by the new rules?

The regulations apply to most online shops, but there are exceptions. According to Polish regulations, micro-enterprises (companies with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover of less than €2 million) are not obliged to implement WCAG accessibility standards.

However, despite the lack of a legal obligation, it is worth considering their implementation because:

• This makes shopping easier for people with disabilities, which can increase conversions.
• It improves SEO, as search engines favour sites that are accessible to users.
• Reduces the risk of losing customers who may have difficulty using the shop.

If your company is not a micro-enterprise, it is mandatory to adapt your shop to WCAG.

What is WCAG and why is it so important?

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to help create sites that are accessible to everyone. There are three levels of accessibility:

• Level A - minimum technical requirements.
• Level AA - required by law in the EU and many other countries.
• AAA level - the highest level of accessibility, mainly used in the public sector.

The new regulations require online shops to meet level AA, which means, among other things:

• Text contrast - comfortable reading for the visually impaired.
• Alternative image descriptions - for screen reader users.
• Mouse-free operation - keyboard navigation.
• Intuitive forms - easy completion of order fields.
• Responsiveness - correct operation on mobile devices.

What requirements must an online shop meet?

Bringing the webshop up to standard WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 at level AA requires a number of changes to ensure better accessibility for all users, including people with disabilities. These standards focus on four core principles: Perceptibility, Functionality, Understandability and Robustness, which ensure that the website is intuitive, easy to use and complies with technological requirements.

To comply with the new regulations, online shop owners should pay attention to the following elements:

Appropriate colour scheme and contrast

• The text on the page must be Readable for visually impaired persons, which means providing minimum contrast between text and background at level 4.5:1 (for plain text) and 3:1 for larger elements.
• Do not rely solely on colour to convey key information (e.g. the „add to cart button” must have clear text instead of just colour coding).
• Avoid excessive bright colours, which can cause reading difficulties or visual fatigue.

2. intuitive navigation and mouse-free operation

• The site must be fully accessible via the keyboard, which means that you can go through all the elements of the interface using the key Tab and the use of Enter to approve elections.
• Important elements, such as menus, the shopping cart or forms, must have a clear and logical structure so that people using screen readers can navigate them easily.
• Order forms should be intuitive, with clear descriptions of each field and the ability for people using assistive technology to enter the content correctly.

3. alternative descriptions for graphics and multimedia

• All images, icons and buttons must have alternative texts (ALT), which will be read by screen readers, enabling blind people to understand their functions.
• Promotional videos, tutorials or other multimedia should have a text transcription or subtitles, so that deaf people can use them.
• Avoid flashing content or fast-moving graphics, which can be problematic for people with epilepsy.

4 Friendly forms and ease of ordering

• The fields of the forms must have clear markings and prompts so that users know exactly what to enter.
• Errors on forms (e.g. failure to enter an e-mail address) should be indicated clear message, and not just a change of colour to red.
• It should be possible to filling out forms without using the mouse, i.e. using only the keyboard and assistive technologies.

5 Responsiveness and adaptation to mobile devices

• The website must function correctly on various devices, including on phones and tablets. WCAG requires texts and elements to be readable on small screens and did not require horizontal scrolling.
• Interactive elements, such as „Buy Now” buttons or product filters, should be comfortable to use with both mouse and touch.
• Avoid the use of fonts that are too small - the minimum recommended size is 16px, and key elements should be able to be enlarged to 200% without loss of legibility.

Availability for assistive technologies

• The website should comply with popular screen readers, such as NVDA, JAWS or VoiceOver, so that visually impaired people can use the shop's offerings comfortably.
• Interactive elements, e.g. buttons, must have clearly defined functions that will be recognised by the supporting software.
• Avoid complex CAPTCHAs that require visual identification - instead, you can use a simple „click to confirm” option” or other available authorisation methods.

How do you prepare your shop for the new regulations?

Implementing WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 standards may seem like a complicated process, but if you approach it methodically, it will make the whole course of action much easier. Adapting an online shop requires several steps to fully comply with the new legal requirements and increase accessibility for users.

1. Conduct an accessibility audit

The first step to adapting your shop is to analyse its current state in terms of meeting accessibility standards. You can do this in several ways:

• Manually analysing the page and reviewing its elements for readability, contrast, keyboard usability and readability of forms.
• Use of automated analysis tools such as Google Lighthouse, axe DevTools or WAVE, which detect potential WCAG-related problems.
• Hire UX and digital accessibility specialists to conduct a detailed audit and identify areas for improvement.

The audit should include all key shop functions, including homepage, product categories, product card, order forms and payment process.

2. Use accessibility tools

Once the audit has been carried out, it is worth reaching out to dedicated tools that can help you customise your site. Here are some solutions that can help:

• Google Lighthouse - a free tool available in the Google Chrome browser that analyses a website for accessibility, SEO and performance.
• axe DevTools - a browser extension that detects accessibility errors and suggests corrections.
• WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool - tests the accessibility of the site and shows detailed reports on problematic elements.
• Screen Reader Testing - checking how the website works on screen readers such as NVDA or JAWS, which are used by blind people.

Regular use of these tools allows problems to be detected and corrected in real time before they become a hindrance to users.

3. Test the shop with users

Testing the site on real users is crucial to ensure that the changes you make to the shop actually improve accessibility. You can do this in several ways:

• Organise tests with people with different types of disabilities to test the functionality of the shop and highlight any problems.
• Provide a beta version of the site to employees or customers who provide feedback on usability.
• Tests on different devices and browsers to ensure that the shop works correctly in different technical environments.

Through testing, you can catch problems that are not automatically detectable, e.g. non-intuitive navigation or overly complex forms.

4. Work with a developer or UX agency

If your online shop is extensive and requires a lot of technical changes, consider working with digital accessibility specialists. UX experts and developers can carry out the comprehensive website customisation, eliminating errors that cannot be corrected on their own.

In particular, it is worth focusing on:

• HTML and CSS code optimisation, to provide a better structure to the page and a correct hierarchy of headings.
• Modification of contrasts and colours, in accordance with WCAG guidelines to increase readability for the visually impaired.
• Improving navigation, so that it is intuitive and can be operated without a mouse.
• Adaptation of interactive elements, such as drop-down menus or buttons to work correctly on different devices.

Good cooperation with experts means faster implementation of accessibility, and confidence that the shop will meet all requirements and be user-friendly.

5. Monitor and update availability

WCAG-compliant shop is not a one-off action, but a process, which should be monitored regularly. Accessibility standards may change, so it is worth implementing systematic checks and updates, to ensure compliance in the long term.

Here are some practical rules:

• Conduct accessibility audits at least once every six months, to spot new problems.
• Update content on the website, with attention to readability, WCAG compliance and accessibility for screen readers.
• Test newly added shop functions in terms of availability, e.g. new product filter options, promotions or order processes.
• Monitor user feedback, noting reported difficulties in using the shop.

By continuously improving the accessibility of your shop, you will not only avoid legal problems, but also improve the user experience, which will translate into more sales and a better brand image.

What are the penalties for non-compliance?

Ignoring WCAG requirements in e-commerce can result in legal and financial consequences. Examples of sanctions include:

• Financial penalties - amounts can reach tens of thousands of euros, depending on the EU country.
• Inspections and audits - regulators can order improvements to the online shop.
• Possible lawsuits - customers who cannot use the shop can file lawsuits.
• Loss of customers - lack of availability means fewer users and therefore lower revenue.

If your shop is not WCAG compliant, it is worth acting as soon as possible to avoid penalties and negative consequences for business.

Summary

Digital accessibility is not only an obligation, but also an opportunity for business development. WCAG 2.1/2.2 makes the shop more user-friendly, better optimised for SEO and more modern.