ADA compliance · E-commerce

ADA compliance for e-commerce stores.

E-commerce draws nearly 70% of digital accessibility lawsuits. We test the path plaintiffs test first: product page, cart, and checkout.

See plans and pricing

$75

Monitor · per month

$250+

Remediate · per month

The short answer

What does ADA compliance mean for online retailers?

E-commerce sites are the most-sued category under ADA Title III, accounting for nearly 70% of digital accessibility lawsuits in 2025. Compliance means a shopper using a keyboard or screen reader can find a product, pick a variant, add it to cart, and pay without help. The benchmark courts use is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Nearly 70% of 2025 digital accessibility lawsuits targeted e-commerce sites (UsableNet).
35.8% of the top 500 U.S. e-commerce retailers were sued at least once in 2025 (UsableNet).
45% of 2025 federal filings named a company that had already been sued before (UsableNet).
The European Accessibility Act has applied to e-commerce sold to EU consumers since June 28, 2025.

The exposure

Why online stores get sued first

Plaintiff firms run automated scanners across thousands of storefronts, and retail sites share the same themes, apps, and checkout patterns. One failing pattern in a popular Shopify theme can put hundreds of stores in scope at once.

Being sued once doesn't close the file. Stores that settle without changing their code, or that keep adding apps and product pages without testing, get named again. That's why nearly half of federal filings in 2025 were repeat defendants.

Selling into California adds the Unruh Act's $4,000 minimum statutory damages per violation. Selling into the EU brings in the European Accessibility Act, which covers e-commerce services directly.

The rules

Accessibility laws that apply to online retailers.

ADA Title III
Who it covers
Any U.S. business selling to the public online
Standard
WCAG 2.1 AA, as referenced by DOJ and in settlements
Timing
In effect now
California Unruh Civil Rights Act
Who it covers
Stores with California customers
Standard
Any ADA violation is also an Unruh violation
Timing
In effect now. $4,000 minimum per violation
European Accessibility Act
Who it covers
Non-micro businesses selling to EU consumers
Standard
EN 301 549 (WCAG 2.1 AA)
Timing
Applied from June 28, 2025

Accessibility laws that apply to online retailers
Law or rule	Who it covers	Standard	Timing
ADA Title III	Any U.S. business selling to the public online	WCAG 2.1 AA, as referenced by DOJ and in settlements	In effect now
California Unruh Civil Rights Act	Stores with California customers	Any ADA violation is also an Unruh violation	In effect now. $4,000 minimum per violation
European Accessibility Act	Non-micro businesses selling to EU consumers	EN 301 549 (WCAG 2.1 AA)	Applied from June 28, 2025

Common failures

Where storefronts fail

What we find most often on sites in this industry, and the WCAG success criterion each one fails.

Product images with no alt text, or alt text that says only the file name
Where it shows up
Product grids, galleries, zoom viewers
WCAG criterion
1.1.1 Non-text Content
Size and color swatches that can't be selected by keyboard or aren't announced
Where it shows up
Variant pickers
WCAG criterion
2.1.1 Keyboard, 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
Add-to-cart confirmation shown visually but never announced
Where it shows up
Slide-out carts, toasts
WCAG criterion
4.1.3 Status Messages
Checkout fields without programmatic labels or autocomplete
Where it shows up
Shipping and payment forms
WCAG criterion
1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose, 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
Discount popups that trap focus or can't be closed
Where it shows up
Email capture modals
WCAG criterion
2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap
Sale prices shown only in red, strikethrough prices not announced
Where it shows up
Collection and product pages
WCAG criterion
1.4.1 Use of Color, 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Auto-rotating hero carousels with no pause control
Where it shows up
Home page
WCAG criterion
2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide

Common accessibility barriers on websites for online retailers
Barrier	Where it shows up	WCAG criterion
Product images with no alt text, or alt text that says only the file name	Product grids, galleries, zoom viewers	1.1.1 Non-text Content
Size and color swatches that can't be selected by keyboard or aren't announced	Variant pickers	2.1.1 Keyboard, 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
Add-to-cart confirmation shown visually but never announced	Slide-out carts, toasts	4.1.3 Status Messages
Checkout fields without programmatic labels or autocomplete	Shipping and payment forms	1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose, 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
Discount popups that trap focus or can't be closed	Email capture modals	2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap
Sale prices shown only in red, strikethrough prices not announced	Collection and product pages	1.4.1 Use of Color, 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Auto-rotating hero carousels with no pause control	Home page	2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide

What you get

What's included for online retailers.

On Monitor ($75/mo)

Monthly crawl of collection, product, cart, and content pages, including new products as they're added
Manual keyboard and screen reader run through the full purchase path each month
Third-party app audit: reviews, subscriptions, upsells, and chat widgets flagged by vendor
Fix tickets written for your theme developer or Shopify agency

Added on Monitor + Remediate (from $250/mo)

Theme-level fixes to Liquid, Twig, or React templates so they apply across every product
Bulk alt text for the catalog, written for what the shopper needs to know
Accessible variant pickers, cart drawers, and modals
Retesting after theme updates and app installs

Pricing

ADA compliance pricing for online retailers.

No annual audit invoice, no widget license. Monthly pricing and work you can see in the report.

Monitor

$75/mo

Continuous WCAG 2.2 AA monitoring and a prioritized fix list your team can ship.

Baseline audit against WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 Level AA
Automated scans of your site every month, plus alerts when new issues ship
Manual checks of key templates: keyboard, screen reader, zoom, and forms
Prioritized recommendations with the exact WCAG success criterion and fix guidance
Monthly report showing open issues, resolved issues, and trend
Accessibility statement drafted for your site

Best for: Teams with a developer or agency who can implement fixes.

Start monitoring

Monitor + Remediate

$250/mo and up

Everything in Monitor, and we fix the issues in your code and content.

Everything in Monitor
We implement fixes in your theme, templates, CMS, and content
Alt text, captions, form labels, color contrast, focus order, and ARIA repairs
Accessible PDF and document remediation, quoted by volume
Regression checks after every fix and every major release
Documented remediation log you can hand to counsel or procurement

Best for: Businesses that want the issues fixed, not just reported.

Get a remediation quote

Monitor + Remediate starts at $250/mo. Final price depends on site size, number of unique templates, platform, and how much content (PDFs, video) needs remediation. You get a fixed monthly quote before anything starts.

How it works

Baseline, prioritize, fix, and keep it fixed.

01
Baseline
Automated crawl plus manual testing of your highest-traffic and highest-risk templates. You get a scored list of every WCAG failure we find.
02
Prioritize
Issues ranked by user impact and legal exposure: checkout, booking, forms, and navigation first. Cosmetic issues last.
03
Fix or hand off
On Monitor, your developers get fix-ready tickets. On Remediate, we ship the fixes and verify them.
04
Hold the line
Monthly scans and manual spot checks catch regressions from new pages, plugins, and releases before a plaintiff's scanner does.

Questions

E-commerce ADA compliance FAQ.

Is my Shopify store ADA compliant out of the box?

Not automatically. Shopify's checkout is maintained by Shopify and is generally in good shape. The theme, apps, and content you add are yours. Most issues we find on Shopify stores come from theme customizations, missing product alt text, and third-party apps like review widgets, upsell popups, and chat.

Do I need to make every product image accessible?

Every image that conveys information needs a text alternative. For products, that means the alt text should describe what a shopper can't see: color, material, the angle shown. Purely decorative images should have empty alt text so screen readers skip them. On Remediate, we write catalog alt text in bulk and set up a template so new products ship with it.

Are third-party apps my responsibility?

In practice, yes. A plaintiff sees your storefront, not your vendor list. If a review app or chat widget blocks a screen reader user, it's your site that fails. We flag inaccessible apps by name and, where the vendor can't fix them, recommend alternatives.

Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my U.S. store?

If you sell to consumers in the EU and aren't a microenterprise (fewer than 10 employees and under €2 million annual turnover or balance sheet), it likely does. The EAA requirements map to WCAG 2.1 AA, so the same remediation work covers both. Confirm applicability with counsel.

Keep reading

More on ADA website compliance

Related industries

Other industries we cover.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Quorum is not a law firm, and this page is not legal advice. Deadlines and rules change. For advice on your situation, talk to an attorney.

Get a baseline for your site.

See every WCAG failure on your site, ranked by risk, before you commit to fixes.

Start with Monitor, $75/mo