The European Accessibility Act for Shopify stores, in plain words

The European Accessibility Act (EAA, Directive (EU) 2019/882) has applied to e-commerce since 28 June 2025. It is not a niche rule for public-sector websites: online shops are named in the directive as an in-scope service. If your Shopify store sells to consumers in the EU, this law is about you, wherever your company is registered.

Who is in scope, and who is not

The obligations fall on the provider of the service, which for a storefront means the merchant. There is one broad carve-out: microenterprises providing services are exempt. A microenterprise is a business with fewer than 10 people and annual turnover or balance sheet at or below 2 million euro. If you are above either line, the service obligations apply to you. Non-EU merchants selling into the EU are in scope the same way.

What "accessible" means in practice

The directive itself states functional requirements, not pixel rules. The practical target comes from EN 301 549, the European standard for digital accessibility, which for web content maps to WCAG 2.1 level AA. For a storefront that translates into checks like:

• Product images carry real alternative text, not filenames.
• Text has sufficient colour contrast against its background.
• Form fields, including search and newsletter boxes, have labels.
• Links and buttons have names a screen reader can announce.
• Headings follow a logical order and the page has one h1.
• Everything works with a keyboard, and focus is visible.

The full working list is longer; we keep a practical version in the Shopify accessibility checklist.

The part most merchants miss: apps

A large share of accessibility violations on Shopify storefronts do not come from the theme. They come from markup injected by installed apps: review widgets, popups, cookie banners, chat bubbles. The shopper sees one page and the law judges one service, so those violations count against you even though another vendor produced them. More on app-injected accessibility problems.

What enforcement looks like

Enforcement is national: each member state designated market surveillance authorities and set its own penalties. Consumers and disability organisations can file complaints. Fines vary by country; in Germany, for example, the implementing law (BFSG) provides for fines up to 100,000 euro. The realistic first contact is an authority asking you to demonstrate conformity and fix findings within a deadline, which is a bad week to start from zero.

A sensible order of work

1. Measure where you stand with an automated audit of your storefront.
2. Fix critical barriers first: missing alt text, contrast, unlabeled forms.
3. Trace remaining violations to their source, theme or app, and fix or replace.
4. Publish an accessibility statement.
5. Re-scan on a schedule so a theme edit or a new app cannot quietly regress you.

Frequently asked questions

Does the EAA apply to my Shopify store?

If your store sells to consumers in the EU, the EAA applies to it as an e-commerce service, wherever your company is based. The one broad exception is microenterprises: service providers with fewer than 10 people and at most 2 million euro annual turnover are exempt from the service obligations.

Since when does the EAA apply?

Directive (EU) 2019/882 has applied to services placed on the market since 28 June 2025. E-commerce is explicitly listed as an in-scope service.

What standard does my store have to meet?

In practice the presumption of conformity comes from EN 301 549, the European standard for digital accessibility, which for websites maps to WCAG 2.1 level AA. Meeting WCAG 2.1 AA on your storefront is the working target.

Am I liable for accessibility problems caused by apps I installed?

Yes. The shopper sees one page and the law judges one service. Markup injected by a review widget, a popup or a cookie banner is part of your storefront even though a third-party vendor produced it.

This guide is practical orientation, not legal advice. For a formal conformity assessment involve a specialist.