Key answer: The European Accessibility Act (EU Directive 2019/882) has applied since 28 June 2025 and covers e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books and telecoms, among others. The practical benchmark for websites and stores is the EN 301 549 standard, based on WCAG 2.1 at level AA. Micro-enterprises providing services (fewer than 10 staff and under €2m turnover) are exempt from the service requirements, yet web accessibility pays off for them too.
Table of contents
The short answer
The European Accessibility Act (EU Directive 2019/882) has applied since 28 June 2025. It covers, among other things, e-commerce, consumer banking services, e-books and telecoms. In Poland it's implemented by the act of 26 April 2024 on accessibility requirements for certain products and services. The practical benchmark for websites and stores is the EN 301 549 standard, based on WCAG 2.1 at level AA – the international guidelines for web accessibility. Below you'll find out whether the rules cover your business, what to check first and how to plan an audit.
Who does the European Accessibility Act apply to?
Primarily to companies selling consumers the digital services listed in the directive. E-commerce is on that list – so your online store is too – alongside consumer banking, e-books and telecoms. If you sell online to individual customers in the EU, web accessibility has stopped being good practice and become a legal requirement.
The rules include one explicit exception: micro-enterprises providing services, meaning companies with fewer than 10 staff and under €2m turnover, are exempt from the service requirements. Services already on the market before the deadline get transitional periods, at the latest until 2030. Non-compliance carries sanctions, and their type and level are set by national law.
What if you run a B2B company?
Let's be honest: many purely B2B companies aren't directly covered, because the directive concerns services for consumers. So we won't argue "because the law says so". Other reasons convince us. An accessible site reaches a wider audience, including older people and people with disabilities – a real customer segment. Semantic structure, alt text and clear headings also help search engine crawlers, so accessibility supports SEO. Add lower risk: legal, as the rules gradually extend to new areas, and reputational already today. Besides, anyone filling in an order form on a phone in bright sunlight will appreciate good contrast and clear forms.
What exactly should you check in your online store?
Start with the six areas where audits find the most problems:
- Contrast: text and key interface elements must stay readable for people with low vision. Free contrast checkers will measure this for you.
- Keyboard access: the whole purchase journey, from product page to payment, can be completed without a mouse. Press Tab and try to buy your own product.
- Forms: every field has a visible label, and error messages say what to fix. "Something went wrong" isn't enough.
- Text alternatives: product photos and informational graphics have alt descriptions a screen reader can announce.
- Captions: product videos and tutorials need captions for deaf users.
- Typography: legible typefaces, sensible sizes, and text that can be enlarged without breaking the layout.
This isn't the full list of WCAG 2.1 AA requirements, but these six points will show you the scale of the topic in your store within an afternoon.
What does an accessibility audit look like and where do you start?
An accessibility audit combines automated tests with a manual walk-through, because tools catch only part of the problems. We start with the journeys you earn on: home page, listing, product page, cart, checkout and the contact form. We run each through a scanner, walk it with the keyboard, test it with a screen reader, then review contrast and content. You get a report with issues ordered by impact on your customer, not by paragraph of the law, so you know what to fix first.
Where to start on your side? Establish whether the rules cover you, go through the six points above, then plan an audit of your key journeys. The transitional periods – for pre-existing services running at the latest until 2030 – leave time for a sensible plan rather than firefighting.
Want to know how your store measures up against WCAG 2.1 AA? Write to us. We'll start with a review of your purchase journey and come back with a concrete list.