Industry News
European Accessibility Act Affecting Apparel E-Commerce around the world
by Yvonne Heinen-Foudeh, Senior International Correspondent
A customer who is blind or has low vision uses a screen reader to shop online. During the checkout process, in many cases, the website’s input fields for name, address, credit card number, and expiration date are not correctly labeled in the website’s code. As a result, the screen reader in place cannot orally announce what each field is for, leaving the user guessing or unable to complete the purchase. The European Union has addressed a significant barrier to independent online shopping for consumers with disabilities through a dedicated regulation promoting barrier-free access. It has implications for all online retailers and e-commerce platforms selling fashion, clothing, and other consumer goods.
On 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force, leaving the 27 member states with a five-year transition period (until 28 June 2030) to transpose the EAA into national law and ensure full compliance, including adoption and publication. Germany is the first country to have transposed regulations along with the EAA into national law through the Accessibility Strengthening Act (“Gesetz zur Stärkung von Barrierefreiheit”), which has been applicable since the end of June.
Significant fines loom Both the EAA and the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) for Germany explicitly apply to international retailers who offer products or services in the German market and all other EU markets. With that, digital offerings such as websites, mobile apps, and online shops throughout the European Union must, in the future, be designed to be universally accessible. And for the German market, this goes into effect immediately. The decisive factor is not where a company is based, but whether its offerings are targeted at consumers in the European Union.
It is recommended that Enterprises falling under the above-described scheme review and adapt their digital offerings according to the timeline to meet the new standards by the deadline, or risk legal consequences. The remaining 26 EU-member states will set their own penalties, which “must be effective and dissuasive”, according to the EAA Directive. For non-compliance in Germany, according to Section 37 of BFSG, fines of up to €100,000 apply for serious violations against the law, such as offering non-accessible websites, apps, or products, or launching inaccessible products or services on the market. Up to €10,000 fines apply in less grave situations, such as missing or incomplete accessibility information or labeling obligations.
Business benefits beckonRegulations according to German BFSG law, as well as EU-wide applying EAA as of mid-2030, certainly present compliance challenges, yet, on the other side of the coin, new opportunities for e-commerce businesses. That said, if not already in place, taking short-term, not to say immediate, measures to ensure full accessibility to digital offerings of various kinds makes a lot of sense.
Fully accessible platforms can expand the customer base in reach accessible drastically as it opens offerings to millions of people with disabilities, older adults, and also those with temporary impairments, as studies show, representing up to 25% of the market in many countries. This target group includes the most active home shoppers, who are likely to spend more when they encounter accessible, barrier-free experiences.
Competitive advantage to come on top: Accessible shops often stand out, attract positive media attention, and build a reputation for social responsibility, which can increase brand loyalty and improve customer experience. Finally, improved accessibility, such as straightforward navigation and readable text, ensures better usability for everyone, including end users with disabilities. Accessibility is indeed both a vital social responsibility and an excellent opportunity to make the digital world more inclusive for everyone.
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Requirements at a glance:With the exception of micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees and less than €2 million annual turnover), the EAA calls all global online providers selling into EU markets to action. The law covers a broad range of digital products and services, such as e-commerce platforms, websites, mobile apps, payment terminals, smartphones, tablets, e-book readers, consumer banking, and audiovisual media services.
Companies need to review and adapt their digital offerings to meet the new standards by the deadline, or risk legal consequences.Digital content is to be accessible to people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairment without undue difficulty or the need for third-party assistance.
Accessibility requirements include:• Multi-sensory information (visual, auditory, etc.)• Easy navigation and clear structure• Comprehensible and flexible content formats• Visual accessibility (appropriate fonts, contrasts, spacing)• Text alternatives for non-text content (images, videos, audio)• Consistent and accessible design across platforms• Compatibility with assistive technologies
For Germany, the immediate valid technical details are defined in the accompanying regulation (BFSGV) and will rely on EU harmonized standards and state-of-the-art technology.
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EAA goal: To harmonize accessibility requirements across the EU for key products and services, including e-commerce platforms. Germany’s implementation of the EU-wide law, makes the requirements legally binding and enforceable with immediate effect. (Visual: created with OpenAI)
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Visual: Inovex (© - pure deco element)
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Mobile devices, computers, phones, banking,and passenger transportation services are required to be universally accessible.
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