Illustrative case: Online store (home & living), Amsterdam — 2026

Online store made WCAG 2.1 AA for the Accessibility Act

From 63 findings to zero critical issues and a published statement.

Web accessibility (WCAG)Maintenance, support & SLA Retail & e-commerce

Plate 18 · AUDIT

0 critical WCAG issues after retest
63 findings fixed
+6% checkout conversion
3 wks from audit to statement

01 — The challenge

The store was built on a purchased theme with custom changes: unnamed buttons, filters that didn’t work with a keyboard, 2.8:1 contrast on prices and a checkout screen readers couldn’t follow. A customer in a wheelchair had complained, and the legal deadline of the European Accessibility Act was fixed.

The owner didn’t want a new store; the changes had to go into the existing theme without hurting conversion.

02 — Our approach

We ran an audit according to WCAG-EM on a sample of 18 pages and flows, automated with axe-core and manually with NVDA, VoiceOver and keyboard only. Every finding got a priority, a fix and an estimate.

We then fixed the findings in the Liquid theme and checkout settings: semantic structure, focus order, labels, error messages, contrast via the design system, alternative text from product data and keyboard operation of filters and menus. All changes were tested in a preview and with two assistive-technology users.

Finally a retest, an accessibility statement based on the EU model text and a monitor that reports new issues monthly.

03 — The solution

Zero critical and zero serious findings on retest, a published statement, an internal guideline document for the content team and a monthly scan as part of the Care plan.

Side effect: checkout conversion rose 6%, especially on mobile, because forms and error messages became clearer for everyone.