If you sell online to customers in the EU, you've probably seen alarming headlines about the European Accessibility Act (EAA) — often paired with a pitch for a one-click "compliance" widget. Here's the calmer, more accurate picture: what the law is, who it actually applies to, and how to find out where your store stands.
The EAA is an EU directive that sets common accessibility requirements for certain products and services. After a transition period, it became enforceable on 28 June 2025. For online retailers, the key point is that consumer e-commerce services are within its scope — meaning the way customers browse, choose and buy on your site needs to be usable by people with disabilities.
Broadly, it applies to businesses offering covered products or services to consumers in the EU. But there's an important carve-out that the scare-pieces rarely mention: microenterprises that provide services are generally exempt from the service obligations. A microenterprise is usually defined as a business with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of €2 million or less.
So a very small store selling into the EU may fall outside the strict service requirements. Two caveats, though:
In other words: many small shops have more breathing room than the ads imply — but you should confirm your own position rather than assume.
Even if the EAA doesn't strictly bind you, accessibility is worth doing:
The recognised benchmark is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), at the AA level — the same standard the EAA's technical requirements lean on. In practice that covers things like: images having text descriptions, buttons and links being clearly labelled, text having enough colour contrast, and the whole site being usable with a keyboard and a screen reader.
You'll see tools promising instant compliance from a single line of code. Be cautious. Accessibility experts and disability advocates have widely criticised these overlays, and they've featured in lawsuits rather than preventing them. There's no magic switch — real accessibility comes from fixing the underlying issues.
Start by getting an honest picture of what's actually wrong. An automated scan reliably catches a large share of common issues (around 57%) in seconds — things like missing image descriptions, unlabelled buttons and low-contrast text — and tells you in plain English what to fix. It won't catch everything (some checks need human judgement), but it's the fastest way to know whether you have a small tidy-up or a bigger job.
Claresto scans your store against WCAG 2.2 AA and gives you a plain-English report in under a minute. Scan your store →
This article is general information, not legal advice. Accessibility obligations depend on your specific circumstances and the country you operate in — if you're unsure of your legal position, consult a qualified professional.