Most Online Store Product Pages Still Have Accessibility Problems

The State of Ecommerce Accessibility 2026 report studied 59,400 product pages. It included 39,976 Shopify pages and 19,424 WooCommerce pages. All stores were among the world’s top one million websites. The audit found a critical accessibility issue on 37,874 pages. That equals 64 per cent of all tested pages.

A critical problem can stop a customer from using the page. They may not read important details or choose a buying option. They may also fail to use a form. In total, 96 per cent of pages failed at least one automatic test. Each product page had 21 accessibility issues on average. Popular stores did not perform better. Critical failures rose from 63 per cent in lower-ranked stores to 69 per cent in the top 100,000.

Many parts can cause these problems. A product page combines platform code, themes, apps, plugins, custom work, and store content. Shopify and WooCommerce have improved the areas they control. However, other layers can still add barriers. The report says one person inside the business should own accessibility work. This person should find each problem and send it to the right team.

Poor color contrast appeared on 80 per cent of pages. Other common problems included unclear links and broken heading order. Some buttons were too close together for touch use. Images also lacked useful descriptions. Accessibility overlay tools did not solve everything. Among 1,691 pages with an overlay, 62 per cent still had a critical failure.

The report recommends testing real product pages and fixing the barriers customers meet. Clear headings, image descriptions, and correct form labels help many users. They also help search engines and AI shopping assistants understand products. Accessibility should receive regular attention like conversion, performance, and security. An easy-to-use page can keep customers from leaving for another store.