Accessible Online Shopping: practical steps for clearer digital stores

Plain language and clearer content: Use short sentences and everyday words. Break product details, shipping and return rules into small sections with clear headings. Label important actions like “Add to cart” or “Checkout” unambiguously. Avoid long, complex sentences and industry jargon. Use bullet lists, short summaries and helpful tooltips where needed. Structured content also helps screen readers and search engines understand the site better.

• Short sentences and simple words
• Clear headings and sections
• Bullets instead of long paragraphs for details
• Explanations for technical terms

Keyboard access and focus management: Not every shopper can use a mouse. Ensure every function is reachable via keyboard: navigation, product selection, form filling and checkout. Provide visible focus indicators so users know where the keyboard focus is. Keep the tab order logical and consistent. Interactive elements need meaningful labels so screen readers can announce them correctly. Regularly test the site using only the keyboard to find issues.

• Make all functions accessible by keyboard
• Provide visible focus indicators
• Maintain logical, consistent tab order
• Use descriptive labels for buttons and fields

Contrast, typography and visual cues: Sufficient colour contrast between text and background is essential for people with low vision. Do not rely on colour alone to convey information. Offer scalable font sizes, readable typefaces and generous line spacing. Keep icons and graphics simple and clear. Consider optional high-contrast or large-text modes. These adjustments improve readability and navigation for many users, not only those with disabilities.

• Ensure adequate colour contrast
• Avoid using colour as the only information channel
• Provide scalable fonts and clear typefaces
• Offer high-contrast or larger-text options

Forms, alt text and clear orientation: Forms are common pain points. Use visible labels, mark required fields clearly and provide specific error messages. Inline validation helps when messages are announced to assistive tools and are keyboard accessible. Add alternative text to images that explains content or purpose briefly. Provide clear structure with breadcrumbs, visible menus and consistent buttons so users can orient themselves. Progress indicators and a stepwise checkout reduce uncertainty.

• Clear labels and concrete error messages
• Alternative text for images and product photos
• Breadcrumbs, progress indicators and consistent menus
• Step-by-step checkout with visible steps