E-commerce

WCAG accessibility audit for PrestaShop

Why PrestaShop causes accessibility issues

PrestaShop is the most widely used open-source e-commerce CMS in France, but its legacy code and third-party modules pose major accessibility problems. Historical PrestaShop themes use HTML tables for page layout instead of CSS Flexbox or Grid, creating structures incomprehensible to screen readers. Registration, checkout, and contact forms systematically lack programmatic labels: fields have placeholders but no associated label tags. Payment, shipping, and promotion modules inject non-semantic HTML without ARIA attributes. Keyboard navigation is neglected: dropdown menus only work with mouse, catalog filters are not keyboard accessible, product zoom modals create focus traps. PrestaShop 8 has improved some aspects, but the majority of stores in production still use non-conformant themes and modules.

Common issues on PrestaShop

HTML tables used for page layout

WCAG 1.3.1

Classic PrestaShop themes and many modules use table, tr, and td tags to position elements instead of CSS. Screen readers interpret these tables as tabular data and announce 'table, 3 columns, 5 rows' for what is actually a visual layout. The blind user tries to navigate the 'table' with dedicated shortcuts without understanding the page structure.

Forms without programmatic labels

WCAG 3.3.2

PrestaShop forms (registration, shipping address, contact, product reviews) use placeholders as the only field indication. Label tags are absent or not associated with the field via the for attribute. Error messages are not linked to the relevant fields via aria-describedby. Required fields are not programmatically identified (aria-required).

Mouse-only menu navigation

WCAG 2.1.1

PrestaShop category menus with dropdown submenus work on mouse hover (CSS :hover or JavaScript mouseenter). Keyboard navigation is not supported: impossible to open a submenu with arrow keys, Enter, or Space. Child categories are completely inaccessible to keyboard and screen reader users.

Third-party modules injecting inaccessible HTML

WCAG 4.1.2

PrestaShop modules (payment, shipping, customer reviews, marketing pop-ups) inject HTML without any accessibility consideration. Cookie pop-ups have no focus trap. Live chat modules create buttons without labels. Payment modules display forms in iframes without titles. Each module adds a layer of non-conformity.

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What Scrutia detects on PrestaShop

Scrutia analyzes the final rendering of your PrestaShop store in a real browser. Our engine detects layout tables, forms without labels, keyboard-inaccessible menus, and non-conformant code injected by third-party modules. We test the complete keyboard purchase journey: category navigation, product page consultation, add to cart, checkout form. Each non-conformity is linked to the relevant WCAG criterion with corrective HTML/CSS/JS code adapted to PrestaShop structure.

Frequently Asked Questions — PrestaShop

Does Scrutia work with PrestaShop 1.6 and 1.7?
Yes. Scrutia analyzes the HTML rendered in the browser, regardless of PrestaShop version. Problems specific to older versions (layout tables, obsolete jQuery) are detected just like those in recent versions.
Are corrections applicable in PrestaShop's Smarty/Twig templates?
Yes. The report provides corrective HTML/CSS/JS code and specifies which template file to modify (.tpl files for Smarty in PS 1.6-1.7, .twig files for PS 8). Corrections are directly applicable in your theme files.
Is a 'responsive' PrestaShop theme automatically accessible?
No. Responsive design (mobile adaptation) and accessibility are two distinct things. A theme can perfectly adapt to mobile screens while being keyboard inaccessible, without form labels, and without ARIA attributes. The Scrutia audit tests actual accessibility, not just responsiveness.

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