E-commerce

WCAG accessibility audit for Shopify

Why Shopify causes accessibility issues

Shopify has become the reference e-commerce CMS, but its Liquid templates and third-party apps pose systematic accessibility problems. Liquid templates generate HTML that lacks semantic tags: product pages do not use the article tag, product listings are not HTML lists, navigation areas are not enclosed in nav tags. The slide-out cart (cart drawer) opens without moving focus, creating a navigation trap for keyboard users. Collection filters rely on custom JavaScript components without ARIA attributes. Action buttons (add to cart, remove, favorites) use SVG icons without aria-label. Third-party apps (reviews, upsell, pop-ups) inject code without any accessibility consideration. The European Accessibility Act explicitly targets e-commerce services: every Shopify store must ensure an accessible purchase journey or face penalties.

Common issues on Shopify

Cart drawer without focus management

WCAG 2.1.1

Shopify's cart drawer opens as an overlay but does not move keyboard focus to the panel. The user can tab behind the panel, onto invisible elements. On closing, focus is not restored to the trigger button. Keyboard and screen reader users completely lose their bearings on the page.

Collection filters without ARIA attributes

WCAG 4.1.2

Price, size, color, and brand filters use custom JavaScript components (accordions, sliders, custom checkboxes) without required ARIA attributes: aria-expanded for filter groups, aria-selected for active options, appropriate role for widgets. Screen readers cannot identify filter states or interact with them.

Action buttons with icons without accessible label

WCAG 4.1.2

'Add to Cart', 'Remove', 'Favorites', and 'Compare' buttons use SVG icons without alternative text or aria-label. Screen readers announce 'button' without specifying the action. On listing pages, dozens of identical buttons are announced as 'button, button, button', making the page totally unusable.

Product images without descriptive alternative text

WCAG 1.1.1

Shopify product photos have no descriptive alt attribute. Shopify allows entering alt text in the admin interface, but merchants rarely do. Screen readers announce 'image' without context, or the technical filename (black-tshirt-front-view-2.png), depriving blind users of all product information.

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What Scrutia detects on Shopify

Scrutia crawls your Shopify store and tests the HTML generated by your Liquid templates. Our engine simulates a complete keyboard purchase journey: browsing collections, opening product pages, adding to cart, interacting with the cart drawer. We detect focus traps, buttons without labels, inaccessible filters, and images without alt. Each issue is linked to the relevant WCAG criterion with corrective Liquid/HTML/JS code to apply to your theme.

Frequently Asked Questions — Shopify

Does Scrutia test third-party apps installed on my Shopify store?

Yes. Scrutia analyzes the final rendering of your store as it appears in the browser, including code injected by third-party apps (customer reviews, pop-ups, chat, upsell). If an app creates an accessibility problem, it will be detected and flagged in the report.

Are the provided corrections compatible with Shopify 2.0 themes?

Yes. Code corrections are provided in standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, directly applicable in the Shopify theme editor. For 2.0 themes using sections and blocks, we specify which Liquid file to modify and how to structure the correction.

Is the Shopify checkout tested?

The standard Shopify checkout is managed by Shopify and is generally accessible. Scrutia tests all public pages of your store: homepage, collections, product pages, cart. If you use a custom checkout (Shopify Plus), contact us for a dedicated audit.

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