Retail and e-commerce

For a retailer, the website is often a second storefront. Customers browse products, compare sizes and prices, check stock at a local location and complete a purchase without leaving home. That convenience matters most to people for whom visiting a store is difficult. If a customer cannot choose a size with a keyboard, hear the price of an item with a screen reader, or complete checkout at 200% zoom, the sale is lost and the customer may not return.

About 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over reported one or more disabilities in 2022 (Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability 2022). Under Man. Reg. 47/2022, organizations with one or more employees in Manitoba have been covered since May 1, 2025. Web content needed to access your goods or services must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA (s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab)), and web applications published or significantly updated after that date are addressed in s. 8(1) (opens in a new tab).

Where websites in this sector usually fail

The issues below are patterns that recur across retail and e-commerce sites. They are general, not findings about any specific store.

The journeys we test first

• Searching for a product and using category filters
• Viewing a product, choosing size, colour and quantity
• Adding to cart, editing the cart and applying a discount code
• Checking out as a guest, including shipping, payment and confirmation
• Creating an account and viewing order history
• Finding return, exchange and store pickup information

Each journey is tested by keyboard alone, with NVDA on Windows and VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, at 200% text size and at 320 CSS px reflow, in addition to automated scanning. Our method page has more detail.

Beyond the website

Accessible formats and communication supports (s. 5 (opens in a new tab))

Customers should know they can request information in an accessible format. In a store, that might mean staff who will read product details or receipts aloud, or who will email product information. Online, it might mean a clear notice that order confirmations, return policies and size guides are available in an accessible format on request.

Feedback process (s. 9 (opens in a new tab))

Customers need an accessible way to tell you about barriers, whether on the website, in the store or by phone. Listing an email address, phone number and form in the site footer and at the till is a practical approach.

Training (s. 4 (opens in a new tab))

Sales associates and customer service staff, the people who add products and write descriptions, and whoever chooses e-commerce apps and themes are all within the training requirement, which applies as soon as reasonably practicable. Large employers must also document a training policy (s. 4(4) (opens in a new tab)).

What an engagement looks like

Retail sites commonly run on Shopify, WordPress with an e-commerce plugin, or another hosted platform, often with installed apps for reviews, filters and pop-ups. Our approach works within that setup.

1. Audit. We test your key templates and journeys against all 50 WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria. Because product pages share templates, a fix to one template usually corrects many pages.
2. Fixed quote. You receive a written, fixed quote for remediation.
3. Remediation that preserves your design. We repair theme code, labels, contrast and announcements with the least visible change. Where an installed app or a hosted checkout step is outside your direct control, we document it, review the exceptions in s. 7(2) (opens in a new tab), and help you request fixes or choose an alternative.
4. Verification. We retest every fix with assistive technology.
5. Compliance pack. You receive documentation, notice and feedback wording, and training material, plus guidance on writing accessible product descriptions and alternative text going forward.

We never use overlay widgets. If anything we repaired is later found not to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, we correct it at no charge. Ongoing monitoring is available for stores that add products often; see services.

To arrange an audit of your store, contact us, call (431) 816-6210 or email hello@prairieaccessibility.ca.

Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not legal advice.