3 ways to make your e-commerce site more accessible and disability-friendly - Home & Gift Buyer’s Festival 2026

In 2023, there is no excuse for an e-commerce site that alienates or isolates its visitors. With roughly one in five consumers identifying as disabled, an inaccessible website is not only deeply frustrating for those affected — it also shuts out a large community of potential customers and future brand champions.

Design with accessibility in mind

Aesthetics are not everything, particularly when they come at the expense of user experience and functionality. Avoid flashing elements and fast-moving animation, and use headings and labels to define sections clearly.

Fonts should be clean and easy to read, at a minimum of 16px wherever possible. Contrast should be high so that text, imagery and form fields are easily identifiable. Pair conscious colour choices with bold headlines, underlined text and visual identifiers to convey information as clearly as possible.

When describing the colour of your products, simple is best. Everyone sees colour differently, so avoid vague terms such as apple and use red or green instead.

Say it in several ways

Everyone finds and comprehends information differently, so employ every method of communication you can across your website. Use written, audio and visual techniques to convey your messages, and provide as much additional context as possible.

Use text descriptors throughout your site, but also review your imagery to ensure it accurately conveys products. Always use accurate and detailed alternative text and tags on your images so that those using assistive technology get all the necessary information. If you use video, make sure subtitles are always available — or go a step further and provide transcripts and audio-only versions.

Clearly identify the weights of products and the location and method of any closures, carriers or handles. If you sell clothing, for example, consider the length of a garment both for customers who are standing and for those who are seated in a wheelchair.

Leave no room for frustration

Review your website regularly and hunt for any pain points that could drive a user away. A good place to start is your customer service inbox or social media messages: look for consistent questions or complaints and find ways to address them.

Errors happen on websites, but make sure a user can clearly see what is happening and why. Do not rely on automated error messages; add the context a user would need to resolve the problem and move to the next step of the purchase process with ease.