E-commerce WCAG Compliance Consultant: Why Your Online Store Needs One

Your online store can be hard to find for people who need it most. Often, the problems are simple: broken navigation, missing alt text, or forms that don’t work with screen readers. However, these issues can stop shoppers from completing a purchase. A Forbes report found that 96% of the top e-commerce sites in the U.S. have accessibility barriers. In 2023 alone, more than 4,600 web accessibility lawsuits were filed, with many aimed at e-commerce, food service, and retail.

Every inaccessible page means a lost customer and raises legal and financial risks. So, accessibility is important for business, legal, and ethical reasons. Hiring a WCAG compliance consultant for e-commerce helps make sure your site is usable by everyone and meets legal standards. This is one of the most reliable ways to protect your revenue and reputation.

In this guide, we will explain why these specialists are essential for online stores and how they help avoid costly mistakes.

What WCAG Really Means for E-commerce?

In general, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a technical manual that provides a roadmap for making your website usable for everyone. It has instructions on how to meet the requirements of people with different types of disabilities: visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments. Following WCAG is like giving your store a universal key; it opens the door for every potential customer.

These guidelines are based on four essential principles, often summarized as POUR:

• Perceivable: Content must be available in ways users can perceive. Think about text alternatives for images or captions for videos so no visitor misses your message.
• Operable: Users should navigate and interact with your site easily, whether using a keyboard, mouse, or assistive technology.
• Understandable: Interfaces and content need to be predictable, consistent, and easy to follow. Confusion is the enemy of conversion.
• Robust: Your site must work with current and future assistive technologies, ensuring long-term accessibility as devices and software change.

WCAG also defines three compliance levels:

• Level A, basic accessibility requirements; the absolute minimum.
• Level AA, the standard most e-commerce businesses aim for, meets legal expectations in the U.S. and EU.
• Level AAA, advanced accessibility, typically for government or specialized sites.

For e-commerce, WCAG compliance builds trust with customers and works on brand awareness. 

How Inaccessibility Affects Your Online Store’s Performance

You can create the best modern website using the latest technologies and spend on marketing to promote your product. However, you might overlook small details. Here are some situations where ignoring accessibility can lead to problems and losses.

Lost Sales Opportunities  

If your store isn’t accessible, you might be missing out on 20% of potential buyers. For instance, users who rely on screen readers or keyboard navigation may leave your site if they can’t access important functions like product filtering or checkout.

High Bounce Rates  

Users with low vision or cognitive disabilities may exit your site if the text contrast is poor or if navigation is confusing. Making your site more accessible often lowers bounce rates by improving usability for everyone.

Abandoned Checkout  

Complex forms that lack clear labels, error messages, or focus indicators are major barriers in e-commerce. A consultant can help create checkout flows that are simple and intuitive for all users.

Reduced Customer Loyalty  

Customers notice brands that show they care. Inclusive websites build trust and encourage repeat visits. On the other hand, ignoring accessibility can push your audience away, and they rarely return.

Common Accessibility Challenges in E-commerce Websites

Although e-commerce and retail have a unique place in business, their websites are often created based on common principles. This means that many accessibility issues for people with disabilities tend to be similar. However, there are also some specific points to consider.

• Product Pages

Missing alt text for images, unlabelled buttons, and improper heading structures confuse screen readers. This makes it hard for users with visual impairments to explore products.

• Forms and Checkout Flows

Another issues are inaccessible form fields or missing focus indicators. They usually frustrate users and lead to abandoned carts. Complex checkout processes without clear labels or instructions especially impact users with cognitive disabilities.

• Navigation Menus

Mega menus with lots of filters and dropdowns are a no for users who rely on keyboard or assistive technologies. This limits access to your full product catalog.

• Color Contrast and Fonts 

You might want to stand out and choose catchy colors, yet poor readability and low contrast affect users with low vision or color blindness. Text that blends into the background can make browsing and shopping confusing, which increases bounce rates.

• Third-Party Integrations

One of the most significant pain points that usually doesn’t meet WCAG compliance is in embedded elements, like videos, chat widgets, and payment gateways. If they aren’t accessible, users may leave the site, which reduces conversion rates.

What Can an E-Commerce WCAG Compliance Consultant Do for Your Business?

Well, now that you know what problems to expect, it’s time to focus on the solution. You can study the instructions and materials on your own and handle everything yourself. But why do that when you can get help from a professional WCAG compliance consultant? Their key services include:

• Accessibility audits, which combine automated scans with manual testing, including screen reader checks, to find issues that tools alone can miss.
• Remediation planning, where they provide detailed recommendations tailored to specific platforms to address gaps and achieve the required WCAG compliance level.
• Ongoing monitoring, which involves regularly checking accessibility as new products, features, or third-party integrations are added.
• Training and knowledge transfer, where they teach development teams about accessible design principles and coding practices to ensure long-term compliance.

Whether you use a custom platform or a provider for your e-commerce business, you can find a WCAG expert to suit your needs:

• Shopify WCAG compliance consultant works on making Shopify themes, checkout, and third-party apps fully accessible. 
• Magento WCAG compliance consultant adapts accessibility solutions for complex product catalogs and extensions. 
• Drupal WCAG compliance consultant makes sure that the content structure, ARIA roles, and custom modules are accessible. 

How Hiring an Accessibility Consultant Benefits E-Commerce 

The main advantage of web accessibility consultants is that they have enough knowledge, skills, and experience to spot problems and find the best solutions. Here’s how accessibility skills lead to clear gains for your online store:

Reduced Legal Risk 

Accessibility lawsuits against e-commerce businesses are on the rise. A dedicated consultant helps ensure your site meets WCAG standards, lowering your risk of costly ADA, Section 508, or state-level lawsuits.

Cost and Time Efficiency

Trying to fix accessibility issues on your own often results in partial compliance and repeated efforts. A professional simplifies audits, fixes, and monitoring. You get a faster implementation and fewer interruptions to your e-commerce operations. For instance, a Shopify WCAG remediation plan helps your store meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards without repeated trial and error.

Improved User Experience

Accessible design makes navigation, readability, and checkout easier for all users, not just those with disabilities. Assistance in Shopify WCAG compliance helps to improve key issues with product pages or forms and create intuitive shopping experiences that cut down on confusion and frustration.

Higher Conversions and Retention 

Inclusive websites attract more engagement. Accessible product catalogs and straightforward checkout processes help reduce abandoned carts. A consultant can create a Magento WCAG compliance strategy for complex product catalogs and multi-step checkout processes. However, you might need to hire Magento experts to implement improvements as best and quickly as possible.

Stronger Brand Reputation

Showing inclusivity builds customer trust. When shoppers see that your site is accessible to everyone, they are more likely to return and leave positive reviews. For companies using Drupal, hiring a Drupal WCAG compliance specialist makes sure that even complex content structures and dynamic modules meet accessibility standards.

Future-Proofing 

WCAG standards change over time. Consultants help you stay up-to-date with future WCAG updates. For example, proper Drupal WCAG remediation guarantees that custom modules, multimedia, and interactive content remain accessible as standards evolve.

How to Choose the Right WCAG Consultant for Your E-commerce Business

The truth is that to get the best results, you need a specialist who understands your needs. However, that might not be enough. Here are some important steps to help you choose the right WCAG compliance expert for you.

Step 1: Verify E-commerce Expertise  

Make sure the consultant has actual experience with the e-commerce industry and platforms. Request case studies that show successful improvements of common issues that lead to higher retention and income. Look for knowledge of platform-specific issues.

Step 2: Check Certifications and Skills  

Professional credentials are important. Certifications like IAAP CPACC or WAS show confirmed expertise. For platform-specific work, check if the consultant has experience with Shopify or Magento.

Step 3: Evaluate Testing Approach  

Good consultants combine automated scans with manual testing. They should use assistive technologies like screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), keyboard navigation, and mobile accessibility tools to mimic real user experiences.

Step 4: Review Reporting and Documentation  

An expert provides detailed audit reports, remediation plans, and steps after fixes. This helps your team implement changes effectively and track compliance improvements.

Step 5: Assess Collaborative Capability  

Achieving accessibility requires close work with your development team. The consultant should guide your efforts to make your e-commerce platform compliant and accessible. He is also responsible so that your in-house developers or hired specialists can make the necessary changes.

Step 6: Confirm Ongoing Support 

Accessibility is an ongoing effort. Choose a consultant who can establish accessible design practices and set up monitoring routines for future updates or new products.

What to Expect: Process & Timeline

Implementing any updates takes time, but it also doesn’t start with a fix. Here’s what you can definitely expect to achieve a high-quality and long-lasting result.

Accessibility Audit  

The consultant reviews your site manually and with automated tools. This includes all elements of the page with media. They document critical issues, usability blockers, and problems specific to your platform, if there are any.

Detailed Report & Roadmap  

You receive a prioritized remediation plan. The report lists issues by severity and WCAG criteria. It includes code snippets or design guidance and suggests which fixes to address first.

Implementation of Fixes  

You can use your in-house team or hire e-commerce developer to put the recommended changes into practice. The consultant supports this process to check compliance for your specific platform. 

Continuous Monitoring  

After the fixes, the consultant retests the site using assistive technology to confirm compliance. They set up ongoing monitoring procedures to make sure new products, pages, or integrations remain accessible. This completes the process and prevents regression.

Mobilunity: Your Trusted Partner for E-commerce Accessibility

For businesses that want to make their online stores fully accessible, Mobilunity is a trustworthy partner with experience in various platforms. With over 15 years in IT services, the company has offered accessibility consulting and dedicated developers who help clients navigate the challenges of WCAG compliance.

Mobilunity has completed over 150 projects in more than 20 countries. Whether your business needs a single WCAG consultant or a full managed accessibility team, we can support you.

We focus on results. Each accessibility solution aims to do more. It improves user experience and conversions while keeping your site compliant with changing WCAG guidelines. By partnering with Mobilunity, you can effectively combine compliance, inclusivity, and performance without putting extra pressure on your internal teams.

Conclusion

E-commerce accessibility is about creating a shopping experience that fits everyone. Inaccessible websites can cost businesses potential sales and customer trust, or even lead to legal issues. It is a great example of how minor problems create real and expensive barriers.

Hiring a WCAG compliance consultant gives your business expert insight into the unique challenges of e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, or Drupal. These consultants help to fix existing issues and design an inclusive website that is easy to use. 

Investing in accessibility means investing in growth. The sooner you tackle the barriers on your site, the sooner you can attract a larger audience and simplify the shopping experience. 

Make shopping seamless for everyone and improve user satisfaction with a Mobilunity e-commerce WCAG compliance consultant.

Written by:

Anastasia Stefanuk

Market Researcher

Disclaimer: All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate numbers based on the research done by our in-house Marketing Research Team. Please use these numbers as a reference for comparison only. Feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.