Though from its inception in the mid-nineties, universal access to information was always meant to be the fundamental promise of the internet, it is unarguably the case that e-commerce represents the prime business opportunity. In 2024, global retail e-commerce sales reached an estimated $6 trillion. Append to this figure the $13 trillion in disposable income that is believed to encompass the disability community and their allies, and a gargantuan market opportunity reveals itself.
It’s in this context that today, over three decades on from the birth of the internet, e-commerce websites continue to lead the way compared to other types of websites and apps when it comes to measurable accessibility failures that ultimately prevent consumers with disabilities from completing purchases. These can include improperly labelled buttons and missing image descriptions rendering websites unusable for customers with visual impairments, inadequate keyboard navigation and inaccessible forms and input fields.
Over the past few weeks, this trend has been fleshed out, evidenced by several recent studies evaluating websites and apps for basic accessibility. Firstly, AudioEye’s 2025 Digital Accessibility Index, which scanned 15,000 websites across education, finance, government, healthcare, hospitality, software, and retail, found that e-commerce led the way in accessibility fails with an average of 350.1 issues per page. The average number of accessibility fails per page was 297 across all sectors, according to the report from the company that specializes in a hybrid approach to web accessibility compliance involving AI tools in combination with expert oversight.
Earlier this month, ArcTouch, which specializes in accessible mobile app design in conjunction with Fable, a platform for inclusive research and digital product testing, with input from Joe Devon, co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, published its State of Mobile App Accessibility report. The research took a deep dive into 50 of the most prominent iOS and Android apps across food & delivery, payments, streaming media, fitness and shopping, examining how the apps interacted with a variety of assistive technologies.
All in all, almost three-quarters (72%) of user journeys studied included accessibility barriers, resulting in a Poor or Failing app experience. Only two of the 50 apps tested achieved Great accessibility rating, while nine received an overall failing grade.
When it comes to e-commerce, Shopping received the lowest Industry Accessibility Score across all sectors (41 out of 100), which equates to a rating of Poor. By contrast, Food & Delivery apps received a score of 57 (Fair), Payments scored 54 (Fair) as did Fitness, while Streaming apps received a score of 60, which is also rated as Fair.
Though disappointing, these latest reports on e-commerce accessibility aren’t entirely surprising. E-commerce websites and apps are amongst the most complex around, often involving intricate visual elements such as product listings and detailed forms, which require specific formatting. The need to check for and remediate accessibility errors may be higher for e-commerce properties than other more static digital assets but the pay-off for making remediations is also more immediate and measurable.
Nevertheless, if having less frustrated customers and abandoned shopping carts is an insufficient carrot for e-commerce brands to get their act together, than the more punitive stick in the form of upcoming legislation like the European Accessibility Act and older but still evolving Americans with Disabilities Act might be all that’s left to ensure that consumers with disabilities end up with the best deal.