The UK’s biggest retailers are falling short on digital accessibility, with a new global study revealing that many shopping websites are failing to meet even basic standards for disabled users.
The 2025 WebAIM Million report, which analyses the accessibility of the world’s top one million websites, found that retail homepages had the highest number of accessibility errors of any sector, averaging 71.2 errors per page. Fashion sites followed closely with 64.7 errors and home and garden retailers with 61.9.
The most common problems include low-contrast text (present on 79.1% of retail pages), missing alternative text for images (55.5%), and unlabelled form inputs (48.2%). These issues can make it difficult or impossible for disabled users to browse products, navigate checkout pages, or complete purchases.
The findings come despite a 10.3% overall decrease in accessibility errors across all sectors — a sign that while the web is becoming more inclusive in general, the retail sector is being left behind.
With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into force in June, campaigners say the pressure is on for businesses to bring their digital platforms up to standard. The legislation will require many organisations operating in the EU, including UK-based retailers trading in the bloc, to meet specific accessibility requirements for digital services.
To push for faster progress, Nexer Digital has launched a campaign titled “I Matter Too”, which encourages companies to go beyond compliance and consider accessibility as a core part of their digital strategy. The campaign highlights the lived experiences of disabled people navigating poorly designed websites, aiming to shift the conversation from legal obligations to human impact.
Hilary Stephenson, managing director of Nexer Digital, said: “Retailers are missing out on a huge customer base by not prioritising accessibility. While there has been some progress, change is happening too slowly. Many of the most common accessibility issues, such as missing image descriptions or poor colour contrast, are simple to fix, yet they remain widespread.”
“There are an estimated 16 million disabled people in the UK, with a combined spending power of £274 billion per year, yet many continue to face barriers when shopping online. Businesses need to stop treating accessibility as a box-ticking exercise and build accessibility into websites from the start.”