The UK’s biggest retailers are failing to make their websites accessible, with a new report showing that shopping sites remain among the worst-performing for digital inclusion.
The 2025 WebAIM Million Report, which assesses the accessibility of the world’s top one million websites, found that online shopping platforms had an average of 71.2 accessibility errors per homepage – the highest of any industry. Fashion websites followed closely behind with 64.7 errors per page, while home and garden retailers averaged 61.9 errors.
The most common barriers include low-contrast text (79.1% of pages), missing alternative text for images (55.5%), and unlabelled form inputs (48.2%), making it difficult for disabled users to browse, compare products and complete purchases.
Despite a 10.3% decrease in overall accessibility errors across all sectors, retail websites continue to lag behind, raising concerns that businesses are not doing enough to meet the needs of millions of disabled consumers.
Accessibility advocates say the findings are worrying, particularly with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into effect in June, which will require businesses to meet strict digital accessibility standards.
Hilary Stephenson, managing director of Nexer Digital, said that retailers who fail to act now risk falling behind. She 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.
“With the European Accessibility Act coming into effect this summer, brands have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve. But beyond compliance, this is about ensuring that everyone has equal access to digital services.”
To drive change, Nexer Digital has launched its “I Matter Too” campaign, encouraging businesses to go beyond compliance and embed accessibility into their digital strategies year-round.
The campaign highlights the experiences of disabled users navigating inaccessible websites, reinforcing that accessibility should not be an afterthought, but a fundamental part of design and development.
Stephenson continued: “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.”
