The $13 Trillion Case for E-Commerce Website Accessibility

According to a recent Clutch survey, nearly half (48%) of the top e-commerce sites fail basic accessibility standards, which means millions of shoppers simply can’t make purchases, even when intent is high. That gap creates an estimated $13 trillion loss in sales from the global disability community, quantified in a 2024 white paper by The Valuable 500 and Yale University.

Accessibility is not just a box to tick. It drives revenue, reputation, and defensible advantage. This article shows where revenue leaks occur and how to close the gap with a pragmatic plan.

E-Commerce Website Accessibility Gaps Translate to Real Business Risk

WCAG sets the technical standard for accessible digital experiences. Most brands target Level AA conformance across WCAG 2.1 or 2.2. Regulators and courts increasingly look to those levels as the baseline.

In the U.S., obligations under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) apply to websites as places of public accommodation, and courts have treated digital storefronts like physical ones for access. That means e-commerce ADA compliance is not optional.

In fact, legal exposure moved from theory to precedent years ago. Here are a few major examples:

• Target (2008): The National Federation of the Blind sued Target, resulting in a $6 million settlement that established that websites must be treated like physical stores for access rights.
• Netflix (2012): The National Association of the Deaf reached a $795,000 settlement, confirming that online-only companies must comply with the ADA and provide accessible media.

The Department of Justice sets civil penalties for ADA Title III violations:

• Up to $75,000 for a first violation
• Up to $150,000 for subsequent violations

The business impact from these litigations often extends well beyond fines. As Heral, Managing Director at a WooCommerce Agency, explains, “ADA lawsuits targeting e-commerce sites are on the rise. Getting ahead of accessibility now means future-proofing your business while improving the overall shopping experience.”

Demographics add further pressure. “In many developed markets, populations are aging, so age-related vision, hearing, motor, and cognitive needs represent a growing share of your audience, making accessible design even more critical,” says Lukasz Kacmarek, CEO of Osom Studio.

Moreover, these accessibility upgrades remove friction for everyone, not just those who identify as disabled, saving your brand from litigation costs, reputational risks, and market share loss.

The State of E-Commerce Website Accessibility Today

Clutch’s audit highlights the scale of the problem. In the sample, 56% of e-commerce sites failed basic accessibility standards.

The audit was based on Google’s Accessibility Test, where a passing score sits between 90 and 100:

• Macy’s scored 75 with nine violations.
• Home Depot also scored 75 with WCAG 2.0 AA issues.
• Best Buy scored 80, which still leaves compliance risk.

If these resource-rich teams still have accessibility gaps, the broader market likely has more. The result is lost revenue, user frustration, and legal exposure that is entirely avoidable.

How Top E-Commerce Brands Lead in Website Accessibility

Some brands have made accessibility a discipline. Target, Apple, and IKEA each scored 100 in the Clutch research, earning them all the benefits that come with having an accessible e-commerce experience.

Alex Vilmur of Marcel Digital sums up why accessibility strategy belongs in your brand plan by emphasizing, “Brands that prioritize inclusivity demonstrate social responsibility, build customer loyalty, and tap into a broader audience that might otherwise be excluded.”

Target

Target went from a cautionary tale to a proof point. After its lawsuit, the company has since woven accessibility into its product and store operations, earning a nonvisual web accessibility certification from the NFB (National Federation of the Blind).

Beyond the site, Target recently announced accessible self-checkout experiences in partnership with Elo that include a tactile controller, headphone jack with audio prompts, and physical navigation buttons. That same mindset translates to its e-commerce UX (User Experience) too.

Apple

Apple treats accessibility as a core design input. Its developer guidelines and platform features operationalize it across hardware and software.

They are built-in capabilities with standards that product teams must meet. When an ecosystem sets that bar, commerce experiences built on top of it benefit.

For e-commerce teams, this is a reminder to bake accessibility into design systems, patterns, and QA. By doing so, every new feature is built upon that high standard.

IKEA

IKEA demonstrates consistency on a global scale. The company publishes a clear accessibility statement and targets WCAG 2.1 AA across markets. These design principles are reflected in page structure and predictable navigation across the site. Ultimately, all this improves search and product discovery for every customer.

Next Steps to Improve Your E-Commerce Website Accessibility

Accessibility improvements pay off for every shopper. As Vilmur notes, “When a website is built with accessibility in mind, it ensures that all users, regardless of ability, can navigate, interact, and engage with the content seamlessly.” That's the performance case and the right thing to do.

Top Priorities to Improve Website Accessibility

The data Clutch collected points to immediate fixes that could move both compliance and conversion.

• Touch targets often failed many brands. 64% of sites had touch targets that were too small or crowded, a WCAG 2.2 AA issue that inflates error rates on mobile.
• Color contrast issues show up everywhere. 54% failed basic contrast checks under WCAG 2.0 AA.
• Many do not meet baseline compliance. 22% violated WCAG 2.0 AA, the minimum bar that many legal settlements reference. Whereas, in the sample of 95 sites, 62 missed WCAG 2.2 AA compliance.

However, each of these problems has a clear fix, and these improvements can raise conversion by lowering friction at the exact moments shoppers need clarity.

4 Step Accessibility Framework for E-Commerce Websites

Here's an actionable framework to accelerate progress.

1. Apply Universal Design Principles

Start with shopping tasks that drive revenue. Product discovery, configuration, cart, checkout, and account flows need clean, consistent patterns. Universal design asks for flexibility by default, which is how you support diverse input methods without jarring experiences. Focus on:

• Readable color contrast and scalable type across product cards, price badges, and CTAs
• Keyboard and screen-reader-friendly navigation
• Visible error handling on forms and payment steps
• Predictable component behavior across breakpoints

Treat your design system as the baseline for these rules. When one button component meets WCAG 2.1 AA for color contrast and focus indicators, every screen that uses it benefits. That approach reduces one-off fixes and raises consistency, which speeds up teams while lifting e-commerce accessibility.

2. Ensure Legal Compliance

Tie your compliance goals to concrete standards and markets. “Aim for WCAG 2.1 AA minimum aligned with EAA and track toward WCAG 2.2 going forward,” says Kacmarek. Use that as policy for new features and for remediation scope, so you are not chasing scattered tickets.

Also, keep a concise record of decisions. Capture exceptions and mitigation so legal and procurement teams have answers during vendor reviews. If your brand sells in the U.S., remember that ADA penalties can stack when violations persist, and lawsuits add legal fees and quick timelines on top.

3. Audit with Tools and Humans

Automated scanners catch structural issues at scale. Google's Lighthouse and similar tools help you spot issues quickly and set quantitative targets for sprints. Use the 90 to 100 band as a working benchmark, then verify that real shoppers can complete core tasks without barriers.

As Kacmarek recommends, “Schedule recurring [accessibility] audits (automated and manual) and include users with disabilities in usability testing to validate real-world outcomes.” Build a small panel of shoppers who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, magnification, and voice input. Then, prioritize the gaps they hit during product discovery and checkout because those touch revenue first.

That single practice forces teams to prioritize what matters and builds empathy with direct feedback. For retail, encode checks into release pipelines and add spot audits before high-traffic periods like holidays or product drops.

4. Bake Accessibility Into Every Update

Accessibility fails when it becomes a one-time remediation project. Instead, treat it like performance goals or security.

• Add acceptance criteria for WCAG issues to every user story.
• Put accessibility checks into your workflow, so teams catch breaks before code merges.
• Use component-level testing to prevent the classic misses around ARIA labels and color contrast.

Also, train your content and merchandising teams. Accessible product descriptions, size guides, and promo modules keep buyers moving through the funnel. Pair brief training with templates that force the right structure so content scales without drift.

In this way, every update you make will further reinforce e-commerce website accessibility in the right direction.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Leave $13 Trillion on the Table

Accessibility is profitable, reputationally smart, and legally required. Moreover, the spending power tied to inclusive experiences is too large to ignore. The good news is that the operational steps to capture it are well within reach. Here are simple next steps you can take:

• Run a fast audit of your top five revenue paths and fix high-impact WCAG issues.
• Publish a short accessibility statement and roadmap, then report progress each quarter.
• Add accessibility acceptance criteria to your backlog and enforce them in design plans.

Companies that lead today will set the standard for the market tomorrow. Want to work with the right partner for your business needs? Hire from the vetted list of top-rated web design agencies at Clutch.

About the Author

Jeanette Godreau Senior Content Marketing Specialist at Clutch

Jeanette Godreau crafts in-depth content on web design, graphic design, and branding to help B2B buyers make confident decisions on Clutch.  

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