Shopify checkout is highly accessible - but your product pages might be costing you sales

If you lead ecommerce on Shopify, the platform gives you a strong checkout foundation. But that only helps if customers can reach it.

In practice, the biggest accessibility failures often happen on the product page template: the place where shoppers choose options, understand price changes, read delivery details, and decide whether to add to basket. If you want the broader commercial context first, start here for free. If you want the Shopify-specific version, this article is for you.

Shopify has put real effort into making its checkout process accessible, which is good news for businesses. Customers who use a keyboard or screen reader can usually complete a purchase without barriers once they are inside checkout.

But that strength only matters if customers can reach it. If they struggle on your product page, your accessible checkout never gets the chance to convert them.

On peak shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, accessible journeys give your business a measurable sales advantage over inaccessible competitors. But the same principle applies every day of the year.

TL;DR for business leaders

• Problem: If customers cannot use your product pages, they never reach Shopify’s accessible checkout.
• Impact: You are excluding potential customers and wasting acquisition spend.
• Fix: Apply the six simple product-page improvements below.
• Result: More customers reach checkout with confidence and complete their purchase.

Why Shopify checkout stands out

Shopify has publicly committed to following WCAG 2.2 AA, the internationally recognised accessibility standard. They also run regular usability testing with people who rely on assistive technology, such as screen readers.

So the final step of your sales funnel is already strong. The question is: how do you make sure customers can actually reach it?

Six ways to make your product pages more accessible

Shopify gives you strong foundations, but your product pages are still your responsibility. Shopify even publishes its own accessibility best practices. Here are six practical improvements you can apply to help more people buy from you.

1. Make product options easy to use

Customers need to be able to choose the right size, colour, or material whether they are using a mouse, a keyboard, or a screen reader. If those options do not work for everyone, some customers cannot buy at all.

Example: On many sites, option buttons are built using non-interactive code such as a <div> styled to look clickable. These do not behave like real form controls, so they are invisible to screen readers and often unreachable by keyboard.

2. Add meaningful image descriptions

Photos sell your products. But if someone cannot see the image clearly, they rely on short written descriptions. Instead of “Product image”, say “Blue waterproof jacket with hood”. Clear descriptions help customers make confident buying decisions.

Example: Without alt text, some screen readers fall back to the file name, which is meaningless for a customer trying to confirm what they are buying.

3. Announce changes clearly

When a customer chooses a different option, the price or stock level might change. Make sure that update is obvious to everyone, including people using screen readers. If changes are not announced, customers may think nothing happened and abandon the flow.

Example: On some sites, changing an option updates the price but no announcement is made. Customers only discover the change later, which creates uncertainty and drop-off.

4. Label every field and every button

From quantity boxes to “Add to basket”, labels matter. They tell customers what each control does, and for assistive technology they are often the only way to understand and use those controls.

Example: A quantity box without a label may be announced by a screen reader as “edit text” with no context. The customer has no idea what it controls.

5. Make sure focus is always visible

When customers navigate with a keyboard, they need to see where they are on the page. A clear focus highlight shows which button or link is currently active. Without it, navigation becomes guesswork.

Example: On some sites, pressing Tab moves through the page but there is no visible outline showing where you are. Customers quickly lose track and abandon the journey.

6. Provide clear page structure

Customers should be able to scan your product page quickly and find product details, price, and delivery information. Use clear headings and consider adding a “Skip to product information” link to help people get there faster.

Example: On many product pages, the actual product information is buried beneath complex navigation, banners, and media. For screen reader users, that often means a long, frustrating route to the content that actually matters.

Quick self-check

Open one of your product pages right now and ask yourself:

• Can I choose a size or colour using only the keyboard?
• Do all product images have meaningful descriptions?
• If I change a product option, is the new price or stock level clear?
• Are all fields and buttons clearly labelled?
• Are buttons and swatches large enough to tap easily on mobile?
• Can I quickly scan the page and jump to the product details?

If the answer is “no” to any of these, customers are probably struggling before they ever reach Shopify’s excellent checkout.

Why this matters for your sales

When customers can use your product pages without barriers, more of them reach Shopify’s accessible checkout - and more of them complete their order.

Accessible product pages do not just reduce drop-offs. They make your acquisition spend work harder, increase completion confidence, and reduce avoidable friction in the journey that matters most.

The sales advantage of accessibility

Shopify’s checkout already converts better than many alternatives - around 15% better, in fact - but you only benefit if customers reach it. Real businesses have shown the upside: stronger conversion, better retention, and clearer return on improvements that remove friction.

Accessibility is not just compliance. On Shopify, it is one of the clearest ways to make sure your strong checkout is not being undermined upstream.

What to do next

If you use Shopify and suspect customers are dropping out before checkout:

1. Test your core product page template first, not just checkout.
2. Work through my free product page accessibility guide to spot the most common blockers.
3. If you want a quick steer on your own store, send me a URL or email me directly and I will tell you where I would start.