Shopify is one of the most widely used eCommerce platforms both in Israel and worldwide. It allows businesses of all sizes to launch an online store relatively quickly and easily, with a wide range of templates, integrations, and management tools.
With its extensive library of design themes, advanced management features, and support for multiple languages and currencies, Shopify has become a go-to solution for entrepreneurs who want to build and run an online store efficiently.
From an accessibility standpoint, we can tell you that we've worked with countless closed-source platforms, and Shopify stands out with genuinely strong accessibility foundations. It's clear that the platform's development teams have put — and continue to put — significant effort into meeting accessibility standards.
So, Is My Shopify Store Automatically Accessible? Or Do I Need a Dedicated Shopify Accessibility App?
As much as we wanted to open this article with a big compliment to Shopify, we wouldn't rush to declare that your store is fully accessible straight out of the box.
As with many things in life, the devil is in the details — meaning specific customizations, not just templates, no matter how well-built those templates are.
You may have built your theme with custom modifications, introducing specific elements that deviate from the accessible base template. And it's very likely that certain accessibility aspects were overlooked simply because of unfamiliarity with the subject.
Shopify's accessibility is fairly "natural" and intuitive, and it arrives at a genuinely reasonable baseline. That said, you still need to ensure that your content and design changes — across every theme — don't undermine that accessibility.
Accessibility Considerations on Shopify: Practical Examples
The following examples are drawn mainly from our dedicated article on eCommerce website accessibility, so we highly recommend clicking through for a wealth of detailed information focused specifically on online retail — which is, of course, the whole point of Shopify.
Promotional Banner Images
Many eCommerce sites feature a hero or promotional banner image with text overlaid, advertising deals, sales, and similar marketing messages.
A common mistake is writing an ALT description that describes the visual scene in the banner image to screen readers — for example, describing a family running on the beach — when what actually needs to be conveyed is the text itself, such as: "Buy one get one free on all kids' swimwear."
In addition, if there is fine print — for example, text noting exclusions or conditions — it's important to include that fine print in the ALT description as well.
Remember: users who are blind or have low vision will have no awareness of these important messages unless you explicitly include them.
Clickable vs. Non-Clickable Product Images
If a product image on your site is clickable, you must describe the image and communicate to users with visual impairments that it functions as a button and what that button does.
If the image is not clickable and the product name appears as text directly below it, it is recommended not to add an ALT tag that repeats the product name. The reason is that screen readers will read the product name twice in a row — once from the ALT tag and once from the visible text beneath the image.
Keyboard Navigation
As noted, Shopify generally delivers sites with solid accessibility baked in from the start. They've done excellent work in this area.
That said, it's essential to thoroughly test that keyboard navigation works correctly — especially when custom modifications have been made.
Can a user navigate to a promotional pop-up using only the keyboard? Do your forms allow users to tab through fields in a logical order?
Every aspect of your site must be carefully tested to ensure accessibility is fully functional.
PDF Accessibility
Some eCommerce sites include downloadable product manuals or technical specifications in PDF format.
It's important to note: these are external files that fall outside Shopify's responsibility. Nevertheless, it is absolutely the site owner's responsibility to ensure that any PDFs uploaded to the site are legally accessible.
PDF accessibility is a separate service that is not included in standard website accessibility work (because PDFs are external files, similar to video content). They require their own dedicated remediation process — at a separate cost — involving a thorough review of each individual file. You can read more about this in detail here.
Shopify Accessibility Services with USER A
Looking for a professional accessibility company? We'd love to help.
USER A Web Accessibility offers all accessibility services at a flat rate.
Our service includes a complete package: full site accessibility remediation with manual fixes wherever automation falls short, a custom-written accessibility statement, guidance on maintaining ongoing accessibility, and technical support and accompaniment throughout the year.