For millions of Americans, online holiday shopping isn’t as simple as adding something to a cart and checking out. A 2026 WebAIM study found that shopping websites averaged 71 accessibility errors per homepage, roughly 27% more than the average website. Only sports websites performed worse.
The findings come as Americans prepare for another record-breaking holiday shopping season. Adobe forecasts $275.1 billion in U.S. online sales between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, including $15.1 billion on Cyber Monday.
Clym reviewed website accessibility research, federal disability data, consumer surveys, and holiday shopping forecasts to examine the barriers shoppers with disabilities may encounter online.
How common are these problems?
WebAIM’s 2026 scan found accessibility errors on 96% of home pages, averaging 56 errors per page, roughly 10% more than in 2025.
The most common problems were:
- Text that's hard to read against its background, found on 84% of home pages
- Images with no written description, found on 53%
- Form fields with no label, found on 51%
- Links with no text explaining where they go, found on 46%
- Buttons with no label, found on 31%
Shopify-powered home pages averaged 75 accessibility errors, while Magento sites averaged nearly 76.
What do these errors look like when you're trying to buy something?
Many shoppers who are blind or have low vision use screen readers, software that reads website content aloud. Without proper descriptions, a product photo may be announced as just "image," while an unlabeled button might offer no clue whether it adds an item to the cart or opens a size chart.
Missing checkout labels can leave screen reader users guessing where to enter their card number, security code, or ZIP code.
Low-contrast text, such as light gray letters on a white background, can make prices, promotions, and return policies difficult to read, especially for older shoppers or people with low vision.
Who is affected?
About 1 in 4 U.S. adults have a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes roughly 1 in 7 with a mobility disability and 1 in 21 with a vision disability.
A 2026 report from the American Institutes for Research estimates that working-age adults with disabilities have $674 billion in disposable income.
In a survey by accessibility testing company Fable, half of assistive technology users said they shop online for physical products weekly, more than twice the rate reported for shoppers overall.
What happens when a shopper hits a wall?
Accessibility problems can cost retailers sales. According to Fable’s survey:
- More than half of respondents named accessibility as a top reason for choosing one store's website over another, ahead of both selection and price.
- About 1 in 4 said they give up on a purchase at least once a month because of accessibility problems.
- More than 1 in 3 said they'll pay more to shop on a site that works for them.
"If the website is hard to read, look at, or navigate, I become suspicious of the product as well," one respondent told Fable.
Most store owners never see the problem because shoppers don’t complain. They just leave,” said Mircea Patachi. “During the holidays, a broken checkout can quietly send a sale to a competitor.
Why should store owners pay attention now?
Accessibility barriers can also expose businesses to legal challenges. According to UsableNet, roughly 80% of website accessibility lawsuits filed in 2026 have targeted e-commerce businesses. The organization projects approximately 6,000 website and app accessibility lawsuits this year, with restaurants and clothing retailers among the most frequent targets.
What can shoppers and store owners do?
Shoppers can take a few steps to make online shopping easier, while store owners can check for common accessibility problems before the holiday rush.
- Use your browser's built-in tools. Zoom, reader mode, and high-contrast settings can make shopping pages easier to read.
- Look for another way to order. If checkout isn't working, try ordering by phone or chat, or contact the retailer for help.
- Tell the store. Report issues like unlabeled buttons or broken checkout steps so the store can fix them.
If you run an online store, try these quick checks before Black Friday:
- Try your checkout without a mouse. Navigate using only the Tab and Enter keys. Can you select products, reach checkout, and complete an order?
- Describe your product photos. Add meaningful descriptions to product images instead of relying on file names.
- Label every form field. Make sure checkout fields have clear labels that remain visible when shoppers type.
- Check your colors. Use a free contrast checker to see whether text, prices, and buttons are easy to distinguish.
- Scan your website for accessibility issues. An accessibility scanner can identify common problems, such as missing image descriptions, low-contrast text, and unlabeled form fields, and give store owners a starting point for improvements.
For shoppers with disabilities, an accessible website can make the difference between completing a purchase and leaving empty-handed. For retailers, fixing common barriers could mean fewer abandoned carts and more sales this holiday season.
This story was produced by Clym and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
