Accessibility now! – How does the new legislation affect eCommerce?

Accessibility means empowering all people to act independently as part of society. In online shopping, this means that everyone should be able to purchase travel tickets, an electricity contract, or even running shoes without the help of another person. An online retailer benefits from accessibility by reaching a broader range of customers. At the same time, the user experience improves for everyone.

It's important to understand that up to 15% of the world's population suffers from some form of accessibility-limiting issue, such as motor impairments or cognitive disorders. The aging population will further increase this group (WHO). Accessibility also has business significance.

Each of us may encounter accessibility limitations temporarily—bright daylight, background noise, extreme emotions, medication, or even a broken arm can significantly reduce our ability to use online services.

The terms accessibility and inclusivity often appear together in this article and are easily confused. Accessibility can be considered an umbrella term that includes inclusivity. Accessibility can also refer to the physical environment and buildings.

In this context, inclusivity refers to the "intangible" environment, such as online services.

Why now?

The law on the provision of digital services, which came into effect in Finland in 2019, requires certain private sector operators, in addition to the public sector, to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA-level accessibility. The requirements apply to sectors like water, energy, banking, postal, and transport services.

The current change relates to the EU Accessibility Directive, which requires authorities and the private sector to make certain products and services accessible. The directive will be implemented in Finland through a new law on accessibility requirements for certain products and amendments to the Digital Services Act, the Electronic Communications Services Act, the Transport Services Act, the Market Surveillance Act, and the Emergency Call Act.

The laws came into effect on February 1, 2023, but their application will primarily begin on June 28, 2025*.

The new legislation expands the already familiar accessibility requirements to cover most online stores.

Microenterprises are excluded from the law's supervision. This refers to companies with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of up to 2 million euros*.

In practice, the legislation also primarily applies only to consumer-oriented online stores, meaning B2B online stores are not subject to supervision. However, if a B2B store is also available to individual customers, the accessibility requirements of the Digital Services Act may apply to it as well.

Accessibility should be part of good online service design and implementation, regardless of legislation. Accessibility is often part of companies' sustainability strategies.

How to get started?

Identifying the status and needs of your online services is important to start right now. The task may initially seem overwhelming, and delaying it might be tempting.

However, the work can begin with very small steps. A carefully planned and phased process allows for smooth progress within the schedule and budget.

Firts steps

1. Identify the legal obligations applicable to your online service. 
2. Document the known accessibility deficiencies. 
3. Add a minimum version of an accessibility statement to your website, indicating that you are aware of the legal requirements and the identified deficiencies on the site. Also, record the planned actions and their schedule. 
4. Provide users of your online services with a feedback channel through which they can report deficiencies in your online service (an email address or a simple form is sufficient for this purpose).

Next steps

1. Audit the accessibility of your online service and update the findings in the accessibility statement. 
2. Prioritize and start corrective actions. 
3. Update the accessibility statement as the work progresses.
4. Make accessibility maintenance a part of the ongoing way of working. 
5. Invest in quality assurance and periodic recurring audits. A good tool for continuous accessibility maintenance can be a monitoring tool, such as Accessibility Keeper.

The law's supervision begins in June 2025—it's high time to react! Contact us, and we'll help you assess the accessibility of your online service and make it accessible if necessary.