Accessible e-commerce system
Accessible online shops
and websites
What does “accessible internet” actually mean?
The goal of an accessible website is to enable people with visual impairments (including blind people), hearing impairments, motor impairments, cognitive disabilities, or other limitations to use the website's content and features without difficulty. The international standard for accessible web content is defined by the “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines” (WCAG), with WCAG 2.2 – AA serving as the legal minimum standard for compliance with the new EU directive. From 2025, this standard will be mandatory under certain conditions for online shops and websites that allow users to make inquiries about products and services. This means you should already be considering accessibility in your projects so you don't run into problems with the transition or adjustments in the near future—penalties of up to 80,000 euros may apply!
Smarda was the world's first e-commerce system to receive TÜV Trust IT's Silver Certificate!
Before the first line of code for Smarda was written, it had already been decided that Smarda shops should be natively accessible. That's why all the essential accessibility features, such as screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation, are available by default when building your site. As the only e-commerce and website system, we had our system tested using one of our shop templates by the official certification body WACA and TÜV Trust IT: in 2024, we became the world's first e-commerce system to receive the Silver Certificate for the latest accessibility standard, WCAG 2.2 – AA. Accessibility is not a buzzword at Smarda; it's a commitment we take seriously.
Smarda accessibility
Accessibility technically natively integrated
To comply with the WCAG 2.2 – AA standard, you need to take a complex set of rules into account, which you can review. These cover both technical and content and design aspects. Compliance with these guidelines is required by law under the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG). An accessible Smarda online shop includes accessibility features as standard. You don't need to install any plugins or do any special programming. Overall, this is a very complex set of rules that should be taken into account. These include, among other things, the following features:
Editorial and design requirements
The goal of web accessibility is to enable people with physical or cognitive disabilities to participate in the digital world. In addition to supporting screen readers and keyboard navigation, this primarily involves design and content aspects—for example, clear navigation, alt text for images, transcribed or captioned videos, as well as sufficient color contrast and font sizes for users with low vision. An accessible online shop takes all these points into account. Simply having system-level support is not enough to make websites and shops fully accessible. Smarda natively and by default provides all the features and design options needed to meet all the guidelines. That's unique!
You can test your websites and shops for accessibility using a range of tools, such as:
Browser plugin · WebAIM
WAVE Browser Plugin (External link)
Checks your page directly in the browser and highlights barriers such as missing alt text or insufficient contrast.
Open tool
Online tool · WebAIM
Contrast Checker (External link)
Instantly shows you whether the text and background colors meet WCAG contrast requirements.
Open tool
Screen reader · NV Access
NVDA Screen Reader (External link)
Free screen reader for Windows. Hear your page as blind people experience it.
Open tool
Our accessible e-commerce system has received international recognition
When the latest standard, WCAG 2.2 – AA, was established as a legal requirement for accessible websites and online shops in August 2024, we immediately had our cloud system tested and certified. Our e-commerce system app received the Leader Award at the Summit International Awards in Portland (USA)!
Of course, we also built our own website, smarda.com, with Smarda. All pages and features therefore automatically use Smarda's accessible systems!
