The European Accessibility Act and product content in e-commerce

What does the European Accessibility Act require from product content?

The European Accessibility Act requires that in-scope products and e-commerce services can be used by people with disabilities, which reaches every product page a consumer web shop publishes. Product content becomes part of the service that must be accessible. The product data compliance pillar explains how this joins the other EU rules that make product data a legal obligation.

Directive (EU) 2019/882 entered into force on 27 June 2019. Its requirements apply to products and services placed on the market after 28 June 2025, through national transposition laws.

The Act covers two groups relevant to product data teams:

1. E-commerce services, such as online shops and ticketing platforms, together with banking services.
2. Products, such as computers and operating systems, smartphones, tablets, e-readers, digital TV equipment, ATMs, payment terminals and check-in machines.

For web shops, accessible product content means more than a compliant page template. Images need text alternatives, specifications need to be readable by assistive technology, and videos need captions. Most of that content comes from the PIM and DAM.

Which product data does the European Accessibility Act require?

The European Accessibility Act implies about nine content attributes for e-commerce, plus accessibility information for in-scope products. The table lists them with format and source.

In PIMvendors engagements, alt text is the largest volume task. A catalogue of 20,000 SKUs with six images each holds 120,000 image assets, each needing alt text per language. That calculation is illustrative; check your own asset count.

European Accessibility Act dates

The European Accessibility Act has two fixed dates, both passed, so the obligations already apply. The list below shows them with sources.

1. 27 June 2019
   EAA enters into force

   Directive (EU) 2019/882, published on 7 June 2019, entered into force.

   Fixed Source

2. 28 June 2025
   EAA applies

   Accessibility requirements apply to in-scope products and services placed on the market after this date.

   Fixed Source

Some transitional rules continue after 2025. Self-service terminals in use before 28 June 2025 may stay in use for up to 20 years after first use. Products and services placed on the market before the application date are treated differently from new ones, so check national transposition laws for exact cut-off rules.

Because the requirements apply to products and services placed on the market after 28 June 2025, every new product page published since then falls under the rules. Content created before that date gets updated over time as pages change.

For planning, treat accessibility as a quality backlog on existing content and a release rule on new content. Measure the share of images with alt text per language today. Then set completeness rules, so new products cannot publish without it.

How should a PIM and DAM support accessibility?

A PIM and DAM support accessibility by making accessible content mandatory at the source, so every channel inherits it. Fixing accessibility only in the web shop template leaves feeds, apps and marketplace listings unchanged.

The model that works in PIMvendors engagements:

• Alt text as an asset attribute, translated, with a completeness rule per channel and language.
• Specifications as typed attributes with units, rendered as text tables by the shop, never as images.
• Video assets with linked caption files per language.
• An accessibility attribute group for in-scope products, filled from manufacturer data.
• A field to pass manufacturer accessibility information to the product page.

The split between PIM and DAM matters here, because alt text often belongs to the asset and specifications to the product. The PIM vs DAM page explains where each attribute should live. Accessibility also overlaps with GPSR, which requires a product picture in every online offer.

How do you test accessibility support in a PIM selection?

Test accessibility support with a scenario that measures completeness and output, using your own images and products. PIMvendors' scenario method runs the same steps for each vendor.

1. Load 100 products with 4 images each in two languages.
2. Show the completeness report for alt text per language and channel.
3. Use AI to propose alt text for 20 images, then route the proposals to a reviewer.
4. Publish a product page and show specifications as a text table.
5. Attach a caption file to a product video and publish it.

Score the steps on completeness reporting, review workflow and output quality. A screen reader check of the published page in step 4 shows quickly whether specifications render as text.

AI is useful for drafting alt text at volume, with human review for accuracy. The product data quality page explains how to measure completeness across channels.