Accessibility on PrestaShop
PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce platform, popular in Europe, that you can host yourself or through a provider. Its default Classic theme is a reasonable starting point, with real labels on form fields and a logical checkout, and a store’s accessibility is then shaped by the theme and modules added on top of it.
Most live stores run a purchased or custom theme and a stack of modules for menus, search filters, wishlists, reviews and cookies. Those are what change the markup, and they are where accessibility is most often lost.
Common Accessibility Issues on PrestaShop Sites
Purchased themes that restyle focus
Many commercial themes remove the default focus outline, use thin gray text and rely on hover-only menus, which together make a store hard to use without a mouse.
Faceted search filters
Filter blocks on category pages update the product list without telling screen reader users, and sliders and checkboxes may have no names.
Mega menus and mobile menus
Large menus built by modules open on hover, lack keyboard support and trap focus on small screens.
Product pages and quick view
Combination pickers, quantity fields, image sliders and quick-view dialogs often lack labels, names or focus handling.
Checkout modules
One-page checkout and payment modules replace the standard steps, and their fields, error messages and payment frames vary a great deal from one to the next.
How AccessBell Scans Your PrestaShop Site
- Enter any public page. Paste the address of a page on your PrestaShop site into the scanner above. There is nothing to install: no plugin, no code snippet and no login.
- We load it in a real browser. AccessBell opens the page in headless Chrome and runs its scripts, so it tests what your visitors actually see, including content added by your theme, apps or plugins.
- We run the WCAG rules. The open-source axe-core engine checks the page against the standard you choose, and every result is mapped to the WCAG success criteria it affects.
- You see what is wrong in seconds. The free scan lists every issue it finds, ranked by severity, with the WCAG criteria each one fails. Start a free trial to get the failing code and the fix for each one. Our methodology explains exactly what runs and what still needs a person.
What You Get From the Free Scan and the Free Trial
Free, with no account
- 63 automated rules for WCAG 2.2 Level AA, or presets for WCAG 2.1 AA, the ADA, Section 508 and EN 301 549
- Every issue found on the page, ranked by severity from critical to minor
- The WCAG success criteria each issue fails, which you can look up in our WCAG library
With a 3-day free trial
- The failing HTML, so you can find the element in your PrestaShop editor or code
- How to fix each issue, with a corrected example
- Every page scanned, up to 500 per domain, with daily monitoring and an email when something breaks
- A list of checks that need a person to review, so nothing is missed
- A dated record of your scans and fixes
How to Fix What the Scan Finds
- Start with your theme: restore a visible focus style, darken light text and make menus work with the keyboard. One change in the theme’s CSS fixes every page.
- Test each module that changes a page element, such as the menu, filters and checkout, by tabbing through it. If a module cannot be fixed, replace it.
- Keep dated records of your scans and fixes. They help show a good-faith effort if a customer or regulator asks about your store’s accessibility.
- Run a free scan above on your homepage and a few key pages, fix issues starting with critical and serious, then rescan to confirm.
- For ongoing protection, AccessBell Pro monitors up to 500 URLs per domain every day and alerts you when a theme, app or plugin update introduces a new issue.
Related Guides
PrestaShop Accessibility — Frequently Asked Questions
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my PrestaShop store?
If you sell to consumers in the EU, your online store is an e-commerce service under the Act, wherever your business is based. Microenterprises that provide services are exempt. See our guide to the technical aspects of EAA compliance.
Will a PrestaShop accessibility module make my store compliant?
A module that adds a toolbar or keyboard shortcuts may help some visitors, but it does not fix the underlying theme or content. Find and fix the issues in the store itself.
Does AccessBell work with PrestaShop?
Yes. AccessBell scans the live, rendered page in a real browser, so it covers any theme or module combination.
Sources
This page explains general accessibility patterns for PrestaShop sites and is not legal advice. AccessBell is not affiliated with PrestaShop. PrestaShop and its logo are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify the platform. See our disclaimer.
