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Information on the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG)

In this article, you'll find all information about Shopgate and the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG).

What is the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG)?

The Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG, Accessibility Strengthening Act) is a German law that aims to improve the accessibility of products and services for everyone, especially for people with disabilities. It transposes the EU directive on the accessibility requirements for products and services (European Accessibility Act, EAA) into national law. It is similar to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the USA. You can find more information on the website of the German federal government.

How does Shopgate implement the BFSG?

As an e-commerce platform, we are obliged to ensure that our services meet the requirements of the BFSG. This means that we work together with our merchants to make our offerings accessible to all users. We have already been doing the same in a very similar way for several years for the American counterpart, the "Americans with Disabilities Act" (ADA).

For us, this means that the technical foundation of our apps implements all the necessary measures so that you can present your content to your customers in line with the BFSG. Specifically, we ensure that all standard components of the app are accessible (e.g. readable by screen readers). This is the case from template version 7.25.0 onwards.

What do I need to consider as a merchant?

  • Provide accessible content: Product descriptions, images and multimedia content must be designed so that all users can perceive and understand them. Pay particular attention to sufficient contrast. 

    Use the headline widget instead of images for a headline and use the layout configuration for spacing.

  • Use alternative texts: Make sure that all images uploaded in the Shopgate CMS have meaningful alt tags. You can edit these directly in the interface.
  • Structure texts clearly: Use headings, lists and paragraphs to keep your content well organized.
  • Subtitles and transcripts: Add subtitles to videos and transcripts to audio files.
  • Custom adjustments: If you use custom adjustments ("extensions"), please make sure that they support screen readers and are compatible with the required Shopgate template version (7.25.0). Shopgate ensures this itself for all relevant extensions developed by us. If you are unsure about any adjustments, please talk to Shopgate or your agency.
  • You must publish an accessible "accessibility statement" in your app. This statement contains information about how you ensure accessibility and about the parts of your app that are not (yet) accessible. You can create and link it via our CMS.
  • Your website must offer a way to get in touch so that users can report barriers. You can create and link this via our CMS.

You can find more information in the following sources:

FAQ

Who can I contact if I have questions?

If you have questions about the accessibility of your Shopgate app, feel free to contact our support at any time. Please understand, however, that Shopgate can't replace comprehensive legal advice.