5 min read
Webshops of the Future: How We Meet the Accessibility Directive 2025 with TPL Edit
Today, the web is a natural part of society. Wether we're surfing the web from the couch or the bus, everyone should be able to participate. Accessibility is not only important for a few; it is part of the whole customer experience that affects us all. Maybe you're sitting on the bus and the sun is shining on your phone screen, or you're the stressed-out parent trying to shop while the kids run around you. Or maybe you've sprained your hand? In all these situations, accessibility features are not just nice to have - they're necessary. And when we design with accessibility in mind, we elevate the usability of the entire site, making the experience better for everyone.
The EU Accessibility Directive 2025
In June 2025, the EU's new, stricter Accessibility Directive will come into force. This applies to companies with more than 10 employees and an annual turnover of over €2 million. But this is not just a legal obligation to us. We see it as a great opportunity to welcome more customers and improve our service. And we believe that accessibility should benefit everyone, not just larger companies.
Why invest in accessibility?
Adapting for accessibility is a broad and important area involving vision, cognition and motor skills. These abilities can vary greatly - some of us may have permanent barriers while others encounter temporary difficulties. Sooner or later, all of us encounter a situation where we need extra help to navigate and use the web with ease. So at Abicart, we don't just see this as expensive bureaucracy. We see it as an investment that creates a better product for all.
TPL Edit - Our Solution for the Web Store of the Future
At Abicart we are already hard at work developing our new theme engine, TPL Edit. An explicit goal with our themes for TPL Edit is simply really good accessibility. Designing for accessibility is nothing new. There are many areas that overlap with accessibility, such as usability, design or search engine optimization, SEO. In the past, these areas have often driven accessibility. The difference now is a shift in perspective. We want to be clear that accessibility has an intrinsic value, while at the same time contributing to usability, good design and SEO.
What does TPL Edit mean for your existing theme?
Here at Abicart we are very excited to launch TPL Edit, along with our next generation of themes. Accessibility is one of our keywords. This includes everything from links and buttons being clearly labeled for screen readers, text having good contrast to the background, being able to easily interact with the page, and so on.
If you already run an Abicart store, you might be wondering what this means for your current theme. Don't worry, we will update it with a new TPL version. It will look similar visually, but with new code under the hood. Have you customized your shop with your own CSS, design or script? Then you need to transfer this manually. When the update becomes available, you decide when it suits you to make the switch (not unlike previous theme updates). That way you have full control over when and how you upgrade to the new TPL version, and can take it one step at a time.
Summary and outlook
We believe in accessibility both for a better product and a better society. Therefore, accessibility is one of our goals as we write a new theme engine, TPL Edit. The EU's stricter directives on accessibility adaptation put accessibility on the agenda, making it even more relevant to talk about.
There will be TPL versions of our current themes to facilitate a transition to TPL Edit. Exactly what you need to do to update to TPL Edit in your store will vary.
Of course, TPL Edit is about so much more than just this topic - it's also about boosting performance, making it easier to work with the shop and making it easier than ever to make customizations. Stay tuned, we will tell you more soon!