Accessibility statement

Last updated: 7 May 2026

Straps is committed to making our website accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. We want every customer to be able to find a strap, understand what they're buying, and complete checkout without friction — whatever device, browser, or assistive technology they use.

This statement explains where we are today, what's known to need work, and how to reach us if something on the site is getting in your way.

The standard we follow

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA — the international benchmark for digital accessibility, and the standard referenced by the UK Equality Act 2010, the European Accessibility Act (in force since 28 June 2025), and most procurement and compliance frameworks worldwide.

WCAG is built on four principles. Content should be:

  • Perceivable — you can see or hear it, regardless of how you take in information
  • Operable — you can use it with a keyboard, a mouse, touch, or assistive tech
  • Understandable — the language and behaviour of the page are predictable
  • Robust — it works with current and future browsers and assistive technologies

Conformance status

Straps.co.uk partially conforms with WCAG 2.2 Level AA. "Partially conforms" means that most of the site meets the standard, but some content or components don't fully meet it yet. We're actively working to close the remaining gaps.

What we've done

To get the site to its current level, we've:

  • Built the new theme to score 94/100 on Google Lighthouse's automated accessibility audit
  • Used semantic HTML and ARIA landmarks so screen readers can navigate the page structure
  • Written descriptive alt text for product imagery, including strap colour, material, and fit
  • Ensured all interactive elements (buttons, links, form fields, filters) are reachable and operable using only a keyboard
  • Provided visible focus indicators on all focusable elements
  • Met or exceeded the 4.5:1 contrast ratio for body text and 3:1 for non-text elements like icons and form borders
  • Made the site work at up to 400% zoom without loss of content or functionality
  • Labelled every form field in checkout, including clear required-field markers and inline error messages that explain what went wrong and how to fix it
  • Kept touch targets at a minimum of 24×24 CSS pixels, in line with WCAG 2.2 (Success Criterion 2.5.8)
  • Ensured the site is operable without requiring a "drag" gesture (WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.5.7)

Known limitations

We know the site isn't perfect. Here's what we're aware of and working on:

  • Third-party widgets. Some embedded tools — including the chat widget, certain payment provider iframes, and the cookie consent banner — are not fully under our control and may not meet WCAG 2.2 AA in every interaction. We've raised these with the providers.
  • User-generated content. Customer review photos may not always have descriptive alt text, since these are uploaded by shoppers rather than written by us. We're exploring ways to encourage better descriptions at upload.
  • Older blog and PDF content. A small number of legacy blog posts and downloadable size guides predate the new theme and may not meet the current standard. We're working through these in priority order.
  • Live video. If we run a live shopping or product demo stream, real-time captioning may not be available. Recordings are captioned afterwards.

If you find a barrier we haven't listed, please tell us — see "Contact us" below.

How we test

We use a combination of methods, because no single test catches everything:

  • Automated testing with Google Lighthouse and axe-core on every theme deployment
  • Manual keyboard testing of core journeys: browse, product page, add to cart, checkout
  • Screen reader testing using VoiceOver (macOS, iOS) and NVDA (Windows)
  • Colour and contrast checks during design review
  • External audit scheduled annually with an independent accessibility consultancy

Automated tools alone catch only around 30–40% of WCAG issues, so manual review is part of every release.

Compatible browsers and assistive technologies

The site is designed to work with the latest two versions of:

  • Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on desktop
  • Safari on iOS and Chrome on Android
  • VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS, and TalkBack screen readers

We don't actively support Internet Explorer.

Contact us

If you can't access something on the site, or you've found a barrier we should know about, please get in touch and we'll do what we can to help — including providing the information you need in another format.

  • Email: accessibility@straps.co.uk
  • Response time: We aim to reply within 2 working days, and to fix or provide a workaround within 10 working days. If something will take longer, we'll let you know what to expect.

When you contact us, it helps if you can include:

  • The page or URL where you ran into the problem
  • What you were trying to do
  • The browser and assistive technology you were using (if you know)

Enforcement and complaints

If you're not satisfied with our response, you can raise a complaint with the relevant regulator:

Preparation of this statement

This statement was last reviewed and updated on 7 May 2026. It was prepared by self-evaluation, supported by automated testing (Lighthouse, axe-core) and manual testing of the new Shopify theme. We review it at least annually, and after any significant change to the site.