How Rusta Achieved EAA Compliance with 68,000 AI-Generated Alt Texts

About Rusta

Rusta is Sweden's leading home and leisure retailer, following the philosophy of being the obvious first choice when customers want to renew and replenish their homes. Since opening in 1986, they have doubled their revenue every five years through a unique and successful business concept.

With operations across Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Germany, Rusta maintains control over both purchasing and transport chains to offer customers the broadest range of home and leisure products with good quality at the lowest possible prices.

The Challenge

With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) set to take effect on June 28, 2025, Rusta faced a critical compliance deadline. The legislation mandates that all e-commerce platforms must provide accessible experiences for users with disabilities, including comprehensive alt text for product images.

• 17,000+ products across four markets needing alt text coverage
• Manual production would take months and threaten the compliance deadline
• Accessibility and SEO quality needed to be maintained at scale

European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act requires e-commerce experiences to be fully accessible for EU consumers. Key requirements include:

• Alt text for all product images
• WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across the shopping journey
• Keyboard navigation for all functionality
• Screen reader compatibility and clear semantic structure
• Minimum color contrast for readability

Penalties can include fines, product removal from marketplaces, and lost revenue from inaccessible shopping experiences.

The Solution

Cension delivered an AI-powered alt text generation workflow combining computer vision with product data:

• Multi-source analysis:titles, descriptions, categories, specs, and imagery
• SEO-aware generation:alt texts that support accessibility and search
• Four-language coverage:Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish
• Quality gates:validation for accuracy, compliance, and brand tone
• Context-aware generation beyond pure image recognition

Implementation Process

• Image & data ingestion: product images paired with structured product info
• AI analysis: computer vision fused with textual product data
• Alt text generation: concise, descriptive, and SEO-conscious outputs
• Quality control: validation for EAA compliance, accuracy, and consistency

Alt Text Showcase

Examples of AI-generated alt texts for real Rusta products:

Solcellsbelysning Alholmen

“Silverfärgad solcellsbelysning med markspett och glas.”

Bastumössa Rento Kenno

“Svart och grå bastumössa med hängögla på toppen.”

Badrumsmatta Lea

“Rektangulär badrumsmatta med mjuka färgglada ränder.”

Gasolgrill Elevate 3-burner

“Svart gasolgrill med tre vred och sidobord.”

Kökshandduk Elsaform

“Vit kökshandduk med orangea ränder och hängögla.”

Värmeljus 50-pack

“En plastpåse med vita värmeljus i aluminiumkopp.”

Orkidékruka 13 cm Antracit

“Grå orkidékruka i glas med räfflad design.”

Relaxstol Capri

“Beige relaxstol i konstrotting med tjock dyna uteplats.”

Förvaringskorg Star

“Vit plastkorg med stjärnmönster, rektangulär form.”

Results

The results exceeded expectations with comprehensive EAA compliance achieved ahead of the deadline:

• 68,000 Alt Texts Generated:complete coverage across products and languages
• 17,000 Products Covered:entire catalog optimized for accessibility
• 4 Nordic Markets:localized for Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland
• 100% EAA Compliance:ready for the June 28, 2025 deadline
• Enhanced User Experience:visually impaired customers can navigate the catalog
• SEO Benefits:alt text optimization improved discoverability

Timeline