What shapes an online shop in the United Kingdom
UK shoppers are used to buying online, and they know their rights. The law behind those rights was tightened in 2025, and the checkout is where it shows.
| Topic | What it means for your store | Decide early |
|---|---|---|
| Prices | Prices shown to consumers include VAT. Since April 2025 the law also bans drip pricing: any fee the shopper cannot avoid, such as a booking or handling charge, has to be in the headline price, and delivery costs must be made clear early | Every fee you charge, and where each one first appears |
| Cancellation and returns | For most goods bought online, a consumer may cancel within a statutory period after delivery and receive a refund that includes standard delivery. The shop has to explain this before the order and confirm it afterwards. Faulty goods carry separate rights | Your returns policy, and the exceptions you rely on |
| Reviews | Publishing fake reviews, or reviews that hide the fact they were paid for, is a banned practice. A shop is expected to take reasonable steps to keep its reviews genuine | How reviews are requested, checked and shown |
| Payment | Card payments need strong customer authentication. Shoppers also use wallets, PayPal and payment straight from a banking app. Instalment credit offered at checkout became a regulated product in July 2026 | The payment provider, and how any pay-later option is presented |
| Marketing | Marketing emails and texts need consent, or the existing-customer exception when details are collected during a sale and an opt-out is offered. Advertising cookies need consent | The wording at checkout, and which tags wait for consent |
| Subscriptions | New rules for consumer subscriptions are due to start in January 2027. They add reminders before renewal, cooling-off rights and an exit as simple as signing up | Whether you sell on subscription, and how cancellation works |
| Northern Ireland and the EU | Goods sent to Northern Ireland follow their own arrangements, and sales to EU customers bring EU VAT and customs. Neither is the same as delivering within Great Britain | Which destinations the shop serves at launch |
Shop workflows we build for the UK market
Each of these puts a legal requirement into the software, so that staff do not have to remember it.
Honest checkout
For every shop that sells to consumers.
- Basket shows prices with VAT and all fixed fees
- Delivery options and costs shown early
- Cancellation information given before payment
- Card payment authenticated
- Confirmation email repeats the terms
Cancellation and refund
For shops that want returns handled without a chain of emails.
- Customer cancels from their account
- Return instructions issued
- Goods received
- Refund sent, including standard delivery
- Stock and records updated
Pay by bank
For shops that want an alternative to card fees and chargebacks.
- Customer chooses pay by bank
- Selects their bank
- Approves the payment in the banking app
- Returns to the shop
- Order confirmed at once
Genuine reviews
For shops whose ratings carry the sale.
- Order delivered
- Every buyer invited to review
- Review linked to the order
- Published whatever the score
- Incentivised reviews marked as such
What we build
Bespoke and platform shops
A shop on Shopify or another platform where it fits, and a bespoke, custom build where your products or pricing need one. Our Shopify and custom ecommerce comparison sets out the choice.
Compliant price display
Product, basket and checkout pages that show the full price from the first view, with VAT and unavoidable fees included.
Cancellation and returns handling
Self-service cancellation, return labels and refunds that follow the statutory rules and your own policy.
Payment options
Cards with authentication, wallets, pay by bank and, where you offer it, a regulated instalment provider presented within the rules.
Review collection
Invitations sent to all buyers, moderation that does not filter by score and clear labels on incentivised reviews.
Stock, delivery and accounts
Connections to your stock system, couriers and accounting software, with VAT recorded for digital tax returns.
What we need from you
- Your products, prices and every fee you charge
- Returns and delivery policies as they stand
- Your VAT registration details
- The payment provider and couriers you use or prefer
- Access to stock and accounting systems
Ownership and licensing terms are defined in the project agreement.
A readiness checklist for a UK online shop
Before development starts
0 of 8 checkedWhat to do next
Tell us what you sell, how you deliver and which systems hold your stock and accounts. We will reply with a platform recommendation, the consumer law points for your shop and a first scope. Start a conversation or book a 30-minute call.
Common questions
What must a UK online shop show before the customer pays?
The main characteristics of the goods, the total price including VAT and unavoidable fees, delivery charges and arrangements, your identity and contact details, the right to cancel and how to use it, and who pays for returns. The button that places the order has to make clear that payment follows. The same information is then confirmed in a form the customer can keep, usually an email.
How are the fake review and drip pricing rules enforced?
Since April 2025 the Competition and Markets Authority can decide for itself whether consumer law has been broken and can fine a company directly, without first going to court. Fake reviews and drip pricing are both on the list of banned practices. In practice a shop should be able to show how its reviews are collected and that the first price shown is the price paid.
Bespoke build or Shopify for a UK shop?
For a standard catalogue, a hosted platform such as Shopify is usually the quicker route, with checkout, payments and VAT settings ready to configure. A bespoke build suits shops with configurable products, trade pricing, unusual delivery rules or deep links to stock and manufacturing systems. Many businesses start on a platform and add custom, or bespoke, components when a specific limit starts to cost them sales.
Can customers pay straight from their bank account?
Yes. Open Banking lets a shopper approve a payment in their own banking app and return to the shop with the order confirmed. Funds arrive quickly and there is no card number to store. Refunds and disputes work differently from cards, so it usually sits beside card payment, not in place of it. Your payment provider has to support it.
Where to go from here
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