Ecommerce Development for UK Retailers and Brands

Prices, VAT and consumer law

Prices shown to UK consumers must include VAT, and unavoidable fees belong in the headline price rather than appearing at checkout, a practice the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 treats as drip pricing. We set up VAT-inclusive pricing, correct rates per product, including zero-rated items such as most children's clothing, and VAT invoices for business buyers.

The Consumer Contracts Regulations give online buyers 14 days to cancel most orders, with exceptions such as personalized or perishable goods. Returns flows, refund timing and terms pages are built to match, and review features avoid fake or undisclosed incentivized reviews, which the DMCC Act also targets. This is general information, not legal advice.

Cookie consent, payments and buy now, pay later

Stores carry heavy tag loads: analytics, ad pixels, heatmaps and affiliate tracking. Under PECR these need consent first, so we connect a consent platform to Google Consent Mode and Shopify's Customer Privacy API and test that nothing fires before a choice is made.

UK checkouts commonly offer Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna and Clearpay, with card payments subject to Strong Customer Authentication. Regulation of buy now, pay later in the UK has been tightening, with the FCA taking on oversight, so we keep BNPL messaging to what the provider and current rules allow and make clear that it is a form of credit.

Delivery and selling to the EU

UK customers expect tracked delivery with a choice of speed, while EU orders need customs data that did not exist before Brexit. Typical delivery and cross-border work includes:

• Royal Mail, Evri, DPD and DHL rates and labels through ShipStation or carrier APIs
• Click and collect and parcel locker options such as InPost
• Postcode address lookup at checkout to cut failed deliveries
• EU orders with customs declarations, IOSS for low-value consignments and duties shown before payment
• Northern Ireland orders handled under the separate goods and VAT rules of the Windsor Framework