Consumer Rights and Your Website

A website that sells goods, services or digital content to consumers forms part of the sales process. Product descriptions, prices, delivery information, cancellation wording, checkout controls and post-purchase emails must work together. A generic terms page cannot correct a misleading product page or a checkout that hides unavoidable charges.

This guide provides a practical overview for UK small businesses. It is not legal advice, and exceptions vary by product, service and sector. Information was checked on 21 July 2026.

Identify the trader and the contract

Before purchase, the customer should be able to identify the legal trader and understand what they are agreeing to. Provide clear business identity, geographic address and contact details. Explain the main characteristics of the offer, the total price and the process for payment, delivery or performance.

Provide pre-contract information clearly

Information commonly needed before an online order

Area	What the customer should understand
Offer	What is included, important limitations, suitability and any dependencies
Price	Total price including taxes and unavoidable additional charges
Delivery or performance	Method, timing, cost and geographic restrictions
Contract	Duration, billing period, renewal and termination conditions
Cancellation	Whether a right exists, the period, method, consequences and relevant exceptions
Digital content	Functionality, compatibility and how supply affects cancellation rights
Complaints	How to contact the business and how complaints are handled

The information must be understandable and available in a form the customer can keep where required.

Use an unambiguous order button

The final checkout action should make it clear that placing the order creates an obligation to pay. Avoid labels such as “Continue” when the next click completes a purchase. Show the final price and material terms before commitment.

Understand cancellation rights

Many distance contracts provide a 14-day cancellation period, but the start date and rules differ for goods, services and digital content, and several exceptions apply. For goods, the period is generally linked to delivery. For services, it is generally linked to contract formation. Digital content supplied immediately requires specific handling of express consent and acknowledgement where the right to cancel will be lost.

Do not write a single returns paragraph for every type of offer. Separate physical goods, services, subscriptions and digital content where the rules or process differ.

Do not confuse cancellation with faulty goods rights

Statutory rights relating to goods, services and digital content are separate from a change-of-mind cancellation policy. A business cannot remove statutory rights by stating “no refunds”. Returns wording should distinguish:

• cancellation of a distance contract;
• faulty, misdescribed or unsatisfactory goods;
• services not performed with the required care or as agreed;
• digital content that does not conform to the contract;
• any additional voluntary guarantee.

Confirm the contract after purchase

Provide confirmation in a durable format such as email. Include the agreed information and a clear order summary. Keep the customer's evidence and the business's fulfilment record aligned.

Avoid misleading practices

• Do not use false scarcity or countdowns that restart.
• Do not preselect paid extras without a valid basis.
• Do not conceal delivery charges until the final stage.
• Do not publish reviews that are fabricated or presented misleadingly.
• Do not make unsupported performance, environmental or savings claims.
• Do not make cancellation materially harder than purchase.
• Do not advertise stock or delivery dates that the business cannot reasonably support.

Match terms to operational reality

Before publishing terms, test whether the business can actually:

• dispatch or perform within the stated times;
• calculate and display all charges;
• identify and process cancellation requests;
• pause or end subscriptions;
• refund through the original payment route where appropriate;
• handle damaged, faulty or missing orders;
• retain contract records and communications.

Additional risks

Extra rules may apply to financial services, travel, property, health, gambling, age-restricted products, subscriptions, marketplaces and sales to customers outside the UK. Northern Ireland and cross-border sales may require additional checks.

Official starting points

• GOV.UK: online and distance selling
• Business Companion: distance sales
• Business Companion guidance for online businesses

The next practical step is to walk through the entire purchase process as a customer and compare each screen, email and policy with the real fulfilment and cancellation process.