How platform reviews work here, with a claim ledger and gates that stay independent

What to take away

No hands-on testing was done, so any claim about live performance stays at HOLD.
Each comparison cell becomes a ledger rowclaim, subject, publisher, URL, dates, evidence class, limitation.
Evidence grades are documented, specialist-approved, observed in this build, or UNKNOWN.
Product safety, payment perimeter, accessibility, privacy and security are non-compensating gates.
Publication waits for a named reviewer to sign the method and for each specialist to close their gate.

The record-reading boundary, said up front

This method reads public records only. It opened plan pages, supplier terms, help pages and official UK guidance for Shopify Basic, Square Online Free, WooCommerce core 11.1.0 and the merchant's existing manual route, dated 6 September 2026. Nothing was logged into, configured, bought or exported.

A claim about refund timing cannot be confirmed here, so it stays at HOLD until someone with an authorised account runs the test. Read the output as a map of what each route documents, not as a field report.

Some checks survive that limit: the platform entry checklist lists the seller identity, checkout, data, accessibility and exit items that public records can settle.

Fix one decision question first

Write the decision as one question: can this exact route support the approved order lifecycle, at a cost this merchant can itemise, while every non-compensating gate passes? Record seller identity, goods, customer geography, volumes and decision date as merchant-supplied inputs.

The seller identity gate checks the legal entity behind a trading name, so a company number matters more than a plan page.

Fix the decision question

Can this exact route support the approved order lifecycle?

Yes

record merchant-supplied inputs and decision date

stop and do not collect evidence

The method, step by step

Fix the decision question and the merchant case.
Build the claim ledger for every comparison cell.
Grade evidence, not prose.
Leave buyer weights and thresholds blank until an accountable owner approves them.
Specify each test before purchasestarting state, action, expected state, actor, failure response.
Publish the method, the full ledger and the conditions that would change the decision.

Whole-life cost means subscription, payment processing, apps and extensions, hosting, fees kept after refunds, migration and export, plus independent assurance. VAT registration becomes compulsory once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any 12-month period (GOV.UK VAT registration). The cost lines that never reach a plan page belong in this ledger before headline prices are compared.

Example: one ledger row

Field / Entry

Claim: Distance sellers must give specified pre-contract information before the consumer places the order
Subject and edition: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, via current GOV.UK guidance
Publisher: GOV.UK
URL: gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses/online-selling
Page and access date: page date recorded at capture; access date 6 September 2026
Evidence class: documented
Limitation: official summary of the duty; proves nothing about a named platform's confirmation step

A supplier's terms page can fill subject, publisher and role fields, but it cannot lift a cell to observed in this build.

Gates that cannot be compensated

Each gate is decided alone: seller identity, catalogue and order states, payment roles, product withdrawal, privacy and PECR, accessibility, cyber security, accounting and VAT, recovery and exit. A failed non-compensating gate stops the route, and weighted scoring applies only to the compensating criteria.

Cookie banners and tracking tags fall under the ICO's PECR cookies guidance, so an untested consent banner cannot pass a privacy gate. Check a company number before treating a trading name as a counterparty. The mapping of UK ecommerce regulations shows which duties attach to checkout, cancellation and data handling.

The NCSC supplier assurance questions ask for evidence about responsibility, cloud services, incidents and data, but they do not certify a supplier.

Tests, release and sign-off

Tests use synthetic or specifically authorised records. PASS is recorded only against a pre-agreed criterion, FAIL means the result breached it, and HOLD means a document, specialist opinion or controlled test is missing. One successful path proves nothing about availability, safety or accessibility.

At release, publish the method, the full ledger, unresolved cells and rejected routes, then reopen every product and contract page on sign-off day. A recommendation covers the named merchant case and configuration only, not an England-wide ranking.

No reviewer is named at the time of writing. The draft stays on publication hold until one is appointed and recorded with a name, role and date. Prior supplier work is disclosed with the signature.

Before you act

Fix the decision question and the merchant case.
Record claim, subject, publisher, URL, dates, evidence class and limitation.
Leave weights and thresholds blank until an owner approves them.
Specify starting states, expected states and failure responses before purchase.
Check the company number and the cookie consent wording.

Common questions

What does HOLD mean in this method?

HOLD means the document, specialist opinion or controlled test for that cell is missing. It is neither a pass nor a fail, and it stays visible in the ledger.

Why do some gates ignore the overall score?

Product safety, the payment perimeter, accessibility, privacy and security are non-compensating. A strong result on cost or features cannot cancel a failed gate, which must be closed or expressly accepted.

Who signs off a published review?

Publication waits for a named reviewer whose role, date and any prior supplier work are disclosed. Each specialist also closes or expressly accepts their gate first.