With the holidays rapidly approaching, it's time to "shop 'til you drop." The good news is you can do this from the comfort of your home instead of dealing with crowds, unhelpful store personnel, and out-of-stock items.

This article will look at ways to shop with two major retailers, Best Buy and QVC. No matter which online retailer you use, make sure the website is legitimate. It is much safer to shop with major retailers rather than unfamiliar ones.

Whether shopping on a website or via a mobile app it is important to be familiar with your screen reader's navigation commands. For example, all sites have at least one search form. It is often easier to move through a results page by headings than reading every line. Since websites are constantly changing, there might be changes from when this article was written to the time you try it out.

Best Buy

Best Buy is a retailer that sells everything from charging cables to refrigerators. In addition to physical stores, they have a website, an app, and a customer service phone number.

Best Buy Website

The Best Buy site has a search form consisting of an edit box and a Search button. This is a good way to find items if you have a good idea of what you wish to purchase. Once the form is executed, results can be found by using headings navigation. In this case, I entered "Apple Watch Band" into the edit box and activated the Search button. Results were found with headings navigation. The first part of the search results was a list of filters for my search including whether I wanted a band for the 38mm or 42mm version, type of band, color of band, and price. Search criteria could be narrowed by selecting the appropriate check boxes. Below the filtering criteria were all the results, in this case over 300.

By using the various filters, the list of products that met my criteria was narrowed to three items. Each time a filter check box was activated, the page refreshed. Near the top of the new page were links to go to the search results or go back to adding filters. This is a very useful feature. Each result gave a brief description of the item, customer rating, price, and an "Add to Cart" button. Activating the link for the item will bring up a more detailed description. Depending on the item, there might be additional information about it. For example, the product page for the Milanese Loop Apple Watch band has additional information about the wrist size it will fit. The first heading on the page is where the product information begins, so it can be located quickly using a screen reader's heading command.

Another way to shop is through the Products pop-up link. There are many categories including Audio, Computers & Tablets, Wearable Technology, and an option to shop by brand. There is another pop-up link labeled "Deals" that includes information on the Deal of the Day, Hottest Deals, and the Weekly Ad.

When the cart page is loaded, the cart information can be located with a headings command. Use the Arrow keys or any other navigation method to review the contents of the cart. Just below the Cart heading is a button to Continue Shopping. The checkout button is below the cart information and information about what other customers bought who also purchased this item. On the next page, activate the Checkout button. On the following page, choose "Continue as Guest" unless you already have a Best Buy account. Because the checkout form has proper labels, the checkout process is straightforward. Review all entered information carefully before you submit an order.

Getting Help

This is where Best Buy is severely lacking. Customer service (888-BEST-Buy or 888-237-8289) cannot assist with purchases over the phone. There is a Chat link on the website, but unfortunately, the representative said the same thing?they could not help with a purchase. It was suggested that I go to my local store.

Conclusion

If you do not have difficulty with the Best Buy website and are able to make a purchase without assistance from Best Buy, or if you have access to sighted assistance, then this website is a viable option. Otherwise, you may wish to find another retailer. Personally, I am disturbed by the lack of customer support.

Best Buy iOS App

At the bottom of the Best Buy app's homescreen are five tabs: Home, Products, Stores, Card, and More. The Home screen has a search form and many unlabeled buttons. The Products tab includes the search form, a list of several popular products, and a wide variety of categories similar to those on the website. The Stores tab has a list of the stores nearby and the Cart tab shows what is in your cart. The More tab has options including Order Status, Rewards, and Best Buy credit card.

Under the product tab, activating the Wearable Technology link brought up a list of options including Apple Watch, Smart Sports Equipment, and Headphones. Selecting Headphones brought up a new list of categories including Beats and Bose. There were also options for specific styles of headphones such as Gaming and Sports.

I selected Bose. On the next page was information including price, description of the headphones, and customer ratings. There is an "Add to Cart" button near the bottom of the listing. If an item is added to the cart, there is verification that the item has been added. There is an option to continue shopping and an option to check out.

When the Check Out button is activated, the new page has buttons for Check Out, Visa Checkout, and an option to sign into your account. The next page has an option to Continue as Guest. Filling in the necessary information was difficult as there was a lot of other text on the screen. Some of this was related to the checkout process, for example information about shipping options, but other text was not related.

Conclusion

This app can be used if you can navigate a lot of clutter during the checkout procedure. Remember, Best Buy's live customer service is practically nonexistent when it comes to getting assistance for placing an order.

QVC (Quality, Value, Convenience)

QVC is a cable television shopping channel. It sells a very large variety of products including women's clothing, jewelry, cookware, and electronics. There are many ways to shop at QVC, including using its telephone customer service, watching the channel, using the website, and using the QVC iOS app.

QVC Website

The QVC website has category links including Fashion, For the Home, Pro Football Fan Shop, and Health & Fitness. There is also a search form consisting of an edit box and a "Go" button. Search results can be located by using headings navigation. I used the Search form to find a silver bracelet. The first option in my search was to use filters to narrow results. Filters are presented as links and included Best Sellers, Great Gifts, and New Arrivals. There were also filters for specific brands. More than one filter can be applied. The headings hot key will bring you back to filters each time the page refreshes. The Headings hot key can be used to find results.

Each result had the name of the item, the item number, a brief description, and the price. I selected a silver snake chain bracelet and activated the link for it.

With the headings hot key I quickly found my bracelet. There were radio buttons to choose size. There were other options including Post to Twitter and Like on Facebook. In addition, there were options to read customer reviews. With the forms hot key, the size, quantity, and "Add to Cart" button were easily located.

When the next page loaded, all information could be read with arrow keys. Information included an option to remove the item, and the total for the product with shipping and tax. There was a link to check out. The next page had an option to create a QVC account. The sign-up form was accessible.

Getting Help

QVC has excellent customer service at 800-367-9444. Live representatives can place an order for you, make product suggestions, and even describe the product. Another option is to use their automated ordering at 800-345-1212. If you are watching QVC, you can also speak to an order entry representative at 800-345-1515.

iOS App

The QVC iOS app has five tabs at the bottom of the screen: Home, Shop, QVC TV, Cart, and More. The Home and Shop tabs have a search form at the top of the page. The Home tab has links to Specials, Item On Air, Items Recently on Air, and QVC's Today Special Value.

The Shop tab has links like on the QVC website. I activated the "Holiday Gift Guide" and on the next page, I chose "Gifts for Her."

On the next page was a list of gifts for women ranging from clothing to a computer. Each option had the name of the item and price. I selected a sweater. On the next page was the item number at the top and options to play a video featuring the product and an option to get product information. Below were options to choose color and size. Next were reviews and options to Add to Cart and Call to Purchase. Product information was clearly displayed.

Unfortunately, the show stopper here is that the Shopping Cart is not accessible. With sighted assistance, I learned that the item I put in my cart was there along with an option to check out. This information was not accessible with VoiceOver.

The More tab has information such as Order Status, Program Guide, and Manage Reminders.

Conclusion

The first part of the shopping experience with the QVC app works well, but the inaccessibility of the cart is very disappointing. Fortunately, you can call QVC to order the item from within the app.

The Bottom Line

QVC has some definite advantages over Best Buy. First, the hosts and product representatives who present the items on-air provide complete product information, descriptions, demonstrations, pricing details, and payment options. QVC's website is completely accessible but the app does have some serious access issues as you move to the actual check-out process. QVC's excellent live customer service in some ways offers a work around, but it in no way excuses the lack of accessibility of its app.

The Best Buy website and app provide an accessible shopping experience but if you have difficulty making a purchase Best Buy customer service cannot provide assistance. This is the largest issue with the Best Buy shopping experience. Personally, I have used QVC for many years, and it has always been extremely helpful. Best Buy would do well to invest in improving its customer support for its online and app customers. Nonetheless, both sell great products that would make excellent gifts for people on your holiday shopping list.

If you choose to use either of these retailers, or any retailor for that matter, and you encounter accessibility challenges in the shopping or purchasing processes, I encourage you to speak up and let them know about the accessibility issue.

Happy shopping, and happy holidays!

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Author
Janet Ingber
Article Topic
Access to Holiday Shopping