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Websites built for your trade, in Montreal Your regulator’s rules, Bill 96, Law 25 and the way your customers actually search. All industriesIndustries
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Industries · Retail & boutiques
For independent shops that sell at the counter and online: a bilingual catalogue, GST and QST calculated, in-store pickup and terms of sale that follow Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act.
The essentials
The context
Montreal retail is organized street by street. On the Plateau, commercial development societies (SDCs) cover Laurier Ouest, Mont-Royal, Saint-Denis and Saint-Laurent. In Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie: Plaza St-Hubert, Little Italy and Promenade Masson.
Source: Ville de Montréal ↗Since June 1, 2025, a trademark in another language on a sign visible from outside requires clearly predominant French. If a French version of the trademark is registered, that’s the one you display. Your website should tell the same story as your façade.
Source: Office québécois de la langue française ↗In 2026, avenue du Mont-Royal is pedestrian from May 28 to October 12, Wellington and Bernard for much of the summer. More foot traffic, and more people who note your shop’s name and look it up later.
Source: Tourisme Montréal ↗What usually goes wrong
The shop is well run and the products are carefully chosen. The online store, less so.
Product pages pasted from the supplier, English only, with “Color: Navy” sitting in the middle of a French page. Bad for Bill 96, not great for Google either.
Shipping added at payment, total never highlighted. The OPC requires that information to be disclosed before the contract is concluded, not after.
The last size M sold at the counter Saturday morning, then online Saturday night. Someone now has to write an apology email.
Buried in the footer, or missing. Yet return, exchange and refund conditions are part of what must be presented before the purchase.
The rules that apply
Selling online in Quebec means entering a distance contract. Here’s what we build into the site from day one, with the official sources.
The site’s commercial content and your terms of sale must be offered in French first. Since June 1, 2025, descriptive parts of a trademark on a product (flavour, colour, features) must also appear in French; a recognized brand name can stay as is.
Official source ↗ (www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca)A published privacy policy, the privacy officer’s contact details posted, and collection limited to what’s needed to fulfil the order. The newsletter gets its own checkbox, and profiling cookies stay off by default.
Official source ↗ (www.cai.gouv.qc.ca)Before purchase: your contact details, a detailed description, prices, fees, taxes, the total, delivery and return conditions, presented clearly and easy to print. The customer must be able to accept, correct or refuse. A copy of the contract within 15 days.
Official source ↗ (www.opc.gouv.qc.ca)The advertised price must include every mandatory fee; only GST and QST may be added. You can’t charge more than the advertised price. Quebec’s Price Accuracy Policy covers the store, not online purchases.
Official source ↗ (www.opc.gouv.qc.ca)General information, not legal advice. Check with the relevant regulator.
What we build
A WordPress site with a built-in store that you manage yourself, between customers.
Product pages in French first, English version linked, with size and colour variants translated too. Descriptions in your voice, not the supplier’s.
GST and QST calculated in the cart, shipping shown before payment, total clearly highlighted. Receipts show your tax registration numbers.
A checkout option, an email when the order is ready, pickup hours spelled out. Handy for the neighbourhood customer who doesn’t want to pay for shipping.
When your point-of-sale system offers a connection, we link store and website stock. When it doesn’t, we set up a simple routine so the same piece doesn’t sell twice.
A summary where customers accept, correct or refuse their order, then a printable confirmation email sent right away, well within the 15-day limit.
A clear page on returns, exchanges and refunds, repeated in the cart and in the confirmation email. Nobody likes hunting for it, least of all an unhappy customer.
Found in your neighbourhood
Shopping often starts with a neighbourhood search: “boutique Mile End”, “friperie Plateau”, “gift shop Saint-Henri”. Google shows the map and Business Profiles first, then websites. We tune your Google profile, your hours (holidays included) and French and English product pages that each rank in their own language.
Line Retail & boutiques
Checklist
FAQ
Another question? Write to us in English or French.
info@webdevelopmentmontreal.caAccording to Revenu Québec, a small supplier, whose taxable sales don’t exceed $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over the last four quarters, generally doesn’t have to register, but may do so voluntarily. Above that, registration is mandatory. Rates are 5% GST and 9.975% QST. Your accountant will confirm your situation.
A recognized brand name can stay in another language. Since June 1, 2025, generic or descriptive wording on the product (flavour, colour, features) must also appear in French, with a transition period until June 1, 2027 for some products. On your website, the product description is written in French either way.
Yes, in cases set out in the law: for example, if required information was missing, if the contract copy wasn’t sent within 15 days, or if delivery didn’t happen within 30 days of the agreed date. The merchant then refunds within 15 days. A well-built site avoids most of these situations.
An online store and a bilingual showcase site are quoted differently, depending on your catalogue and features. You get a fixed-price written quote before we start, and maintenance with hosting is a fixed monthly fee.
No. What we share here is general information, not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact the Office de la protection du consommateur for online sales, the OQLF for language, the Commission d’accès à l’information for Law 25, and Revenu Québec for taxes.
Useful services
Other industries
Your project
Tell us how many products you carry, which point-of-sale system you use and whether you ship or offer pickup. We’ll come back with a fixed-price written quote. We work remotely from Toronto, in your time zone, over video calls.
