Janet Ingber
Welcome to AccessWorld’s online holiday shopping guide. Online shopping provides an easy and safe way to purchase gifts for family, friends, guide dogs, and pets. But in these difficult times, don’t forget to support your local businesses.
In this article, I will review iOS apps from Amazon.com, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and PetSmart. Links for Android versions of these apps will be included. All the apps make use of the vertical scroll bar. It is located on the right side of the screen. Due to the rapid pace of app updates, there may be some changes in the apps between the time I wrote this article and when it is published.
No matter where you shop online, make sure to use only legitimate apps and websites. Regrettably, there is an increasing number of scammers trying to separate you from your funds.
Amazon.com
The Amazon iOS app is available for devices running iOS 12 or later. The Amazon App for Android Requires Android 7.0 or later. For this article, we will be focusing on the iOS app. This app was previously reviewed in 2018, but since that time, there have been changes in both layout and descriptions.
App Layout
If you do not have an Amazon.com account, there is an option to create one when the app is opened. The sign-in link is also on that screen.
Once you are logged in, there are several search options: putting your query in the edit box, searching using an item’s bar code, and searching by voice.
At the bottom of the page are four tabs: Home, Your Amazon.com, Cart, and Menu. When navigating these tabs I found that not all rotor options were available all the time. For example, although I have links in my rotor, they were not always available. I had this issue with forms and tables as well. Headings were always available, but did not always work well. I found that touching on a link sometimes made rotor links, forms, and tables available. Once I was in search results, the rotor options all worked.
The Home tab has search options and information about Amazon’s products such as Echo and Fire sticks. Further down the page is a list of similar items that you have previously purchased, Deal of the Day, and related information. The easiest way to navigate in this tab is by links. Navigating by headings and forms does not provide the same amount of information.
The Your Amazon.com tab has a list of your previous orders, wish list, shopping list and any other lists you created.
The Cart tab shows what is in your cart, gives other information including items you saved for later, and describes Amazon’s return policy. The Menu tab contains account information, your orders, lists, and an option to shop by department. When you land on this tab, VoiceOver gives a very good description of what is contained within.
Finding a Gift
For this article, I chose to buy a cocktail shaker. I entered “cocktail shaker” in the search box and found many results. Using the rotor’s Forms option, I found different ways to sort them including by Price, Brand, and Category. Navigating by headings worked well for reviewing results. Within the results were bar sets and single cocktail shakers. Each result had the item’s name, brand, size, number of stars, number of reviews, and price. The final item in the result was delivery information. I selected a cocktail shaker and activated its link. With Forms navigation, I quickly found the buttons for quantity, adding the item to my cart, and a button to Buy It Now. Using Headings navigation, I found the item’s “About this item” section. Further down the page was information about similar products. There is a “Customer Reviews” section that can be located using Headings navigation.
After reviewing product information and checking out reviews, I added the item to my cart. VoiceOver said that my cart now had one item.
Next, I activated the Cart tab where I found buttons to check out, delete the item, or save for later. There was also a link to compare with similar items. The checkout process was straightforward.
I performed the same search but instead of using the edit box, I searched by voice. The voice search uses Amazon’s Alexa. You do not need a separate Alexa enabled device such as an Echo to do this. I got the same list of results, but was unable to sort them.
Getting Help
On the app’s home screen, there is a Menu tab in the lower right corner of the screen. Once it is selected, the Customer Service link is the last item on the page. The first part of Customer Service has a list of options where you can choose what you need help with. There are many options. At the bottom of the list is an option called, “Something Else.” There is also an option to search for help articles. Activating the “Something else” link loads a new page with more suggestions. At the bottom of this link is an option called, “I need more help.” Selecting it brings up a page with an option for chat or to have Amazon call you.
Conclusion
The Amazon.com app is very good for online shopping and their live customer support is a plus. Although it has some rotor issues, they can be overcome by flicking right and left. Once in search results, it is easier to navigate. The voice search worked well, but I could not find where to sort results by different parameters. The search edit box is easy to use and does allow for sorting.
Bed Bath & Beyond
The Bed Bath and Beyond app is available for both iOS and for Android. The iOS app requires iOS 12 or later, and the Android app requires Android 7.0 or later. For this article, I will abbreviate Bed, Bath & Beyond with BBB&Y.
This company sells much more than items just for your bedroom and bathroom.
In this app, rotor options for links, forms, and tables did not work throughout the app, with one exception, the More tab, located at the bottom right corner of the screen. In the rest of the app, even when headings were available, they were not always spoken.
App Layout
When BBB&Y’s app is first opened, there is a search box at the top of the screen. Below it is an option to scan a bar code. Next is an option to view your cart. Following this are two tabs: Featured and Categories. There are several more options on the screen including a Login button. Selecting this loads a new page where you can login if you have an existing account or you can create an account if you do not already have one.
At the bottom of the screen are five tabs: Shop, Registry, My Offers, Idea Boards, and More. The Shop tab is the home screen. Further down the page is a list of popular categories such as Dining, Kitchen, and Home Decor.
The Registry tab is used to set up a gift registry and to find out which items have been purchased. In this tab, you can also view someone else’s registry to see what they would like to receive. The My Offers tab is where you can check to see available coupons, sales, etc.
The Idea Boards tab is where you can save items and group them together. This tab also lets you write notes about each item. The More tab has options including Track Orders and Customer Service.
Finding a Gift
I decided to buy an air fryer so I entered those words into the search form and selected the Search option at the bottom right corner of the screen. When the new page loaded, the words Air Fryer were at the top of the page and below that was a search button. Activating this button gave options for searching by picture or searching by bar code. Since I did not want either option, I activated the cancel button.
Further down the page was a sort button that offered parameters including price and top rated. There was a filter button that had choices including capacity and brand. Below the filter option was information about store pickup.
Next were the listings which met my search criteria. Each listing included the item’s name, price, rating, and number of reviews.
Activating the product link brought me to a new page with photos, pickup information and, after scrolling past many pages, was specific information about the product. Further down was the button to add the item to my cart. Within the listing were offers on similar products.
The cart page showed my item and other items I might like. There was an order summary with approximate shipping costs. The checkout process was straightforward.
Getting Help
The More tab has a link to customer service. Live help is available at: (800) 462-3966. You can also browse topics or email customer service.
Also in the More tab is an Accessibility link. Activating it brings up a form to email Customer Service about any accessibility issues.
Conclusion
BBB&Y’s live help is a definite plus. The app is useable but might take extra time because of navigation issues. Being able to navigate by headings, links, and forms would make this app easier and faster. It requires extra time to flick around on the screen. To review an item, you need to scroll down past photos and other information to get item details.
PetSmart
The PetSmart iOS app is available for devices running iOS 12.4 or later The Android app requires a device running Android 7.0 and later. PetSmart has many options to get something for your dog, cat, bird or exotic pet. Be aware that there are some significant accessibility issues. For example, Rotor options for headings, forms, and links do not work on this website. In addition, the button to choose whether you want store pickup or the item shipped to you does not work with VoiceOver.
App Layout
PetSmart’s app loads with a list of various types of pets and asks you to select your pets, so you can receive special offers, videos and more. I could not find a way to get out of this screen so I selected dogs. No VoiceOver feedback was given to let me know that was what selected. There is a Save button at the end of the page and that button could now be activated. A new screen loaded where I had the option to not receive notifications. The next screen had options to choose a store and allow location services. There are five tabs on the bottom of PetSmart’s Home Screen: Treats, Services, Shop, Treat Trail, and Sign In. Use the Treats tab to sign up for PetSmart’s loyalty program. The Services tab contains information about Grooming and Training. The Shop tab is self-explanatory. The Treat Trail tab has your shopping cart. The Sign In tab has options including purchase history, Settings, and autoship. Once you create an account or log into your account, the Sign In tab now becomes an Account tab.
Finding a Gift
Go to the Shop tab. At the top of the screen is a search box. You can enter a search request and activate the Search button in the lower right corner. Results are located below the search box. Results show price, description, manufacturer, and whether there are promotions.
Double tapping on a result loaded a new screen with more information about the item, reviews and ratings, promotions, and an Add to Cart button. This screen took a few seconds to load. Another way to search is to search by animal. For example, I selected dogs. When the new screen loaded, there was a category list including toys, dental, and treats. After selecting a category, items in it will be displayed.
I selected a dog toy and tried to add it to my cart, but when I checked, the item was not there. I went back to the result screen and found information about picking up the item at a store. There was also an unlabeled button to view shipping options, but I could not get them to come up. With sighted assistance, I learned that near the bottom of the screen is a rectangle with a button for choosing a store or shipping options. However, when I used VoiceOver to select the button, I just got an edit box to change my zip code for store pickup. With VoiceOver off, I also had shipping options. However, I needed several attempts to activate the unlabeled button. The button is approximately 3/4 inch from the bottom of the screen, above where the charger plugs in.
When creating an account, there was no sound or VoiceOver verification that the button was selected. The edit boxes did work.
Getting Help
I could not find any type of customer service or support in this app. However, I did find a phone number on their website: 888-839-9638. They also have email help and a list of answers to commonly asked questions. PetSmart also has an Accessibility mode and a form to email them for Accessibility help.
Conclusion
Although PetSmart’s app has many products for many different kinds of animals, it unfortunately has accessibility issues. Not all features work well with VoiceOver, especially the button to select pickup or shipping. There is no option for support from within the app. Fortunately, there is support on their website. H2 The Bottom Line Amazon.com is the clear winner in my opinion. It is the most accessible app in this article. Their enormous inventory makes it easy to do a lot, if not all, your shopping on one website. Bed Bath & Beyond comes in second. They offer a wide variety of products. Their live help is a plus. PetSmart is a distant third. The lack of VoiceOver feedback when filling out forms and the fact that the button for choosing pickup or shipping isn’t accessible presents significant accessibility issues. Since there is no live support in the app, it takes extra work to find the phone number on the website.
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
Related articles:
- The 2019 AccessWorld Accessible Holiday Shopping Guide: Kohl's and Petco by Janet Ingber
- Amazon Prime Provides More Audio-Described Video Content Than Ever Before by Jamie Pauls
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