Only a few days left: Are you ready for the EU-wide easy withdrawal rule?

From June 19, all e-commerce stores and subscription services must feature a “withdrawal” or “cancellation” button on their websites and apps if they sell goods or services within the EU. The goal of the directive is to make withdrawal just as easy as buying something. Missing the deadline might end up in significant fines. Are you ready for the new rule?

According to the EU Directive 2023/2673, from mid-June, stores must “provide the consumer with a withdrawal function that is easy for the consumer to find, continuously available and clearly visible during the withdrawal period. The consumer should be able to find and access the function in an easy and simple manner.” 

What does the withdrawal rule mean in reality? 

Since the end of 2011, the EU has had a legal framework (European Directive 2011/83) detailing the “Right of withdrawal.” This Directive stated that anyone within the EU has “at least a 14-day right of withdrawal following online or distance purchases.” Among other things, it considered purchases made on the internet, by mail order, and by teleshopping. (Some product categories were exempt from this, such as perishable goods or products that cannot be returned for hygiene or health protection reasons.)

In this sense, the legal obligations for vendors didn’t change much. What does change, however, is that companies will have to make this process easier than ever for the customer. Until now, customers had to jump through hurdles in some cases. Some e-commerce stores used hard-to-find withdrawal buttons and forms or asked for emails detailing the withdrawal to initiate the process. All that changes now.

What should the withdrawal button look like?

We’re going to show the withdrawal process through Shopify’s system for two reasons. One, as many of you know, we’re an expert Shopify agency. Two, e-commerce platforms like Shopify often lead the way in implementing features like this, and they’re always ready to launch changes before the legal deadline arrives. 

When your customer opens their order, they should see a highly visible, easy-to-find button offering them the option to withdraw. Article 11a of the directive clarifies this in the following way: “The withdrawal function shall be labelled with the words “withdraw from contract here” or an unambiguous corresponding formulation in an easily legible way.”

They also add: “The withdrawal function shall be continuously available throughout the withdrawal period. It shall be prominently displayed on the online interface and easily accessible to the consumer.” In most cases, this is 14 days. 

If they click withdrawal, a form should load asking which products they want to return, and how much the delivery will cost. For data collection, an online store might also ask why the customer is returning the product, but under EU rules, they don’t have to provide a reason for their withdrawal. 

If they choose withdrawal, their request will appear in your admin as a withdrawal/return request. The process isn’t automatic: You have to approve the return manually after you click the order. 

You can also set up the details of the whole process under your store's policies. You can change the default number of days the withdrawal button is visible after an order, and the default basic shipping cost for the return.

What should you be aware of? 

The most important thing you should not forget is that implementing this process is mandatory as of June 19, 2026. If you miss the deadline and don’t have the withdrawal button on your website, you might face serious consequences: this might include not only warnings but, in some member states, a fine of up to 4% of your annual turnover. 

Another important thing to keep in mind is that even if you use an e-commerce platform such as Shopify, you will still need to monitor potential return requests. That’s why we remind all our clients to tell their customer service teams to pay attention to the change: even if your platform has the functionality, fulfillment is your responsibility. 

We also know that for many industries this will not be a significant change. Companies in the fashion industry already operate this way, and returns are a very common process for them. For other companies, however, this function will be relatively new, as they often have very low return rates (<5%). 

Need help? We’re here for you! 

If you’re unsure how to set up your e-commerce store for the EU-wide regulation, or want an e-commerce platform that does the heavy lifting for you, feel free to reach out to us!

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