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The new EU withdrawal button: what online retailers need to know
Selling online in the EU? Learn what the new EU withdrawal function means for your webshop, the 14-day cooling-off period and compliance.
Orderchamp
Aug 20, 2026
Table of Contents
Introduction
If you sell products to consumers through your webshop, there’s a new EU e-commerce rule worth checking called the right of withdrawal.
Since 19 June 2026, retailers selling through an online interface need to make it easier for consumers to exercise their right of withdrawal. In practice, this means providing an easily accessible online withdrawal function for purchases where the right of withdrawal applies.
The familiar 14-day cooling-off period hasn’t disappeared. What has changed is how easily customers should be able to tell you that they want to cancel their purchase.
Here’s what online retailers need to know:
What is the new EU withdrawal function?
Consumers in the EU already have the right to change their mind about most products bought online. For goods, they generally have 14 days from delivery to withdraw from the purchase without having to provide a reason.
Until now, retailers could offer different ways of exercising this right, such as contacting customer service, sending an email or completing a withdrawal form.
The new rules introduce an additional requirement for contracts concluded through an online interface: consumers must be able to submit their withdrawal directly online through a withdrawal function.
You’ll often see this described as the new EU “withdrawal button”, although the legislation itself refers to a withdrawal function.
Does this apply to your webshop?
If you operate a webshop and sell products directly to consumers, it’s worth checking your current withdrawal process.
The requirement forms part of EU consumer protection rules covering distance contracts. These are purchases made without the consumer and retailer being physically together, including normal online webshop purchases.
It therefore matters to many independent retailers selling categories such as home & living, fashion, beauty, gifts, toys or accessories online.
The rules concern B2C sales. If you also buy or sell wholesale through B2B channels, those business-to-business purchases themselves are not what this consumer withdrawal rule is aimed at.
What should the withdrawal function do?
Adding a link saying “returns” somewhere in your footer is not necessarily enough.
Under the new rules, the withdrawal function needs to allow consumers to send an online statement telling you that they want to withdraw from their contract. It should remain prominently displayed and easily accessible during the applicable withdrawal period.
The process should allow the customer to provide or confirm the information needed to identify the relevant contract and their withdrawal.
After submitting the information, the consumer should also be able to confirm their decision to withdraw. The retailer must then provide acknowledgement of the withdrawal on a durable medium, for example by email.
A withdrawal is not necessarily the same as a return
This is an important distinction.
Exercising the right of withdrawal means that the consumer tells you they no longer want to be bound by the purchase.
The return is the practical process that may follow: packing the item, creating a return label and sending the product back.
The new requirement focuses on making the first part — communicating the decision to withdraw — easy to do online. It doesn't mean every part of your reverse-logistics process suddenly needs to happen through one button.
Existing rules around returning goods, refunds and the consumer's responsibilities after withdrawing still apply.
Does every online purchase have a 14-day withdrawal period?
No.
The EU's right of withdrawal comes with several existing exceptions. Depending on what you sell, these can include certain personalised products, perishable goods and sealed products that have been opened for health or hygiene reasons, among other categories.
So the new withdrawal function doesn't suddenly make every product returnable.
For most standard goods sold through a webshop, however, the familiar 14-day withdrawal period continues to apply.
What should online retailers do now?
If you sell to consumers online in the EU, check how customers currently exercise their right of withdrawal.
In particular:
- Check your webshop platform. Find out whether your platform or returns solution has introduced functionality to support the new requirement.
- Review where customers can find it. The withdrawal function should be easily accessible during the withdrawal period, rather than hidden deep inside your terms and conditions.
- Test the full process. Make sure customers can add the relevant order number, submit their withdrawal and receive confirmation.
- Review your returns information. Your withdrawal policy, returns page, FAQs and terms should explain the process consistently.
- Keep withdrawal and returns separate in your thinking. Make sure the legal cancellation step works correctly alongside your existing practical return flow.
The exact implementation can also depend on national law, as EU directives are implemented through legislation in individual Member States. If you're unsure whether your current setup complies, check the requirements applicable to the countries in which you operate or seek professional legal advice.
What should a withdrawal button look like?
The EU doesn't prescribe one exact design or colour for the button. What matters is that the withdrawal function is prominently displayed, easy to find and continuously available during the withdrawal period. It should guide customers through a simple process where they can identify their order, submit their withdrawal and confirm their decision. The retailer must then send confirmation of the withdrawal on a durable medium, such as email.
You also don't necessarily need to build this functionality yourself. If your webshop runs on Shopify, several plug-and-play apps have already appeared specifically for the new EU requirements. For example, Revoq – EU Withdrawal Button, EU Withdrawal Form and Withdrawly offer no-code withdrawal forms, order matching and automatic confirmation emails directly within Shopify.
Before installing an app, check that its setup matches the requirements in the countries where you sell and that it works correctly with your existing returns process.
You can read the official requirements yourself in Article 11a of Directive (EU) 2023/2673. Search the EUR-Lex text for “Article 11a” or “withdrawal function” to jump directly to the relevant section.
Frequently asked questions
Is an EU withdrawal button now mandatory for webshops?
For eligible distance contracts concluded through an online interface, traders must provide an online withdrawal function that allows consumers to exercise their right of withdrawal. The legislation refers to a “withdrawal function”, so it does not prescribe one universal button design for every webshop.
Has the 14-day return period changed?
No. Consumers generally still have 14 days to withdraw from an online purchase of goods, calculated from delivery, subject to the existing exceptions.
Does the withdrawal function replace my returns page?
Not necessarily. The function allows consumers to communicate their decision to withdraw online. You may still need your usual returns information and process to explain how products should be sent back.
Does this also apply to physical-store purchases?
The EU right discussed here concerns distance and off-premises contracts, including online purchases. Consumers do not have the same general EU 14-day cooling-off right simply because they changed their mind about something bought in a physical shop.
What if I sell both B2B and B2C?
The Consumer Rights Directive protects consumers. If you operate a consumer webshop alongside your wholesale activities, the relevant B2C webshop transactions may fall within these requirements, while genuine B2B wholesale transactions are treated differently.
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