EU Directive 2023/2673 – changes are coming for online shops

The European Union is introducing further stringent regulations concerning online sales and the protection of consumer rights in the digital market. One of the most significant and demanding changes in the coming years will be the full implementation of EU Directive 2023/2673, which imposes entirely new obligations on businesses regarding the process of withdrawing from contracts concluded online. The new rules are primarily designed to ensure that customers can cancel a digital purchase or service just as quickly, easily and conveniently as they made the purchase.

EU lawmakers are particularly concerned that, in many modern online shops, the returns or cancellation process is deliberately complicated, buried deep within the website’s structure, or requires a series of tedious, additional steps. The forthcoming directive is intended to finally sort out these issues, eliminating unfair market practices and harmonising consumer protection rules across the European Union.

What will EU Directive 2023/2673 change?

The biggest and most revolutionary change introduced by EU Directive 2023/2673 will be the absolute obligation to provide consumers with a clear, easily accessible and unambiguously described function enabling them to withdraw from a contract immediately online. In practice, this means that every online shop – regardless of size, sector or sales model – will have to include a visible button or link on its interface clearly labelled „Withdraw from the contract” or „Withdraw from the contract here”. This feature must not be hidden in the terms and conditions, tucked away in a deep submenu of the customer’s profile, or presented in a way that makes it difficult to find quickly; it must be constantly available and visible throughout the entire period during which the customer has the right to withdraw. Upon clicking this button, the consumer should be automatically redirected to an interactive online form that allows them to intuitively select the specific order or chosen products they wish to cancel, without having to download separate PDF files, printing them or filling in documents by hand. The entire process must be designed as a two-step procedure to prevent accidental clicks, and the seller is required to immediately send official confirmation of receipt of the notification on a durable medium, most commonly in the form of an automated email.

The introduction of this feature will require businesses not only to make superficial updates to their terms and conditions, but often also a fundamental overhaul of key UX elements and the entire logic of the purchasing process, so that cancelling a contract is just as simple and intuitive for the average online user as concluding it. In practice, this means that online shops will have to implement:

• a dedicated opt-out button or form,
• a simple system for giving notice of withdrawal from a contract,
• automatic confirmation of receipt of the application,
• an easy-to-use online returns process.

Important: Ultimately, the option to cancel the contract should be just as straightforward as the process of purchasing the product itself.

No more making returns difficult

The new regulations are also intended to significantly and effectively curb any market practices that in any way make it difficult for customers to cancel purchases or to exercise their fundamental consumer rights effectively. The legislator explicitly states that businesses must not design their websites, customer panels or shopping baskets in a way that misleads the user, creates artificial pressure on them, discourages them from withdrawing from a contract, or requires an excessive number of technical steps to successfully complete the cancellation of a transaction. This includes both hiding relevant links in hard-to-reach sections of the footer, as well as the use of unclear messages, misleading button colours, ambiguous names, and any other manipulative design solutions (UX) intended to delay or cause the customer to abandon the cancellation process. The Directive imposes a clear obligation on sellers to ensure that the withdrawal process is transparent and intuitive, which will force the e-commerce industry to abandon the so-called. dark patterns and a return to full transparency. Businesses will need to ensure that customers can easily find the relevant option at any time, fully understand how it works, and submit a withdrawal notice without encountering any unnecessary technical or psychological barriers.

The European Union is increasingly focusing on transparency and fair practices in online trade, thereby eliminating the following practices from the market:

• concealing return forms,
• complicated order cancellation processes,
• vague messages,
• multi-step cancellation procedures.

Is the return deadline changing?

No. Consumers will continue to have 14 days to withdraw from a distance contract.

However, the way this right is exercised is changing. Companies will have to provide a simpler and more intuitive online returns system, moving away from outdated methods that require customers to send paper forms.

What does this mean for online shops?

For online shop owners, this means they must ensure their technology platforms are properly prepared well in advance of the regulations coming into force. The sooner a shop adapts to the new standards, the easier it will be to avoid technical chaos and potential financial penalties.

In many cases, the following will be necessary:

• technical changes to the shop’s architecture,
• updates to the terms and conditions and privacy policy,
• the implementation of new, interactive forms,
• adjustment of the internal returns handling process.

A ready-made solution for online shops

If you run a shop based on WordPress or WooCommerce, you can implement the required features much more quickly and efficiently using ready-made, tried-and-tested solutions available on the market. We recommend quick returns module for a PrestaShop store.

The „Advanced Phrases” plugin from Pluginisle

• a simple and user-friendly returns management system for the admin panel.
• full compliance with EU Directive 2023/2673,
• quick implementation without the need for programming or coding,
• a modern online withdrawal form,
• a simple and user-friendly returns management system for the admin panel.

FAQ

Summary

EU Directive 2023/2673 clearly sets out the direction in which modern European e-commerce is heading — primarily greater transparency, simpler purchasing and returns procedures, and significantly stronger consumer protection. For all online shops, this is the ideal time to audit their platforms, prepare their infrastructure for the upcoming changes, and implement solutions that are fully compliant with the new regulations.