New Obligation for E-shops: Contract Withdrawal Button Under EU Directive 2023/2673

European e-commerce legislation is tightening the rules once again, bringing a critical obligation for all online store operators. The new EU Directive 2023/2673, which expands consumer protection rules (following the Omnibus package), requires e-shops to provide customers with a clear, visible, and fully automated online form to withdraw from a purchase contract.

What are the main requirements of the legislation?

The new legal regulation requires that regular consumers (B2C) must be able to exercise their right to return goods within the statutory period without unnecessary hurdles. The system must meet the following criteria:

• Accessibility: The withdrawal option must be easily accessible from the customer account area, the order detail page, and ideally from the store's footer block.
• Deadline Control: The system must prevent submission of requests after the legal deadline has passed (standardly 14 days from the delivery date, which means incorporating additional shipping transit days).
• Acknowledgment of Receipt: As soon as the customer submits the form, the e-shop must immediately issue an automated confirmation acknowledging the receipt of the request.

An Elegant Solution for PrestaShop: Easy Order Withdrawal (EU 2023/2673) Module

To save you from spending thousands on custom development, we have developed a specialized module for PrestaShop 1.7, 8, and 9. This module completely resolves the entire legislative obligation for you within a few minutes.

What does the module handle automatically?

• Seamless 2-Step Online Form: In Step 1, the customer enters their email and order reference (secure verification for both registered users and guests). In Step 2, they choose whether to return the entire order or select specific products and quantities (supporting partial withdrawal).
• Bank Account Collection for Refunds: The module includes an optional field for entering a bank account number, which is highly valuable for cash-on-delivery (COD) orders. This saves you from tedious back-and-forth emailing.
• Complete Back-Office Management: All requests are logged in a dedicated administration section (Customers → Order Withdrawals), where you can change statuses (New, Processed, Rejected), export data to CSV, or write internal staff notes for individual cases.
• Automated Order Status Update: Upon submission, the module can automatically switch the order status to a dedicated "Withdrawal submitted" status (automatically created by the module), so you instantly know not to process or ship that package.
• Customer Request History: Logged-in customers can track the status of their return directly within their account dashboard, including any custom messages or instructions from your shop.

Guide: What to watch out for when deploying the module?

If you decide to implement the module, achieving full legislative compliance requires not just installing the software, but also minor adjustments to your internal processes and legal documents. Here is an overview of what you need to focus on:

1. Updating your Terms and Conditions (T&C) on the web and in emails

Although the law still requires keeping a static text or PDF template for withdrawal in the annex of your terms and conditions, you must now explicitly inform consumers about the digital submission option. Update the relevant clause in your T&C (usually the section covering contract withdrawal) as follows:

ATTENTION: Making this text update solely on your online T&C CMS page is not enough. You must also project the updated wording of your terms and conditions into the PDF document that is automatically attached to the order confirmation email. If you are still sending an old version of the PDF without the online form link in your automated emails, you are not meeting your informational obligations properly.

If you don't have automated attachments of your current T&C to emails sorted out yet, we highly recommend using our module Email Attachments (Terms and Conditions), which fully automates this process and ensures that customers always receive a legally valid PDF version.

2. Setting up Active Order Statuses and Buffer Days correctly

In the module configuration, pay close attention to the Active order statuses setting. The withdrawal button should only be displayed for orders that the customer has actually paid for or received (e.g., Payment accepted, Preparation in progress, Shipped, Delivered). On the contrary, disable it for terminal statuses like Cancelled or Returned.

Make sure to utilize the Estimated delivery days feature. If the statutory return window is 14 days, add a buffer of e.g., 4–6 days in the settings to account for transit time. This prevents situations where the button disappears from the customer's account before the package even arrives at their door.

3. Customizing the "What to do next" instructions

The form does not automatically issue refunds or move money out of your account – you retain 100% financial control over the process. Therefore, write clear instructions on the success confirmation page (directly inside the module settings). Customers need to know exactly where to ship the physical goods, within how many days, and that you will issue the refund only after physically inspecting the returned items.

Conclusion

While the new EU Directive 2023/2673 brings another administrative duty for e-shops, with our Easy Order Withdrawal (EU 2023/2673) module, you can turn it into your own competitive advantage. You will automate tedious email conversations, gain a perfect overview of returns in one centralized dashboard, and offer your customers a modern, fast service that boosts the trustworthiness of your online store.