In short: From June 19, 2026, online shops selling to consumers in Germany must offer an electronic withdrawal button - clearly visible, usable directly in the shop, with an immediate confirmation of receipt. Shopware ships a native withdrawal form since version 6.7.9.0 (April 16, 2026), placed via Shopping Experiences and backported to Shopware 6.6. The technology is there - the real work is integrating it cleanly into your theme and sales channels.
What applies from June 19, 2026
With the transposition of the underlying EU directive into German law, withdrawing from a purchase becomes much easier for consumers: they must be able to declare their withdrawal electronically, directly in the shop - instead of writing an email or filling out a PDF form.
Affected are:
- all online merchants with B2C distance contracts - regardless of size. There is no exemption for small merchants or start-ups.
- hybrid shops selling to both business and private customers.
- marketplaces, where the platform operator carries the responsibility.
Only pure B2B shops that clearly and effectively exclude sales to consumers are exempt. "Clearly" is the key word: a footer note is usually not enough if anyone can practically place an order.
Why email and PDF forms are no longer enough
The requirements for the new withdrawal function are concrete:
- It must be clearly recognizable and directly accessible - not hidden in subpages.
- The withdrawal must be submitted electronically, directly in the shop.
- The customer must receive an immediate electronic confirmation of receipt.
- Usage must be low-threshold - no forced login, no extra hurdles.
A prominently highlighted link can replace the button. What happens afterwards - the legal assessment of whether the withdrawal is valid - remains the merchant's job. The button handles the intake, not the evaluation.
How Shopware 6.7.9.0 solves it technically
With release 6.7.9.0 from April 16, 2026, Shopware ships a native withdrawal form. It works much like the familiar contact form: the form is embedded as an element via Shopping Experiences and can be placed flexibly in the storefront. Customers submit their withdrawal electronically and automatically receive a confirmation of receipt.
Important for operators of older installations: the feature was backported to Shopware 6.6. You do not have to jump to the latest 6.7 version to comply - a current update within your version line is enough. The feature is part of the core and included from the Community Edition upwards at no extra cost.
The same release also added ZUGFeRD generation for cancellation documents and credit notes - so the follow-up documents of a withdrawal can be generated in a compliant electronic format as well.
Where it gets tricky in practice
The standard solution is good - but "available in the standard" does not mean "live in your shop". From project experience, these are the typical pitfalls:
- Custom themes: If your theme heavily restructures footer, navigation or service areas, access to the withdrawal form must be placed deliberately. "Clearly recognizable and directly accessible" is a design requirement, not just a technical one.
- Shopping Experiences structure: The form is a Shopping Experiences element. It needs its own page, clean linking (typically footer and customer account area) and assignment to the right sales channels.
- Multiple sales channels and languages: Every B2C channel needs the access point - in every active language. In multi-channel setups, one channel is easily forgotten.
- Headless and composable frontends: Shopware provides the backend logic. The frontend integration is your job in your custom frontend - real development effort you should plan before June 19.
- Old versions: Shops still running 6.5 or older will not receive the feature. Then an update comes before the withdrawal button - and that needs lead time.
Your checklist before June 19
- Check your version: At least Shopware 6.6 with a current patch level, or 6.7.9.0+.
- Set up the form: Create the withdrawal form as a Shopping Experiences page and assign it to the affected sales channels.
- Link it visibly: Footer and customer account in all B2C channels and languages.
- Test the confirmation email: Does the confirmation arrive immediately, with the correct sender?
- Update your legal texts: The withdrawal policy must match the new function - one for your lawyer or legal text service.
- Clarify the process behind it: Who handles incoming withdrawals, and how fast?
What happens if you don't comply
If the button is missing from the deadline onwards, you risk warning letters and cease-and-desist claims as a competition law violation - and your customers' withdrawal periods can be extended. Both are far more expensive than a timely technical implementation. Two months of lead time sound comfortable, but between theme adjustments, sales channel maintenance and legal texts, June 19 arrives faster than you think.