Guides · Shopify and section 356a BGB

Withdrawal button in Shopify: set it up without an app and acknowledge it properly

Since 19 June 2026 online stores selling to consumers in Germany need an electronic withdrawal function. Shopify offers its own way through the customer account, without an app. It is quick to set up but does not meet every requirement by itself. Here is what is missing and which part an automation takes over.

Tobias Stöber6 October 2026 · 6 min read · As of October 2026

Your Shopify store

Vertrag widerrufen
Customer in the storeThe link “Vertrag widerrufen” sits in the footer of every page.
Vertrag widerrufenRequest return
Withdrawal in the accountSign in with an email code, open the order, request the return.
Return requested · #1042
Shopify reports the requestImmediately and with the order. Nobody has to read an inbox for it.

Shopify reports to Talkward right away

Talkward

Template “Acknowledge a withdrawal”
Automation startsThe trigger “Return requested” kicks off the flow.
We received your withdrawal06/10/2026 · 14:32Withdrawal
Acknowledgement to the customerEmail with order number, date and time. The order gets a tag.
Withdrawal received#1042 · Jana K. · 14:32
The team knowsPush notification so return and refund can start.

How a withdrawal runs when Shopify and Talkward work together: above, what happens in the store, below, what the automation makes of it.

We have just set up the withdrawal button for one of our own Shopify stores and noticed where Shopify’s way and the German statute drift apart.

In short

Shopify maps the withdrawal button, without an app, to return and cancellation requests in the customer account. That takes ten minutes to set up.
This way leaves three points open: the wording of the buttons, access without signing in and the acknowledgement of receipt with date and time.
An automation can take care of the acknowledgement. The other two points remain a trade-off you should know about.

A customer sits at a kitchen table, tapes up a parcel for return and looks at his laptop. — Withdrawal starts with the customer at the kitchen table. Online it should be as easy as ordering. Illustrative image, AI-generated.

Contents

What does section 356a BGB require of the withdrawal button?
Setting up the withdrawal button in Shopify without an app
Where Shopify’s solution falls short
Sending the acknowledgement automatically
What the automation does not solve
Checklist: withdrawal button in your Shopify store
Frequently asked questions
Sources

What does section 356a BGB require of the withdrawal button?

Section 356a of the German Civil Code (BGB) implements an EU directive and has applied since 19 June 2026 to contracts consumers conclude online. Customers should be able to withdraw from a contract as easily as they concluded it. The electronic withdrawal function, usually called the withdrawal button, has four building blocks:

Button
Clearly legible and labelled “Vertrag widerrufen” (withdraw from contract) or equivalent, continuously available throughout the withdrawal period, prominent and easy to reach.
Three details
Name, details identifying the contract and the channel for the acknowledgement. The function must not require more.
Confirm
A second button “Widerruf bestätigen” (confirm withdrawal) or equivalent that submits the statement.
Acknowledgement
Without undue delay on a durable medium, for example by email, with the content of the statement and the date and time it was received.

Setting up the withdrawal button in Shopify without an app

Shopify recommends mapping the withdrawal function to customer accounts. The customer signs in, opens the order and requests a return there or, before shipping, a cancellation. You set up four things in the Shopify admin:

Turn on self-serveEnable “Return and cancel requests” in the customer account settings.
Set cancellation rulesTurn on cancellation rules and set the window to “Until item is fulfilled”.
Set the return windowAt least 14 days, starting from delivery of the last item in the order.
Make the link visibleAdd a footer entry “Vertrag widerrufen” that leads to the order overview in the customer account.

Also add a sentence describing the online route to your withdrawal policy. Shopify itself points out that these tools do not automatically make a store compliant.

Where Shopify’s solution falls short

Put next to the statute, three points remain open:

Requirement	Shopify’s way	Assessment
Labels “Vertrag widerrufen” and “Widerruf bestätigen”	You name the footer link yourself. The buttons in the customer account carry Shopify’s own wording for returns and cancellations.	Partly met
Easy to reach	The customer first signs in with a code sent by email, even for a guest order.	Disputed
Acknowledgement with content, date and time	Shopify names the acknowledgement as the merchant’s duty. It does not promise that its own notification contains the date and time of receipt.	Can be closed

Sending the acknowledgement automatically

The third point is the most tangible: the statute requires an acknowledgement that arrives immediately and states content, date and time. With Talkward’s Shopify extension, which is currently in preparation, an automation takes care of that. Shopify reports every return request to Talkward right away. Talkward sends the buyer the acknowledgement through your brand’s email inbox, tags the order and lets the team know.

HaferhainWe received your withdrawal for order #1042

Hi Jana, we have received your withdrawal statement.

Order: #1042
Items: Oat bars, box of 12
Received: 06/10/2026 at 14:32

This is how the acknowledgement reaches the customer, seconds after the request.

How to set it up:

Choose the templateUnder Settings › Automations open the template “Acknowledge a withdrawal right away”. It comes with trigger, email, tag and push notification.
Check the textAdjust subject and text to your tone. Keep the placeholders for order number, items, date and time.
Repeat for cancellationsA second automation with the trigger “Order cancelled” covers withdrawal before shipping.
Run through it oncePlace a test order, withdraw through the footer link and check that the email arrives immediately.

Screenshot from Talkward: the template Acknowledge a withdrawal right away with its four steps Return requested, Send message, Add tags and Notify team, plus the preview of the email to the customer. — The template in Talkward: the selection on the left, the flow in four steps and the email your customer reads on the right.

Sample text of the template

SubjectWe received your withdrawal for order {{ereignis.bestellnummer}}

Hi {{ereignis.vorname}},

we have received your withdrawal statement.

Order: {{ereignis.bestellnummer}}
Items: {{ereignis.positionen}}
Received on {{ereignis.datum}} at {{ereignis.uhrzeit}} (German time)

We will write to you separately about the return shipment and the refund. If you have questions, just reply to this email.

Talkward fills the blue fields from the order. Date and time are the moment Shopify reported the request.

What the automation does not solve

The automation acknowledges and informs. It changes nothing about the sign-in to the customer account and nothing about the button labels there, both are up to Shopify. It does not refund anything by itself either: you approve the return and the refund as usual.

If you want to meet sign-in and labelling under the stricter reading, you need your own page with a form or an app from the Shopify App Store. Two things help in any case:

Keep other routes open. A withdrawal by email or letter remains valid. Acknowledge it immediately with date and time as well.
Describe the route. Say in your withdrawal policy where the link is and that the customer signs in with the email address of the order.

Checklist: withdrawal button in your Shopify store

Turn on “Return and cancel requests” in customer accounts.
Set cancellation until fulfilment and returns for at least 14 days from delivery.
Add the link “Vertrag widerrufen” to the footer, visible on every page.
Add the online route to your withdrawal policy.
Switch on the automation for the acknowledgement, for returns and for cancellations.
Withdraw with a test order and check: does the email arrive immediately, with order number, date and time?
Decide whether Shopify’s way with sign-in is enough for you or whether you add a form without sign-in.

This article is general information from a merchant’s point of view and not legal advice. As of October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an app for the withdrawal button in Shopify?

Not necessarily. Shopify maps the withdrawal function to return and cancellation requests in the customer account. That way, however, leaves the button wording, access without sign-in and the acknowledgement with date and time open.

Since when is the withdrawal button mandatory?

Since 19 June 2026. It is set out in section 356a of the German Civil Code, which implements an EU directive.

Which stores does the withdrawal button apply to?

To all stores that offer consumers online contracts with a right of withdrawal, regardless of size. Pure business-to-business stores are not affected.

What has to be in the acknowledgement of receipt?

The content of the withdrawal statement and the date and time it was received. It has to arrive without undue delay on a durable medium, for example by email.

May withdrawal require signing in to a customer account?

That is disputed. Shopify’s way requires signing in with an email code. German legal service providers consider mandatory sign-in incompatible with section 356a. We do not know of a court ruling yet.

Does the automation make my store compliant?

It closes one of three gaps: the immediate acknowledgement with date and time. It does not change the sign-in to the customer account or the button labels.

How does it differ from the cancellation button?

The cancellation button under section 312k BGB has applied since 2022 to ongoing contracts such as subscriptions. The withdrawal button under section 356a BGB concerns the right of withdrawal after a purchase in an online store.

Is a withdrawal by email still valid?

Yes. The withdrawal function is an addition, it does not replace the other routes.

Sources

Section 356a BGB, electronic withdrawal function for distance contracts (German)gesetze-im-internet.de
Shopify Help Center: EU right of withdrawalhelp.shopify.com
Shopify Help Center: Return rules, Meeting EU right of withdrawal requirementshelp.shopify.com
Händlerbund: adding the withdrawal button to Shopify (German)haendlerbund.de